Oak Lawn toughens its pet laws

• Reprints

Tom Albrecht and his dog Niko, photographed Oct. 13, 2011 at their home in Oak Lawn, Illinois, suffered injuries in a recent dog attack. | File photo

Updated: February 13, 2012 9:17AM

Oak Lawn residents will be limited to owning a combined three dogs and cats, and those who allow dogs to roam unsecured, even on their property, will face stiffer penalties under the village’s revised animal control laws.

The village board approved the amendments Tuesday night, nearly four months after an elderly Oak Lawn man and his dog were mauled by a German shepherd.

Residents who already own more than three combined cats and dogs will be allowed to keep their pets but may be required to document that the pets are healthy and up to date on vaccinations, Trustee Carol Quinlan said.

The amendment requires dogs to be restricted to a fence-enclosed yard or, if there is no fence, the dog must be restricted by a cage, stake and chain, or dog wire run, according to the new law. The “choice of restriction” must be secure enough to restrict the dog to the owner’s’ property, the amendment says.

Dogs being walked must be “bound by a leash of no more than 5 feet in length.”

The village also approved significant increases in the fines it can assess.

A first-time offender would be fined no less than $50 and no more than $5,000. A third offense for an incident involving a vicious dog could draw a fine up to $10,000. The maximum fine for allowing a dog to run at large was raised to $5,000.

Previously, the maximum fine was $750.

Quinlan (5th) proposed the amendments after the attack on the elderly man, which took place in her district. The man’s dog, a Chinese Shih Tzu, lost an eye and was bitten 12 times. The 11-year-old dog required surgery and spent nearly a month at the Worth Animal Hospital.

The dog’s owner also was injured and underwent surgery to have nine pins inserted in his fractured wrist. He also injured his back as a result of the fall.

“There really seems to be a significant problem in Oak Lawn,” Quinlan said. “This is going to protect the residents.”

She said she also was contacted by a resident who jogs in the morning and is routinely chased by an unsecured dog.