Dangerous Dog Put Down After Mistakes, Another Bite
YORKVILLE, Ill. (CBS) -- Officials in Kendall County say Moose the dog will not hurt anyone else ever again.
Moose had already bitten three people – including a 6-year-old boy – but he was still adopted out to a family in the LaSalle County community of Lake Holiday. Meanwhile, another bull mastiff that had done nothing wrong was euthanized.
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But after Moose bit a fourth person, he was euthanized too – and this time, Kendall County Animal Control officials say they have proof.
"This morning, the owners brought the dog in, and signed the euthanasia form," Kendall County Board Commissioner Anne Vickery said. "They were animal lovers but, unfortunately, they knew they had no choice."
Moose had bitten a neighbor of the new owners shortly before the new owners bright him in.
Moose gained notoriety two weeks ago when Shannen Flores of Oswego came to the county board to tell how much her 6-year-old son, Gavin, had suffered after the dog bit him in the face at the animal control facility.
Gavin was at the Yorkville shelter with his father, who took the boy with him to court-ordered community service there.
Moose was at the Kendall County facility because he had bitten a postal worker May 31 in Montgomery, and it was discovered later that he had bitten someone in the Montgomery neighborhood before that.
County Animal Control Warden Christine Johnson had told the county board, as well as the public, that Moose had been euthanized several days after he bit Gavin.
But it turned out Moose actually had been given to the Lake Holiday couple, and a different bull mastiff had been euthanized instead.
That came to light last week during a special Animal Control Committee meeting called to discuss and review new guidelines at the facility. Johnson admitted she had lied about euthanizing Moose, and she was placed on administrative leave.
The county board will consider her status at Tuesday's regular board meeting.
The Aurora Beacon-News contributed to this report, via the Sun-Times Media Wire.
