Punish deed not breed
Living in a large suburban 'city' like Elgin, it was only a matter of time before an incident involving a pit bull, or pit bull-like dog, made headlines.
The incident in Festival Park was horrific, for the child who was bitten, for the onlookers, and for the police officers forced to shoot the animals.
However, it needs to be treated for what it is, an isolated incident involving two loose dogs. By happenstance, the dogs were pit bull-type dogs. This incident would have, and should have, drawn the same attention had the dogs been of any breed.
This dreadful occurrence didn't happen because the dogs were pit bulls. It happened because the dog owners, no matter how much they loved their pets, were irresponsible pet owners, leaving their dogs unattended in an outdoor kennel, regardless of how secure they believed it to be.
No fault should be centered on the police officers for doing their jobs, protecting the citizens of Elgin in a public park.
The dog owners have been cited for having dogs at large and failing to have their dogs' tags properly displayed. These citations are justified. Responsible dog owners, of any breed, keep their dogs from running loose and have rabies tags on their pets at all times.
The city council and Mayor Shock have listened to their voting constituents in the past, and enacted a fair and strong animal control ordinance that allows for harsh punishments of any breed of dogs, and their owners, for failure to comply. I implore them to continue to being fair, by punishing the irresponsible pet owners, and allow the newly-enacted ordinance to work as it is written.
While it is an overused slogan, it continues to be the prevailing sentiment: Punish the deed, not the breed.
Maura Wood Maschinski
Elgin