Sunday, June 6, 2010

Help Needed From Folks At The Dog Beach Saturday

A reader writes about a sad event at the dog Beach Saturday:  "Frida died. Now we need your help to find the Husky/ Malamute that killed her.

Frida is a little chocolate Chihuahua who visited Montrose (Mondog) Dog Beach, for the first time, around noon on Saturday, June 5. Frida was down on the sand near her pregnant owner and a visiting relative when a Husky/ Malamute ran several yards from the water, swooped down, and ran off with Frida dangling from its mouth.  Approximately 50 horrified dog owners were there and tried to stop the large dog, who thought the chase was great fun. But, dog owners and lifeguards could not stop the Husky/ Malamute from biting through Frida’s abdomen and breaking her neck. Frida died before reaching the vet.

Animal Control Bite Division would like to speak to the Husky/ Malamute’s owner. Anyone with information to share can call Animal Control Bite Officer Porter at 312-747-1410 or the Animal Bite Supervisor at 312-747-1412 or 1413. Refer to incident number IR #10-00798427. The incident location was at Montrose Dog Beach, 4700 N “Wilson-Lawrence”, i.e. the circular drive east of North Simmonds Drive, between Wilson and Lawrence." If you wish to remain anonymous, you can send info to Uptown Update and we will pass it along to Animal Control without your contact information (unless you specifically ask us to).

27 comments:

  1. what a sad story. every pet owner's worst nightmare.

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  2. As sad as this is, to be helpful a better description than Husky/Malamut would be needed. Color of coat, eyes and any marks. These are 2 distinctly different breeds so if they are mixed it could almost look like any "sled" dog. As an owner of a Samoyed I would be scared that someone around here would assume that my dog fit the description.

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  3. The lesson here is NEVER let your small dog off leash in the presence of large dogs. There are a lot of irresponsible dog owners in the city and you can't trust that the dogs that are around you have been properly trained.

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  4. I was at the dog beach when this happened. The Mondog beach volunteers happened to be there and warned the people that their dog was too small for the beach and might be injured. This dog was literally as small as a little shoe. It's not surprising that any big dog looked at it as prey or a chew toy. It's true that there are some irresponsible owners at the dog beach, and just as many irresponsible owners with tiny dog. I see These dogs getting trampled by running dogs, shivering with fear, and their owners simply shrug and say "oh, he's tough." Frankly,

    I'm so very sorry that the little puppy was killed. It was horribly sad and I will never forget it. Please, everyone, If you have tiny dog or puppy please be aware. When dogs are running around at top speed and pick something up from the ground while running it's very hard to catch them. It's an off-leash area and small dog owners, please take care of your dogs. There is new dog beach for small dogs directly north of Foster human beach -- where it is much safer for small dogs.

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  5. That is a terrible story. But I can't help but wonder with all the people around chasing the dogs, how is it the owner escaped unidentified?

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  6. No kidding. How did no one bother to get owner's name or license plate, particularly with the Mondog staff there at the time. If for no other reason, they have to ban the dog from their beach.

    I was there too. The other nonsense was that the police refused to come to the scene to talk to the guy or the witnesses because that is not their protocol for dog bites. Dogs, per the officers, are only property and they don't come to the scene for or investigate property damage.

    Can you believe it? Now you can now write a will leaving your estate or a trust to a dog in Illinois but you can't get a cop to respond when it is killed in on city property in front of you.

    What's this with blaming the dog owner? I didn't see anyone warning the owner that her dog was too small for the beach or the dog owner not protecting the dog. Where did you get that info?

    All chihuahuas are the size of a shoe and there are many small dogs, including many chihuahuas that go to Montrose Beach all the time. That doesn't make it ok for another dog to kill them.

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  7. This story just makes me sad, I don't want to make either owner feel any worse than I'm sure they already do.

    So I'm leaving it at that.

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  8. Any time you let an animal roam freely, eventually, there will be trouble. Properly trained or not, dogs are still animals. And all animals are unpredictable. I don't understand some people's need to anthropomorphize their pets.

    As a pet owner, I have loved my dogs to pieces, but I was always conscious of the fact that they were animals. Which means I had to be responsible enough to look out for their safety, as well as the safety of others.

    People who take their dogs to "dog parks" and "dog beaches", and let them off their leads, do so at their own risk.

    And I agree with HurlyBurly, how is it that so many people were chasing this wayward dog, yet no one noticed who the owner was? Did the pooch hop into an SUV and drive itself home?

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  9. I'M NOT YELLING, I NEED TO USE CAPS...

    HORRIBLE STORY. SEEMS HUMANS AND ANIMALS DON'T KNOW HOW "TO PLAY NICE". WHEN I GOT MY MALTIPOO, SHE WEIGHED 3 POUNDS. I COULD HOLD HER IN THE PALM OF MY HAND. EVERY TIME I TOOK HER OUT TO HOUSE TRAIN HER, BIG DOGS, OFF THEIR LEASHES, WOULD CHARGE HER/US. I WOULD HAVE TO PICK HER UP AND KEEP THE BIG DOGS AWAY FROM HER. VERY TRAUMATIC FOR SURE. I FEARED FOR MYSELF AND HER SO I LITTER TRAINED HER. SHE DOESN'T GO OUT NOW EXCEPT ON OUR BALCONY. AT LEAST SHE'S SAFE. SHE LOOKED LIKE A RABBIT TO THEM, I GUESS. I'VE WALKED PAST THAT DOGGIE BEACH AND SEEN DOGS FIGHTING AND OWNERS TRYING TO BREAK THEM UP. SADLY, FOR ME,THIS LITTLE DOG DYING SEEMED LIKE A TRAGIC EVENT WAITING TO HAPPEN. I CAN'T IMAGINE HOW THE HUMAN OF THAT LITTLE DOG FEELS. AND WHY DIDN'T THE OWNER OF THE BIG DOG OFFER HIS APOLOGIES? WHAT KIND OF DOG OWNER IS HE/SHE?

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  10. This is very sad to hear and I feel bad for the owner of the dog that was killed and for the owner of the dog who attacked it.

    I love the dog beach and I take my dog to the beach year round. We actually go less in the summer b/c the warm weather brings out the people who have no idea about dog behavior or how to control their own dog. This goes for both large and small dogs.

    While they are dogs too, some of these designer or "teacup" dogs are just too small for an open play environment as this. My dog and I have encountered dogs that are smaller than some of his toys. I have to be careful not to step on them. No matter how "tough" they act - 5 lbs is no match for 55 lbs.

    ALL dog owners need to be responsible for their dogs while at the beach (or other dog park) and be mindful of where they are and what they are doing. I follow along with my dog as he makes his way up and down the beach. He is never out of my eyesight. But I see plenty of other dog owners who lay a towel down, have their nose in a book or are on the phone and their dogs are off doing whatever.

    I don't intend to lay blame on either party - its a sad thing that happened.

    And for the poster who referenced MonDog "staff". No DFA in the city has "staff" - they are volunteers. If it werent for volunteers there wouldnt be any dog parks or beaches of any kind.

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  11. Simply heartbreaking. Owners need to use better judgement, but sadly I'm sure this won't be the last time incidents like this occur.

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  12. I brought my Chihuahua there before and after 10 minutes I was afraid for her safety and left.

    There definitely needs to be restricted areas for certain sized dogs.

    I've put in requests at the Puptown dog park and they were denied giving silly reasons such as "who would ensure that others followed these rules on site". I would imagine small dog owners that frequent there would. I've never ran into any rude people there and would imagine it to be fair.

    I took their response as more of "we don't want to" rather than "we can't figure out a way to". Being that the people overseeing it have big dogs themselves I imagine they don't want cut down space?

    There is a smaller dog beach up Foster but I've seen morons bring big dogs there that overpower little ones.

    I would never take my small dog anywhere that she could be in potential danger of. That said I feel that sometimes she misses out because of big dog owners who don't take into consideration smaller ones.

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  13. Sorry Brian but as a big dog owner, I have to ask, why should the dogs that need more room be "restricted"?

    I agree with everyone else; this is a very sad story and sometimes even the most vigilant owners can't prevent their erstwhile angels from just behaving like dogs. When it seems like our big dog is acting up we remove him from the situation immediately but nothing is completely safe and we have to be prepared to accept that.

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  14. I was there when this happened, as well. The owner of the Husky-looking dog was a white man in his mid-40s.

    I don't agree with how the owner of the bigger dog handled the situation--if your dog injures another dog, you're responsible no matter how "well trained" your dog is. That said, I don't agree with the behavior of many of the volunteers / owners present. After the Huskyish dog released Frida, people ran at the owner of the dog yelling things like "take your ******* dog and go!" and "get the **** out of here!" Nobody was asking him for his name or contact information. Yelling at the man and his dog does nothing to remedy the situation. Dropping to your knees and screaming does not, in any way, assist Frida's owner--who, understandably, was hustling (calmly) off the beach. If these people really wanted to be "helpful," they could've gotten the Husky owner's info. Instead, nobody asked him anything; he was screamed at to leave. And so he did.

    I understand that not everyone can have a cool head in an emergency. As it was, I was at the opposite end of the beach from this incident, with my own dog and my in-laws in tow. But if something like this happens, it would be nice to think that SOMEONE can keep a calm long enough to be helpful, rather than freaking out and making the situation worse. I've noticed that there are some extremely self-righteous people who hang at the Montrose beach, and this incident only proved that further.

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  15. first, i believe the dog in this photo is mine on our first visit to the dog beach. can someone tell me where this pic came from? that said, having a small dog i find that many people like to blame my dogs size for their dogs unacceptable behavior. small dogs exist, therefore be responsible and teach your dog to be gentle. if your dog might break a small dogs neck don't take them to the dog beach! my dog needs an outside area to play in too.

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  16. Hmmmm.

    I believe that its ultimately
    a darwinian world out there.
    Unfortunately it still is.

    Did evolution naturally come up with a chihuahua?

    I checked and they dont really know, maybe ultimately from china
    but definitely from mexico. I do find it hard to believe that these were not artificially bred by humans to be cute.

    And as long as chihuahuas are in a humans care and protection they will do fine.

    It looks like in a dogs world
    or a world without humans they will not do well

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  17. I feel very bad for the big dog owner and the little dog owner.

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  18. Yes, something like this was bound to happen there. Tragic. After visiting there with my one small breed & another medium breed (RIP), I decided to never go again. The irresponsible pet owners in Chicago are abundant.

    Montrose "dog beach" is first and foremost a meet and greet for single humans. Hence, the chick that took her eyes off her dog last year "for only about 3 minutes" while it was found wandering in the median of LSD.

    The large breed owners in a CITY need their own personal needs reassessed.

    The dog beach is a great concept in theory, but not with the self-absorbed mentality of humans today.

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  19. Dawn, the photo isn't of your dog, unless he or she poses for clipart on the web. Just something our reader found of a dog that looked similar to Frida.

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  20. Claire:

    The size between a vast amount of breeds is just that, vast.

    I understand that both sides here need to be aware of their surroundings but look at it from a small dog's perspective. How in the world will a small dog truly be comfortable at this dog beach when 10+ large dogs come to sniff it? It's unsettling for any breed and temperament.

    The Montrose dog beach is large. If they were to gate off 1/4, heck even 1/3, for small dogs the big dogs would have a still very large area to run around. This would greatly reduce the chances of something like this happening repeatedly.

    Maybe I wasn't clear, maybe I was, either way small dogs shouldn't have to give up the chances of going to the beach/park just so large dog owners can be content with having virtually all the space for theirs to roam.

    You also made mention of being prepared to accept such things, why not assist in preventing by seperation of sizes? "You must be this tall to ride" comes to mind...

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  21. Has anyone heard anything yet about whether this owner has been identified, or whether he's stepped up?

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  22. oh no! this is heart breaking.

    i had something similar happen to me at the buena circle dog park (challenger bark?), but my dogs are medium sized (28 lbs?), was attacked by an aggressive pit bull, and thankfully, my dogs lived. our attackers fled too and i was left with two torn apart puppies and a huge vet bill.

    i learned that the police will not respond to a dog on dog attack. they will only respond to a dog on human attack.

    i was told that i should call 311, but i'm not so sure about this. 311 doesn't make sense to me.

    if this happens to you, do yourself a favor and follow the fleeing dog owner to their house. do everything in your power to get that person's identity. without that, you have nothing.

    apparently dogs are considered personal property. if you catch the owner of dog, you can sue them for personal property damage (Pay the vet bills).

    i'm not sure what happens in court if your dog dies from the attack. i'm guessing that the judge has to treat your dog as personal property and put a number on it depending on the age of the dog when it died.

    :-(

    if anyone knows where to call when this happens, please let us know!

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  23. This is an awful story and reasserts the fact that as dog owners, we need to be aware of our surroundings and where we bring our dogs and ourselves.

    Whoever said that Foster beach is a "small dog" only beach is completely wrong and I'm sorry, but calling people who own big dogs "morons" is grossly ignorant. The important thing is to train your dog of any size and, as a human, to make good judgement calls on where to take your animals. Just like driving, you only have an influence on what you do, not other drivers.

    I would recommend Foster Beach DFA to those who rather have a more relaxed, cleaner, friendlier and ultimately more responsible dog beach experience than Montrose.

    However, I think you need to ask yourself if any beach or large off-leash area is right for your dog. If you have a very small, young or elderly dog, it may be a better idea to stay away. I know it seems unfair, but the truth is even the best trained dogs can get out of control, especially in a pack mentality. I've also seen people bring their young young children to these dog beaches and it makes me shudder thinking that it's just an unnecessary risk to put those who rely on you for protection in harm's way.

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  24. Sometimes instincts are stronger than training. This is the moral of the story. Sure fights occasionally happen at the beach, but this kind of predatory act is very rare. (I'm wondering if this dog actually was a wolf/dog mix, given its description.) Was this dog neutered?

    I'm aware of these risks and feel the benefits of city dog parks far outweigh the risks. I'd rather have the big dogs socialized and exercised than stuck in backyards.

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  25. Hold the phones. I think I know who the owner is! My puppy was attacked earlier in June right outside of my apartment, while on his leash. And he was attacked in the very same fashion, buy (get this) a Husky. In case anyone is wondering I also live in the Uptown area. Too many coincidences if you ask me. I've alerted animal control, and am hoping that they will take some kind of action, although they have still yet to respond to the incident that I have filed nearly a month ago.

    I do have the owner of the Husky's information, although the guy has been avoiding me like the plague, because he knows we want to collect on the emergency room bills that we had to pay.

    If this is the same dog, I'll say this, it's the owners fault. The man has no control over his dog.

    I'll also say that if this is the same dog then animal control needs to take some heat too. like I said my pup was attacked nearly a month ago, and yet there was no follow up. If there had been then this may have been prevented.

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  26. they should divide the dog beach into 2 areas. one area for smaller dogs and the other for bigger dogs. that way it would be safer for the dogs.

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