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Case ID: 18957

Classification: Neglect / Abandonment, Beating

Animal: dog (non pit-bull)

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Animal was offleash or loose

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Dog beaten, abandoned in cold
Chicago, IL (US)

Incident Date: Saturday, Dec 10, 2011
County: Cook

Charges: Misdemeanor
Disposition: Alleged
Case Images: 1 files available

Alleged: Lashon Johnson

The tan mutt howled and barked for hours outside her owner's new home. But Lashon Johnson and her son Lorenzo said they ignored the dog's pleas because they couldn't let her into their apartment.

Their new landlord in the East Garfield Park neighborhood didn't allow pets, Lorenzo Johnson said.

At the request of his mother, the 18-year-old let the dog his late father named Isis off the leash Saturday at their old apartment. But as the family moved its belongings two blocks to their new home using a shopping cart, Isis followed.

Neighbors said she waited in frigid weather for more than four hours. She apparently paced the sidewalk near the Johnsons' new home and was attacked just a few doors down by several kids wielding baseball bats and broomstick. Leaving a trail of bloody paw prints on the sidewalk, she returned to the Johnsons' front door.

Police found her there and charged Lashon Johnson with misdemeanor animal cruelty.

Isis' story highlights the problems encountered across Chicago when it comes to animal care and resources for help.

"Sometimes, animals can be an afterthought in a situation like this" said Janice Brown, founder of Chicagoland Tails magazine and a member of the Chicago Animal Shelter Alliance. "The underlying responsibility is still that you're going to care for it. That's a non-negotiable."

Lashon Johnson - identified by police by her maiden name, Parks - said she tried. She called Animal Care and Control when the family began moving last week. But with no transportation, she was told it would take two weeks for authorities to come get the dog.

Brad Powers, assistant to the director of Animal Care and Control, said a family would never have to wait two weeks.

"If we receive a call and they're made aware to bring the animal in and they explain that's impossible, we handle that immediately," he said Sunday.

Johnson, 42, said she wasn't aware there were other shelters and organizations, such as the Anti-Cruelty Society and PAWS Chicago, to call.

But Robyn Barbiers, president of the Anti-Cruelty Society, said her organization is able to pick up animals and has heard anecdotally that 311 operators sometimes refer callers to the Anti-Cruelty Society.

"Give your animal a chance - take it to a shelter," she urged.

In the case of Isis, the dog stayed with the family until Saturday, when Lorenzo Johnson unhooked the leash and shooed her away.

"We let her loose in a bad way," he said¸ standing at his front door, bloody prints still visible on the ground. "It really hurt me to tell my own dog to get away."

Nevertheless, the dog stayed outside, barking, howling and approaching people walking on the sidewalk, neighbor Tamika Wilson, 24, said.

Police were called about 6 p.m. to the 600 block of North Drake Avenue and found several children trying to hit the dog with baseball bats and broomsticks, according to a police report. The officers followed the shepherd-terrier's bloody paw prints to the Johnson's basement apartment, where the dog began barking and scratching at the door, according to a police report.

Johnson told officers that she owned the dog for ten years but no longer wanted it and allowed a relative to let it loose outside to "get rid of it,'' the report said.

She was charged with failure to comply with an animal owner's duties and cruelty to animals, both of which are misdemeanors, according to police. Parks is expected to appear in court Jan. 23, 2012.

The animal is currently in stable condition, according to Animal Care & Control Asst. Director Brad Powers. The dog will be evaluated by our medical department on an ongoing basis, including a full examination by one of our staff veterinarians on Sunday, Powers said.

References

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