Family mourns puppy mauled by pit bull

A DuPage County family is reeling this week after their 5-month-old puppy was killed in a pit bull attack near Wheaton.

Aaron Rontal said his wife and two young daughters were walking their mini goldendoodle, Theo, home from a park Monday afternoon when the pit bull, named Halo, came charging through an open gate seven houses down from their own.

"The gate was open and this pit bull came busting out and made a beeline for Theo and (my wife) couldn't get him and he got Theo in his mouth," Rontal said. "My girls said he shook Theo like a chew toy. Then a neighbor came out and pried the dog's jaw open and Theo fell to the ground."

The puppy was dead by the time he got to the hospital.

"We went and got Theo eight weeks ago. He was 3 months old when we got him, so he was just shy of 5 months," Rontal said. "He was integrating into our family. We taught him how to ring a bell to go outside.

"He was just a sweet guy. A gentle, playful dog. Super cute. Super soft."

Rontal said he confronted the pit bull's owner when he arrived home from work.

"He put his hands in the air and said, 'I don't know what you want me to tell you. Last time I checked, that gate was locked.'" Rontal said. "The owners need to be held responsible. They just don't care and they're not responsible humans."

Neither the neighbor nor his wife responded to calls Wednesday to their cellphones.

Rontal said he filed reports with the sheriff's office and county animal control. He said he believes Theo is the second dog the pit bull has attacked in recent months.

Dr. Barbara Hanek, administrator of the DuPage Animal Care and Control Department, confirmed the pit bull left his yard and attacked another dog in June and is under investigation as a "dangerous" animal. She said her office has begun collecting medical records and other information on the dog as officials begin the investigation.

Once a dog is declared dangerous, Hanek said, the declaration follows the animal for life. State law requires a dangerous dog to be microchipped and spayed or neutered. It must be walked on a 6-foot or shorter leash and must be muzzled when off its property. The owner also is fined $50.

Those requirements aren't strong enough for Rontal, who thinks the pit bull should have been euthanized after the first attack in the neighborhood.

"The key for me is to make sure that that dog does not do this to anyone else. The ultimate solution is that dog needs to be put down," Rontal said. "It's done this twice. I don't care what the law is. That dog needs to be put down. Why would you wait until it does that?"

Since the attack, Rontal said other neighbors, friends and co-workers have been supportive and attempted to keep the family, especially his children, in high spirits. He said the Happiness is Pets store in Lombard, where they bought Theo, has been supportive, too, and offered to assist with getting another dog whenever the family is ready.

"Nobody should have to go through this," Rontal said. "This should have never happened. It was totally preventable."