Pit bull bites boy, 9:
Mother asks owners to surrender dog

www.thetelegraph.com
May 12, 2008 - 10:41PM
By CYNTHIA M. ELLIS
The Telegraph

ALTON - The mother of a 9-year-old boy attacked by a neighbor's pit bull pleads for the owners to turn the animal into authorities to spare her son a painful treatment.

"The dog attacked my baby for no reason," June'a Gipson said. "If the dog's not tested for rabies, (her son) will have to get a series of shots. I don't know how much he can take."

Gipson's son, Malik, suffers from sickle cell anemia.

Gipson said Malik was playing with a cousin in the front yard of their home in the 1100 block of Long Avenue about 7:30 p.m. Friday when the dog broke loose from the back porch where it was chained and started viciously biting him.

"We heard this loud squealing noise, and the dog had him on the ground," Gipson said.

Gipson said as her husband, Monte Gipson Jr., and other family members ran outside, it startled the dog who had crawled off her son and was moving toward her nephew. The pit bull retreated back to the neighbor's yard.

"I called 911 immediately," Gipson said. She said her husband took Malik to the hospital, and she waited for police to respond.

Malik suffered 20 puncture wounds from where the 70-pound-animal bit him on his feet and right leg. He received treatment for his injuries at Saint Anthony's Hospital in Alton and then was taken by ambulance to Cardinal Glennon Children's Hospital in St. Louis.

"I'm really concerned, because my son doesn't have a spleen, which is what helps fight off infection," Gipson said. "Several of the bites are pretty deep, and he couldn't get stitches on them except for one because of it."

Malik's spleen was removed when he was 9 months old following complications from his disease. Sickle cell anemia is a serious condition in which the red blood cells can become sickle-shaped.

Normal red blood cells are smooth and round like a doughnut without a hole, and they move easily through blood vessels to carry oxygen to all parts of the body.

Sickle-shaped cells don't move easily through blood. They're stiff and sticky and tend to form clumps and get stuck in blood vessels. The clumps of sickle cells block blood flow in the blood vessels that lead to the limbs and organs. Blocked blood vessels can cause pain, serious infections and organ damage.

Gipson said she would like to know why the dog wasn't taken into custody on the night of the attack. She said from what she understands, it's protocol for a dog that bites a person to be removed from the owner's home.

"They are required to test for rabies," she said. "If this dog is not tested or there is no proof the animal is vaccinated, my baby will have to take a series of shots."

Humans are susceptible to rabies if they come in contact with an infected animal's saliva. Persons exposed to it receive two different products for rabies - human rabies immunoglobulin and human rabies vaccine - if an animal cannot be tested. The first dosage is given at the site of the bite, and the second is a series of five intramuscular doses given during a 28-day period.

Gipson said her neighbors recently moved into the house. She said the pit bull was tied up to the back porch from the time they moved in, which concerned her family.

"We talked to the neighbors a few weeks ago about the dog, because it looked like he was going to break its chain," she said. "Looks like we were right."

Gipson said she called Alton Animal Control on Monday to come and pick up a pit bull that she had been keeping in her back yard for her brother, who moved out of town around four months ago. She said the animal was kept chained in the back yard and showed no aggression; however, she doesn't want to take any chances.

"I called my brother and told him he either needed to come get the dog, or I was getting rid of it," she said. "It's a shame that the neighbor's dog is the one that attacked someone, and we are the ones getting rid of a dog."

Gipson said the neighbor's dog is dangerous and something needs to be done.

According to the Illinois Animal Control Act, a "dangerous dog" is one that bites a person without justification. A "vicious dog" means a dog that, without justification, attacks a person and causes serious physical injury or death, or any individual dog that has been found to be a "dangerous dog" on three separate occasions.

The Animal Control Act also states that a licensed veterinarian shall observe a dog for a period of 10 days. A veterinarian is required to exam the dog immediately and report the findings.

The act states: "When evidence is presented that the animal was inoculated against rabies within the time prescribed by law, it shall be confined in a house, or in a manner which will prohibit it from biting any person for a period of 10 days, if a licensed veterinarian adjudges such confinement satisfactory. The department may permit such confinement to be reduced to a period of less than 10 days. At the end of the confinement period, the animal shall be examined by a licensed veterinarian."

Alton Police Chief Chris Sullivan said it is disturbing whenever a dog attacks a person without provocation; however, because the animal's owner was identified, there is less cause for concern. He said the case currently is under investigation, and the owner will be held responsible for the dog's actions.

"I just want to know where the dog is, so it can be tested and my baby doesn't have to undergo those horrible tests," she said. "He's in pain enough."

Malik said he doesn't plan on going outside anytime soon. He said he would spend most of his time inside, unless he can go somewhere else to play.

"He is going to be my best friend this summer," Gipson said.

Boy recovering from pit bull bites


www.thetelegraph.com
May 23, 2008
By CYNTHIA M. ELLIS
The Telegraph

ALTON - A 9-year-old boy returned to school this week after being injured in a pit bull attack two weeks ago.

"He's doing OK," June'a Gipson said.

Gipson feared the worst after the 70-pound animal attacked her son, Malik, in the front yard of their home in the 1100 block of Long Avenue on May 9. She was upset not only because her neighbors who had the dog failed to take responsibility for what took place, but because of the possibility that her son would need to undergo a series of rabies shots.

"I was concerned, because my son doesn't have a spleen, which is what helps fight off infection," Gipson said.

Malik's spleen was removed when he was 9 months old following complications from sickle cell anemia. Sickle cell anemia is a serious condition in which the red blood cells can become sickle-shaped. Because of his continuous monitoring, it was decided he should not go through with the shots.

"We're lucky he didn't have to get the shots," Gipson said. "We're keeping a close eye on him, though."

Gipson said her son returned Monday to Lovejoy Elementary School but came home sick from complications of his illness. She said he returned again on Thursday.

"He really likes school and didn't like missing," she said. "He has missed so much this year because of his illness, it's hard on him."

Friday was "play day," and he was looking forward to being there with his friends.

Malik was playing with a cousin when the dog broke loose from the back porch where it was chained and started biting him viciously.

Gipson said she and her husband, Monte Gipson Jr., along with other family members, ran outside when they heard a loud squealing noise. Malik suffered 20 puncture wounds from where the dog bit his legs and feet.

Gipson said her neighbors recently moved into the house. She said the pit bull was tied up to the back porch from the time they moved in, which concerned her family.

She said that besides the attack, she was irritated with authorities, because the dog wasn't ever taken into custody.

"We don't know whatever happened to the dog," she said.

Gipson, who had been keeping her brother's pit bull since he moved from the area four months ago, gave up the animal on May 12. She said she didn't want to be responsible if the dog did something to hurt someone.

She said she has spoken to her brother since she gave the animal to Alton Animal Control, and he told her he understood. She said she also knows it's not the breed but didn't want to take any chances.

"Children and safety come first," she said. "I would be heartsick if I had a dog and it attacked someone."