Editorial: Dog owners must to do their part to to stop their pets from attacking others

This editorial represents the consensus opinion of The Daily Herald Editorial Board.

Elizabeth Carroll was walking her 5-year-old Maltese-poodle mix near their Naperville home on Feb. 28 when two dogs attacked them.

It was a tragedy Carroll tried to avoid. Moments earlier, she saw a woman approaching with three large dogs on leash. Carroll moved her dog, Lucy, to a grassy area away from the sidewalk and waited for them to pass. But when the other woman lost control of her dogs, two charged at Carroll and Lucy.

Carroll held her tiny dog above her head, but one of the dogs repeatedly bit Carroll's legs and knocked her down. When Lucy fell to the ground, the second dog pounced on her.

Despite a neighbor rushing in to pull the dogs off, it wasn't enough to save Lucy. She died of a crushed rib cage and punctured lung.

Lucy's death is a sad reminder that it's up to owners to keep their dogs restrained. According to Naperville police, 25 to 30 dog-on-dog attacks are reported in the city each year.

Now Carroll is urging Naperville officials to improve the city's animal control ordinances to help prevent attacks. She spoke at last week's city council meeting along with Jill Lejsek, whose Chihuahua was attacked and killed by an unleashed dog on March 19.

“Our city ordinances are not sufficient to deal with these cases,” said Carroll, who learned that one of the dogs that attacked her was involved in two previous biting incidents.

She said Naperville should create a publicly available directory and online map of dangerous dogs. She also wants better monitoring of dangerous dogs and deterrents for owners of dogs deemed dangerous that would include stiffer fines and fencing and enclosure requirements.

City council members sympathized with what happened to Carroll and Lejsek. They asked staff members to investigate possible solutions.

“Staff will come back to us with recommendations,” Mayor Steve Chirico said. “We may find out that nothing changes in terms of our ordinances. But I think the discussion in and of itself was worth it and is important.”

City Attorney Michael DiSanto said Naperville has ordinances addressing dangerous dogs. He said a single biting case is enough for a dog to be labeled “dangerous” and require muzzling in public.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says responsible pet ownership — including socializing your dog, avoiding rough play and using a leash in public — can help prevent dog bites.

We love our dogs. Let's do what we can to keep them and others safe.