Owner Cited After Fatal Dog Attack In Palatine Due In Court
CHICAGO (CBS) -- The owner of two dogs involved in a deadly attack in northwest suburban Palatine will be in court Thursday afternoon.
Melenia Teodoro, 22, of Palatine, was cited for 13 ordinance violations after her pit bull and Akita attacked two smaller dogs, killing one of them, and also bit their owners on May 24. The citations include dogs running at large, biting of people, and biting of other animals.
Palatine police also arrested Julia Paulino, 32, of Palatine, who was walking the attacking dogs and is related to Teodoro. Paulino was charged with four counts of reckless conduct after police learned she did not secure the dogs with proper collars.
At 6:50 p.m., Palatine police were called to the area near Greeley and Washington streets in the northwest suburb for a report of a dog attack.
They were told a woman was walking a pit bull and an Akita on leashes, and the two dogs spotted a smaller white dog that another woman was walking on a leash.
The larger dogs slipped out of their walker's control and attacked the smaller dog. The woman who owned the smaller dog tried to shield the animal from the attack and was also bitten.
After the first victim was able to get to safety with her dog, the pit bull and the Akita spotted another small white dog being walked on a leash by a man – and they charged and attacked that dog too.
They also bit the man walking the smaller dog as he tried to defend the animal.
The pit bull and Akita were eventually brought under control and returned to the woman who had been walking them. The man and woman who were bitten were taken to Northwest Community Hospital in Arlington Heights with non-life-threatening injuries.
The first white dog that was bitten was taken to Golf Rose Animal Hospital by Palatine police, and died at the hospital. The second smaller dog was also taken to an animal hospital for bite wounds and is expected to recover.
The pit bull and the Akita were both current on their rabies shots, police said. They were taken into custody for observation at the animal hospital.
Amanda Ingram owned the dog that was killed. Her attorney, Michael Schostok, said Ingram hopes the dogs that attacked her pet are either confined or euthanized.
"It is my client's hope and wish that – as bad as it may be – that these dogs are either enclosed entirely into the confines of the owner's home, or that they are euthanized," he said.
Teodoro is due to appear in court at 1:30 p.m. Thursday.