The simple act of taking your dog for a walk shouldn’t leave you fearing for your life, but one East Dundee woman’s story has prompted officials to reach out to pet owners about the importance of keeping pets in check by following village ordinances.
Paula Lauer adopted Roo, her Chihuahua mix, from the Hoof Woof & Meow Animal Shelter in Elgin. Twice a day takes the 8-year-old, 12-pound dog for a walk.
One day last month while walking in her neighborhood, a dark charcoal-colored pit bull emerged from a house, Lauer said. When the animal spotted Roo and started to charge, she scooped her up and ran to a nearby home, she said.
“I knocked on the door and the guy let me into his house,” Lauer said. “The dog was running up to the door, barking and trying to get into the house.”
The resident called 911 but before the police could arrive, a truck pulled up outside and the driver retrieved the dog and left, she said.
Although the responding officer tracked down the pit bull’s owner, no action could be taken because it was the first time the animal had been involved in such an incident and no one was injured.
Because the dog still lives there and she’s afraid it could happen again, Lauer avoids going past the house but is frustrated that she has to be fearful about walking in the area where she lives.
“This neighborhood is small so we don’t have many choices,” she said. “If I want to walk around my block, I have to take a detour. I feel I should be able to walk in my own neighborhood without being so afraid.”
Lauer took her complaint to the East Dundee Village Board, and Police Chief Joshua Fourdyce agreed to take a look at the ordinance at the board’s request to see if needed to be expanded beyond the changes made in 2020, when there were several dog attacks in the village.
Fourdyce said he spoke to the owner of the pit pull, acknowledging that the animal was aggressive when he was there, and explained the ramifications should the dog go on the attack again and bite a person or other animal.
Instead of adding to the ordinance, the chief recommended the village launch a campaign to let dog owners know there will be a price to pay if their dog gets out of the house or yard or other rules are violated.
Following up on that, the village this week launched a social media campaign reminding people that they are responsible for their pets’ actions.
The village’s animal control ordinance says dogs must be on a leash no longer than eight feet when walked and owners must clean up after them should they defecate. No more than four dogs are allowed in a single-family detached home and the limit is one dog or cat in multiple-unit housing complexes. Owners must address excessive barking or other nuisance behaviors.
“The police chief has the authority to deem a dog dangerous if the dog, when unmuzzled, unleashed or unattended by its owner or custodian, behaves in a manner that a reasonable person would believe poses a serious and unjustified imminent threat of serious physical injury or death to a person or a companion animal in a public place, including menacing behavior,” according to the ordinance.
If a dog is found to be dangerous, the owner must follow the additional restrictions detailed in the ordinance.
Residents are told in the post to report to police any violations of the ordinance, especially those involving aggressive dogs.
Lauer has taken to carrying pepper spray with her when she walks her dog, “but I shouldn’t have to.” Beyond that, she’s not sure she’d have the time or compusure to use it given how quickly events can unfold, she said.
It also would be one thing if this was a one-time-only experience, but Lauer said she and Roo have been attacked three times in the last six years by unleashed dogs. One was a wolfhound that grabbed her dog by the neck, she said.
“They prey on (small dogs) and shake them and snap their spines,” according to Lauer, who said the only reason Roo wasn’t injured was because it was winter and she had a thick coat.
If she hadn’t been able to take refuge in a neighbor’s house during the most recent attack, she’s not sure what the outcome would have been, she said.
“(But) we didn’t get bitten so, based on the ordinance, there’s nothing that can be done,” Lauer said.
In her opinion, East Dundee needs to be more proactive in determining if a dog is dangerous. What makes a dog on the attack any different than a person running down the street toward someone with a machete, she said.
“This is a dangerous situation. We shouldn’t be waiting for something horrible to happen,” she said.
Gloria Casas is a freelance reporter for The Courier-News.