Dog tales
County revamps committee after attack
GOVERNMENT | Bruce Rushton
A dog attack last summer has helped prompt an overhaul of the Sangamon County Citizens Advisory Committee on Animal Control.
The county board last month voted to dissolve the board and reconstitute it with 11 new members. Previously, membership on the board had hinged on politics, with members being named based on recommendations from the heads of the county Republican and Democratic parties. The GOP was allotted seven seats, Democrats got six positions.
Not anymore. Under a resolution approved last month, the board will have 11 members, including three county board members, a Springfield alderman, two members of a nonprofit animal welfare organization, two veterinarians, a member from the Sangamon County Farm Bureau, another from the Springfield Police Department and another from the Sangamon County sheriff’s office. The formal deadline for applications was Monday, but county administrator Brian McFadden said that the county will likely extend the application period because few letters of interest have been received for seats on the committee. The county hopes to have a new committee in place in January, he said.
The new committee could be all Democrats or all Republicans, McFadden allowed, although party affiliation isn’t the point.
“The intent is, they (committee members) come from a certain profession,” McFadden said.
McFadden said that a consultant for the county years ago had recommended a change in the makeup of the committee, but he acknowledged that an incident in June involving dogs owned by Sheryle Henry, then a newly appointed member of the committee, helped prompt the change.
“It was one of several factors,” McFadden said.
Two dogs owned by Henry were declared dangerous by the county after a dog owned by Christine Groves was attacked while she walked the pooch on the 1300 block of West Ash Street. Groves, who suffered a minor wound on her hand while trying to rescue her dog in the midst of the attack, has sued Henry seeking compensation. After initial treatment, Groves said that her dog developed a staph infection from the attack.
“I have an older dog,” Groves said. “As far as I’m concerned, her health has been compromised forever.”
Randall Mead, attorney for Henry, would not say discuss how he intends to defend the case or whether it might be settled.
“It’s a small-claims case,” Mead said. “Who cares? I’m not going to comment on it.”
At the time of the attack, Henry’s dogs, which have a history of running loose, were being walked by a relative whom Henry says didn’t have permission to take the dogs out of her house.
Dogs declared dangerous by the county must be muzzled if they are on public property. After the dangerousdog declaration, Henry sued the county, maintaining that at least one of her dogs didn’t fit the criteria for being declared dangerous. After being sued, the county rescinded the dangerous declaration for one of Henry’s dogs on Oct. 9.
James Stone, director of the Sangamon County Department of Public Health that runs the county’s animal control center, said that the county removed the dangerous-dog declaration after a closer review of the case.
“Basically, we cast a wide net with the declaration of dangerous for both dogs,” Stone said.
Groves says that both dogs attacked her pooch, and she questioned how animal control officials or anyone else would be able to distinguish between Henry’s dogs.
“They’re identical,” Groves said. “Now, she can have the dog that’s supposed to be muzzled out and she can claim it’s the other one. I can’t believe they declared one dog non-dangerous.”
Greg Largent, director of the Sangamon County Animal Control, pointed out that both of Henry’s dogs have been microchipped.
“That’s how they’re identified,” Largent said.
Henry’s lawsuit against the county remains pending. She wouldn’t say whether she is satisfied with the county’s decision to reverse the dangerous-dog designation.
“You would have to speak with my attorney,” Henry said.
Contact Bruce Rushton at brushton@illinoistimes.com.
