 Young female pit bull chained near sewage
Alton, IL (US)Date: Nov 9, 2005
County: Madison
Local Map: available
Disposition: Not Charged
Person of Interest: Woman
|
|
Residents flooded the Alton Animal Control office with calls offering to adopt an emaciated female pit bull terrier that officials found on a short chain in a yard near open sewage. The adoption process, though, can�t start for a while, the city�s animal control officer said.
"I�ve had 20 to 25 people call" as a result of an article published November 9, 2005 in The Telegraph, said James Greer, assistant chief of animal control. He said the outpouring from the public is "touching."
He said people should call the Alton Area Animal Aid Association at (618) 462-3721 and leave their name and telephone number, because the dog will end up there if her owners sign away ownership or if she is taken from them through the legal process, Greer said.
As of early Wednesday afternoon, Greer said he had not talked to the dog�s owners. However, he said he did get a telephone message from a woman claiming to have been caring for the animal. Greer said he has not cited the couple for misdemeanor offenses because the matter is being handled by the Alton Police Department and Amy Maher at the Madison County State�s Attorney�s Office in Edwardsville.
George Carter, Alton supervisor of building and zoning, discovered the dog on a Tuesday morning while checking out neighbors� complaints about the condition of the rental house in the 3300 block of Franor Street.
Carter called Greer, who said the dog was hooked to a short, 2-inch-thick chain and could not move far from her doghouse. Greer said the dog had not been given food or water in some time and was near leaking, raw sewage. He estimated her age as between 4 months and 1 year old.
Police also responded to the scene. Firefighters with the Alton Fire Department and Department of Public Works workers went to the house with tools to cut the bolt on a padlock that hooked the dog to the chain. A Public Works employee freed the animal, and Greer took her to the Animal Control kennel. Carter said Wednesday morning that inspectors planned to return to the house later that day. The city also is sending a letter to the home�s owner, giving 48-hour notice that inspectors want to be allowed inside the house to inspect it for code violations. He said the front porch is in poor condition and pulling away from the house, damaging the house.
Carter said he expects to issue citations for code violations and might condemn the house. Neighborhood MapFor more information about the Interactive Animal Cruelty Maps, see the map notes.
Back to Top References« Back to Search Results
|
