Crime & Safety

Cops Investigate Possible Animal Cruelty

Neighbor reports dog howling inside garage for hours, police say.

A neighbor called Oak Lawn police to report a dog in distress at a house on the 9200 block of South Major Avenue.

Police met with the neighbor around 1 p.m. on May 21 and were told that a dog had been howling inside the garage for hours. The neighbor was concerned that two dogs—a pit bull and mastiff—were being abused.

The homeowner wasn’t home, but police did locate the mastiff, Bella, in the garage. The dog appeared to be in distress and there was no food or water, police said.

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Police decided to remove Bella from the garage. According to reports, there was little space for the dog to move around because of jet skis, a bike and a car parked inside the garage.

The mastiff appeared emaciated and was defensive when police removed her from the garage, reports said.

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Police said the second dog inside the house was agitated and aggressive. The pit bull could not be removed because the house was locked.

While Bella was being removed, the neighbor told police that he had seen the pit bull attacking Bella on other occasions, reports said.

Bella was taken to the Animal Welfare League for her safety and was examined by a vet. Staff at the animal shelter told police that Bella was frightened of the other dogs and believed her to be around 7 months old.

Police left three village citations in the dogs’ owner’s mailbox for having no dog license, no tags and a noisy animal.

The case is still being investigated.


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