Family Dog Killed By Neighbor's Dog In 'Rare' Lake County Attack

ROUND LAKE BEACH, IL — Any loving pet owner can agree there are few worse situations than the death of a "fur baby" — or worse still, seeing it happen right in front of you at the hands of someone else's pet. What if that "someone else" was your next-door neighbor, who you're told is shocked, upset and saddened too? Would you believe it? Or, would you scoff at the idea that the owner of the pet who killed yours could empathize with what you're feeling?

An incident last month in Round Lake Beach prompted Patch to look into what the pet owners on both sides of such a situation are feeling, and the roles residents can expect law enforcement and animal care and control to play in what Round Lake Beach Police Department Deputy Chief Mike Scott called an "incredibly rare" instance.

Heather Fallon and her two children, who rent a home in the 1300 block of north avenue in Round Lake Beach, saw their 13-pound Chihuahua mix die last month after an attack involving one of two pit bulls Fallon said is owned by her neighbor. Fallon said she and her kids have lived in their house for two-and-a-half years, and the neighbor already lived next door when Fallon’s family moved in.

Fallon also told Patch she and the woman who own the two dogs "never had issues."

"I like being friendly with my neighbors," Fallon told Patch, adding she enjoys building community and trying to solve issues together, even after last month’s incident.

According to Fallon, this is what took place:

Fallon told Patch her 11-year-old daughter let the family’s 3.5-year-old dog, Lulu, outside around 10 p.m. before going to bed on Jan. 9. There is a chain-link fence around the backyard that Fallon describes as "pretty strong and not too old." Cinder blocks were also added in an effort to keep the two pit bulls out of Fallon’s yard after an incident last summer, during which Fallon said the neighbor's dog Cinnamon drew blood from Lulu’s face through the fence. According to animal care and control, Cinnamon is 3 years old.

Fallon said Lulu had only been outside "seconds" when she heard what ended up being a brutal attack. But because it was dark outside and Lulu hadn’t been out there long, Fallon said she didn’t know if the other dog — or dogs — were already in the yard when Lulu was let out.

The chain-link fence outlines Fallon’s backyard and ties in to the neighbor’s fence, she said.

"I’m not entirely sure what happened but they were in my yard, and the fence was bent and the cinder blocks were knocked over," Fallon said. "The more aggressive one got her, and it took a few minutes to get her (Lulu) free. The owner pulled the less dominant one inside, then came back to get Cinnamon."

In an interview with Patch, police and Lake County Animal control confirmed Cinnamon was the dog that attacked Lulu.

Fallon told Patch she and her kids wrapped Lulu in a blanket and immediately took her to a 24-hour emergency veterinarian in Grayslake. Lulu's abdomenwas torn open, a kidney had been pulled out and she had a badly injured bowel, along with extensive injuries up into her chest cavity from the attack, Fallon said.

Fallon, who works as an emergency room nurse, knew how severe Lulu’s injuries were and understood what the veterinary team was describing. Despite being told it would cost thousands of dollars to try to save Lulu, Fallon agreed, giving consent to call the surgeon in due to Lulu's loss of blood. However, the severity of Lulu’s injuries and soaring veterinary expenses led to the decision to cancel surgery. An hour after Fallon and her children arrived at the vet, Lulu passed away. They buried her the next day, according to Fallon.

Fallon said she texted her next door neighbor and told her Lulu was dead.

"She said she was so sorry and didn’t intend for this to happen, and said, 'I’ll take care of everything,'" Fallon told Patch. "I told her I had paid the ER bill, and that I’m not interested in suing you,' that I wanted to move on but am concerned for the safety of my kids and family. And she never responded."

Patch has reached out to the owner of the pit bulls but has not yet received a response.

After paying a $500 vet bill, Fallon and her children went to the Round Lake Beach Police Department around midnight and filed a police report. Fallon also said she made contact with Lake County Animal Care and Control, and contacted both departments out of fear for the safety of her family, the many small children and dogs in the neighborhood, and the new puppy they got after Lulu died.

"My kids are scared to be outside," Fallon told Patch. "I can't safely put my puppy out in our yard, and even when I walk her, the two dogs go crazy trying to get through the window to attack us."

Fallon originailly reached out to Patch Feb. 10, sharing details of the Jan. 9 incident, claiming the pit bulls' owner has not complied with animal control regulations, including posting "Beware of Dog" signs and putting up a fence or runner.

"My interest isn’t in trying to sue this woman, I just want my family to be safe," Fallon said.

Patch reached out to the Round Lake Beach Police Department and Lake County Animal Care and Control to get an update in the case, and what the roles of the police department and animal care and control are in situations such as this one.

What happens next after a dog attacks

In an effort to guide pet owners across Lake County should they find themselves in a tough situation with another pet owner, Round Lake Beach Police Deputy Chief Mike Scott and Robin Van Sickle, program coordinator of Lake County Animal Care and Control, provided a detailed look at what their departments do when an animal attacks another animal or person, and the actions they hope pet owners and community members will take in these cases.

Scott told Patch that when Fallon and her children came in after the attack, the night shift officers spoke with them and filed a bite report.

According to Scott, there are no previously filed police reports on record involving prior incidents between the two neighbors, or any reports involving their dogs. There haven’t been any police calls to either residence reported, Scott added. However, the owner of the pit bulls previously issued a complaint about a different neighbor’s dog or dogs, according to Scott.

Scott told Patch when an incident involves a dog bite from an animal with an expired rabies tag, which was the case with Cinnamon, the dog is required to be quarantined for 10 days, and this can take place at the owner’s home. However, in this case, Cinnamon, spent the quarantine period at animal control, Scott and animal control told Patch.

After a bite incident, the dog owner must have each dog on a leash when it is outside, and can only take them out one at a time, according to Scott, who also mentioned a dog run or fence should be built on the side of the yard opposite Fallon's home.

Cinnamon's owner received citations for a dog bite (to another animal), unrestrained animal, and expired rabies vaccinations, and will have to appear at Branch Court in Round Lake Beach, according to scott.

"We aren't the answer to everything, but we do everything we can," Scott told Patch. "It sounds like Robin (Van Sickle) is at least trying to take reasonable measures."

Fatalities happen 'very rarely'

Scott emphasized how tragic and rare the incident between Lulu and Cinnamon was, saying he’s been at the department for 28 years. It's so rare, in fact, Van Sickle told Patch there are around three fatal bite attacks reported throughout the county per year involving an owned animal (dog, cat livestock, et cetera) being killed by a dog.

As far as bites not resulting in fatalities, Van Sickle said they receive, on average, 1,900 animal bite reports every year. Van Sickle added that their department has no prior reports (bites or otherwise) involving Cinnamon, therefore this was the first reported incident. Van Sickle provided the same answer when Patch asked about the incident Fallon said occured last summer, during which Lulu's face was bloodied through the fence. Van Sickle also said they have no knowledge of Fallon's (prior) concern and precautionary measures

"However, because these residents live in Round Lake Beach, any complaints or concerns (outside of a bite incident) would normally be reported to/handled by Round Lake Beach Police Department not LCACC," Van Sickle told Patch. Deputy Scott also said this was the first reported incident involving Cinnamon.

"In these situations where one dog attacks or kills a family pet, very rarely or ever, have we come across a dog owner who isn’t upset or sympathetic with what their dog did," Van Sickle said. "We’ve had conversations with all parties involved, and they’re so upset."

According to Van Sickle, Cinnamon’s owner was shocked, because according to her, neither of her dogs has ever escaped the yard before or shown aggression to other animals. They have several guests who come over to the home and have never had any cause for alarm or concern, Van Sickle said.

According to Van Sickle, Fallon’s claims that Cinnamon and the other dog have tried to get through the fence, and had some "wiggle room" to get through it prior to the Jan. 9 attack are something Cinnamon’s owner told animal control that she "didn’t know to be true." Van Sickle said she and everyone at animal care and control encourage neighbors to resolve things amicably, and if they’re involved in an investigation involving a bite or fatality, it’s important for community members to not assume things aren’t being done, or handled, just because you might not see it directly.

"If there does seem to be a nuisance, ask what can or cannot be done," Van Sickle told Patch. "We always encourage and appreciate the conversation. It’s so much easier to call us up and say, 'How can this be?' and talk about it and figure it out."

Owner is 'very cooperative'

In her 20 years with the department, 10 of which have been spent in the program coordinator role, Van Sickle has seen and experienced a lot. But she said Cinnamon’s owner stands out, and has taken steps to show this was not something she wanted to happen, and doesn't want to happen again.

"Probably more than any other dog owner we’ve spoken to," Van Sickle added. "This owner is very cooperative and compliant with what they were advised to do under state and county regulations, and brought the dog into our facility."

Similar to what Scott said above, an animal involved in a bite attack with an animal or animal to person is confined to a 10-day quarantine at an animal hospital or the animal care and control shelter, where there is a vet on staff, according to Van Sickle.

Van Sickle told Patch Cinnamon was released from their kennel, back to the owner, Thursday, Feb. 13.

"The rabies quarantine/confinement of Cinnamon and the subsequent impoundment of the dog, pending the outcome of our animal aggressive dog investigation, happened immediately upon our Department becoming aware and us notifying the dog owner," Van Sickle said.

At the time Patch spoke with Van Sickle Thursday, there still needed to be a plan in place for an enclosure to be set up in Cinnamon’s yard.

"Normally we’d require that prior to them going home, but there are other restrictions we can place if time doesn’t work like that," Van Sickle said, adding that Cinnamon’s owner said she’s having a friend put up a dog run in her fenced-in yard, because she has no idea how they’ve gotten loose.

Cinnamon is also required to wear a muzzle, and the owner has followed through with this requirement.

"Everything this owner has been asked or advised to, she’s done," Van Sickle said. "Though she hasn’t spoken to her neighbor (Fallon) since the incident, she wants to do everything so this doesn’t happen again. She’s made efforts outside our conversation, which is always great to see, and she’s only taking them out on a leash now, one by one, while trying to make sure they aren’t on that neighbor’s side of the yard."

In these situations or similar, Van Sickle said they talk with the dog owner to try to get to the bottom of what happened and how it happened, especially when there are serious injuries or an animal is killed.

"We can put requirements on the owner so it doesn’t happen again," Van Sickle added.

Repeat attacks, and when to euthanize

But what about repeat offenses, ones involving dogs whose owners have been cited or spoken to because their dog(s) have bitten before?

While there is no ‘X’ number of bite rule in unincorporated Lake County, circumstance and severity of injuries are key factors when evaluating each bite incident to determine what, if anything, can and should be done at the department level, Van Sickle said.

Van Sickle also said they have dogs and cats in Lake County who have a multiple bite history, but what they don't have, are dogs that have "previously been determined animal aggressive that have reportedly bitten after an animal aggressive determination." Van Sickle said if they did, it's very likely the biting animal would be euthanized.

"Our Lake County Code of Ordinances provides that outcome for dogs determined animal aggressive," Van Sickle said, adding that they've never imposed that (euthanasia) on a first determination.

"Generally speaking, it has been our experience that owners whose dogs have attacked and seriously injure or kill another pet take initiative outside of our department’s involvement to correct the problem/behavior," Van Sickle added. "In some cases, the attacking dog owner has voluntarily euthanized their dog."

Animals that are euthanized at the county's animal care and control are those Van Sickle describes as "severely medically compromised and/or veterinarian recommended, or those that display aggressive behaviors."

"Some dogs/cats with a reported bite history/signs of aggression can be placed into rescue/transferred for adoption," Van Sickle added. "In those cases, the rescue/adoption group is fully made aware of any documented bite reports or our concerns pertaining to the animals’ aggressive tendencies so that those animals can be properly and safely placed."

However, some Lake County municipalities have provisions under their own local ordinances that are enforced outside of animal care and control's involvement or knowledgee, according to Van Sickle.

"Our euthanasia numbers continue going down, as we’re working with more and more animal rescues," Van Sickle told Patch, adding that 7 percent of impounded dogs were euthanized last year, down from 10 percent in 2017.

"It really speaks volumes to how the staff has found good homes for the dogs," Van Sickle said. "There is a hold minimum of (about) five days, but we’ve had dogs here for months."

Owner responsibility

According to state holding laws, if an animal in Illinois is microchipped, the last known owner must be given notice at least 7 days prior to disposal of an animal.

"Being in enforcement, it’s always difficult, because we have a job to enforce the ordinance and state laws, to ensure public safety and the community can be in their neighborhoods, conducting life peacefully, and not have any fear or threat or a dog attack," Van Sickle said. "That’s the role that we play."

When it comes to local and state laws and ordinances, Van Sickle said animal control is bound by them and can only do so much, but they educate pet owners and the community on how to be a responsible pet owner.

"Most of that falls back on owners taking the responsibility and being a good neighbor," Van Sickle said, adding that what frustrates her is when the community is frustrated in the system, since police, the health department, animal care and control, and other local officials can’t just go and "take them away" because pets are considered property.

"At the end of the day, the pet owner is responsible for their pets," Van Sickle added. "We can't put up fences or take dogs away, and with this incident involving Lulu’s owner, who is suffering the loss of a family pet and sees the neighbors dog still in the backyard, it’s hurtful. It’s an awful thing they had to go through, and my heart goes out to Lulu’s family."

Van Sickle added she hopes Fallon and Cinnamon’s owner can eventually talk about what happened and recognize this is a difficult situation.

For the other cases Van Sickle and animal control are involved in, it comes down to this: "If you say you’re going to stop the behavior, stop the behavior," Van Sickle said.