By: Sofia Hasty
TINLEY PARK, Ill (July 15, 2021) – A Tinley Park woman and her 4-month-old golden retriever were viciously attacked by a pit bull while they were out on a walk on July 2.
Around 3:24 p.m. that day, the woman and her dog, Figaro, went on a walk near 167th Street and Paxton Avenue. Shortly into the walk, a pit bull charged at them. In a Facebook post recounting the attack, the woman wrote that she saw a young girl standing on the corner of the street with empty dog leashes in her hand. The girl later revealed she had lost her friend’s dog.
After quickly scanning the area, the woman spotted the dogs and suggested the girl go find an adult. In the Facebook post, the woman said, “Next thing I knew, they were on us.”
The 6-year-old, 55-pound pit bull bit Figaro and latched onto his neck. Figaro’s owner then attempted to pry her dog from the pit bull’s jaws and was consequently bit herself. The situation escalated as she was dragged down the sidewalk while trying to fight the dog off her.
The pit bull eventually ran off, leaving both the woman and Figaro with severe injuries. The woman suffered bite marks on her right arm and scraped knees after being dragged during the attack, while Figaro had to get a staple in his neck. Despite this, the woman stated positively that Figaro was “alive and that’s all that matters.”
After the attack, the pit bull ran to a blue pickup truck which was later traced to a nearby residence. The woman and son who live there claimed the dog as hers and explained how she managed to run away. According to the owner, while she was packing for a trip, the dog was left in the backyard. When she went to check on her, she was gone and the back gate was open. She and her son later explained to the police how the lock on the gate is loose and can be opened if the dog hits it hard enough.
The pit bull’s owner was given a Cook County Animal Control bite report card and told to get her tested for rabies as soon as possible. Additionally, tickets from Animal Control are pending and it is possible they could be issued to her.
This is one of the many recent dog bite incidents in the Chicagoland area. In 2015, a reported 57 cases made the city the 4th highest in ranking for these attacks. In addition, the state of Illinois was ranked 2nd for highest number of dog bite claims with 931.
The breed of the offending dog in this case was no coincidence either. Several years ago, the CDC came out with a list ranking different dog breeds connected to fatal attacks. At the top of that list with 118 incidents was the pit bull.
Learn more information and statistics regarding dog bites.
