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PLAINFIELD
TOWNSHIP — A man stabbed his dog several times, and then killed
it by digging his knee into its windpipe, after the dog had bitten
an 8-year-old in the face.
An
animal control officer, present for the fatal blow, did not want
the man arrested because he appeared "remorseful," police
said.
The
8-year-old and his father were visiting the dog owner at his South
Legion Court home Sunday. The boy asked the 38-year-old man, his
cousin, if he could pet the dog, a shepherd-chow mix that was chained
in the back yard, police said.
The
dog's owner gave his young cousin the go-ahead, but when the boy
went to pet the dog, it lunged at him and tore his face by biting
him several times.
The
dog owner and the boy's father took the young child inside and called
for an ambulance. The dog's owner then armed himself with a butcher
knife, went back out and unchained the dog, police said.
The
man then stabbed the dog in both sides, trying again and again to
slice through his heart, police said. As he apparently failed to
find his mark, the man then slashed his dog's throat, according
to police.
Will
County sheriff's deputies arrived to find the dog beneath a bloody
white blanket. The dog was still breathing, police said. The child
had been transported to Provena Saint Joseph Medical Center in Joliet
by this time.
A
county animal control officer also was sent to the scene, police
said. The animal control officer advised the deputies that while
the man's actions were cruel, he should not be arrested because
the dog belonged to him, he was on his own property, and he appeared
"remorseful," police said.
The
man then asked deputies to put the dog out of its misery by shooting
it, police said. The deputies reportedly informed him they could
not do this because of the close proximity of neighboring residences.
The
man then took matters into his own hands by kneeling on the dog's
throat, police said. In front of deputies and the animal control
officer, the man proceeded to dig his knee into the dog's windpipe
until it stopped breathing and died, police said.
No
criminal charges have been filed in connection with the incident,
according to police.
ASPCA
calls for dog owner's arrest:
Animal rights group: Legion Court man allegedly killed
pet after it bit child
By
Joe Hosey, Illinois
Animal rights advocates have called for the arrest of a Plainfield
Township man police say stabbed and strangled his dog to death.
"I
don't understand how this man could stab his dog eight times and
not be arrested," said Ledy VanKavage, an attorney and the
senior director of regional legislative services, national shelter
outreach, for the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty
To Animals. "It harkens back to the days when a man would beat
his wife and nothing would happen because he looked sorry."
VanKavage
and the ASPCA have decried the killing of Cooper, a shepherd-chow
mix stabbed, slashed and strangled by his owner Aug. 7 after the
dog bit the man's 8-year-old cousin in the face, police said.
The
8-year-old and his father were visiting the dog owner at his South
Legion Court home recently. The boy asked his 38-year-old cousin
if he could pet Cooper, who was chained in the back yard, police
said.
The
dog's owner gave his young cousin the go-ahead, but when the boy
went to pet the dog, it lunged at him and tore his face by biting
him several times.
The
dog owner and the boy's father took the young child inside and called
for an ambulance. The dog's owner then armed himself with a butcher
knife, went back out and unchained the dog, police said.
The
man then stabbed his dog in both sides and slashed its throat, police
said.
Sheriff's
deputies arrived to find the dog beneath a bloody white blanket.
The dog was still breathing, police said, and an animal control
officer also was sent to the scene.
The
animal control officer advised the deputies that while the man's
actions were cruel, he should not be arrested because the dog belonged
to him, he was on his own property, and he appeared "remorseful,"
police said.
Dr.
Leroy Schild, director of Will County Animal Control, disputes this.
He claims an officer from his agency did not arrive until the dog
was dead for more than an hour. Detectives are investigating what
transpired outside the Legion Court residence, Schild said.
Cooper's
owner asked deputies on the scene to put the dog out of its misery
by shooting it, police said. The deputies reportedly informed him
they could not do this because of the close proximity of neighboring
residences and the man proceeded to dig his knee into the animal's
windpipe, suffocating it.
No
criminal charges have been filed in connection with the incident,
according to police. Patrol deputies and detectives are reviewing
the matter and, if charges are warranted, they will be forwarded
to State's Attorney James Glasgow's office, said Pat Barry, spokesman
for the sheriff's department.
A
man at the Legion Court residence confirmed a dog was killed there
but declined to discuss the matter Monday. Another dog was tied
up outside the house. VanKavage not only has challenged the sheriff's
department to arrest Cooper's owner on a felony animal cruelty charge,
but has offered "to train all the Will County deputies in the
Illinois Animal Abuse laws."
"The
ASPCA, in conjunction with other agencies and humane groups conducted
similar training for all the police officers in Joliet last year,"
VanKavage said.
"The
training is free."
"In
Will County, it appears Joliet PD is the most progressive and we
hope the sheriff's department follows suit," she said.
VanKavage
also reiterated her comparison of the department's turning a blind
eye to the dog's death to ignoring spousal abuse.
"It
just reminds me of the old wife-beating case," she said. "'Oh,
he's sad he did it, and he won't do it again.'"
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