Tag Archives: Illinois

The DNA Paradox: Hired Gun Ledy Vankavage Flip-Flops Position on Pit Bull DNA

Dogfighting DNA Database San Francisco, CA - In September, the San Francisco affiliate of NPR, KQED, ran a segment about the Canine Combined DNA Index System, a DNA database of pit bulls seized in dogfighting raids. The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) helped establish the database, which they dubbed the "Canine CODIS,"1 and hopes that it will help authorities connect dogfighting investigations across the country by creating multi-juri… [Read full blog post]

2010 Dog Bite Fatality: La Salle Student, 7, Mauled to Death by Four Dogs

Jason Walters, 7-years old, was killed by a pack of dogs while visiting the Eric Shanklin farm. Death Due to Dog Bites UPDATE 08/26/10: An autopsy conducted showed the boy suffered multiple puncture wounds from dog bites. "One of the puncture wounds was in his carotid artery, and one was in his femoral artery," Coroner David Lenz Jr. said. "Death would have resulted in a few seconds from either one of those." The owner of the three pit bulls was a rental tenant of a mobile home on Sh… [Read full blog post]

2010 Dog Bite Fatality: 56-Year Old Man Killed by Daughter's Six Pit Bulls

From left: Johnny Wilson's home and neighbor Avantis Smith. Mislabeling Alert1 UPDATE 01/18/10: Despite the Chicago Police Department identifying the dogs as pit bulls, director Cherie Travis is now intentionally misleading the media, the citizens of Chicago and the entire U.S. public by stating that the dogs are actually "mixed breed," but she couldn't name the breeds until further evaluation. Travis is clearly a pit bull apologist placing the "protection" of the pit… [Read full blog post]

2009 Dog Bite Fatality: Flora Woman, 85, and Her Dog Killed by Loose Pit Bull

Rosie Humphreys and her poodle were killed by a neighbor's loose pit bull. Police Press Conference UPDATE 12/04/09: Police Chief John Nicholson said the attacking dog was indeed a pit bull, an unaltered 3-year old male, with full registration papers. "The dog did not appear malnourished or abused and had no visible signs of mistreatment," he said. The dog did not slip its collar or break its chain either. According to Nicholson, the dog had gotten loose because the metal "D" r… [Read full blog post]