Antioch gets tougher on dangerous animals

Tonya Anderson is pleased Antioch village officials are getting tougher on people who own vicious animals, but she says she wished her dog didn't have to die to spur the action.

Named "Gizmo's Law" after Anderson's 1-year-old Shih Tzu that died after being attacked by a neighbor's dog, the new rules amend and strengthen the village code that deals with dangerous animals. Trustees voted unanimously in favor of the new rules Tuesday night.

"I'm glad they are pushing harder to make the rules more strict," Anderson said Monday. "But this whole thing may have never happened if the laws were more strict from the beginning. Why does it take something like this before action is taken? This could have been my niece or nephew that was attacked."

The new rules give clear parameters as to what a vicious animal is and stricter procedures for how the animal will be dealt with. Under the new rules, the offending animal would first be quarantined and checked for rabies. Its history also would be examined.

If officials deemed the situation to be serious, the animal could be ordered destroyed by Lake County Animal Control or a veterinarian licensed to perform euthanasia.

Last November, Gizmo was attacked in Anderson's backyard by one of two unleashed dogs that lived nearby. Gizmo's injuries were so severe that the dog was euthanized.

Village attorney Robert Long worked to craft the new amendment. Gizmo's Law is similar to rules set by the village of Winthrop Harbor where Long is also the village attorney.

The original ordinance was written back when Antioch was a farm town, Long said.

"The rules worked fine when the village was a primarily agrarian community," he said. "The rule stated simply that it was illegal to harbor a vicious animal." Long said it lacked specifics and needed to be updated.

Long stressed the ordinance does not focus on certain breeds but on the particulars of the incident.

"Some municipalities have tried to ban pit bulls and they've run into problems," he said. "You are always trying to achieve balance between the legitimate rights of an animal owner and legitimate right for people to be safe."

Animals: Rules do not single out specific breeds