Even more tragic, having it happen TWICE!
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First, you wonder about the odds this story could happen.
Twelve years ago, the daughter of a Peoria family that adopts greyhounds took one of those dogs out for a walk. The dog was on a leash.
Meanwhile, the daughter of a neighboring family was washing the car while their Yorkshire terrier ran loose.
A greyhound is bred and trained to chase small animals - they're fast enough to catch birds on the wing - and a Yorkie is a small animal. Dapper the greyhound broke loose, caught Madison the Yorkie by the neck and killed her.
Fast forward to July 20 of this year.
The mother of that same greyhound family was out walking two dogs together on one heavy leash called a coupler. A Yorkshire terrier owned by the same neighbors ran out. The Yorkie, Queen, was grabbed by one of the leashed greyhounds, King. (Talk about your odds.)
Same families. Different dogs. Same result.
"Stranger than fiction," said Peoria Animal Welfare Shelter director Lauren Malmberg. "That's what we thought."
That would be weird enough. But this is Peoria, the unofficial largest small town in the world. So the characters in this story make it even weirder.
The Yorkies belonged to Arie and John Stenson. He is Peoria's immediate past police chief. The greyhounds belong to Leon and Iris Decker. She is the current vice president of the Central Illinois Greyhound Adoption group.
According to Iris Decker, and the police report, her male greyhound grabbed the smaller dog. Trying to break his hold on the Yorkie, she was knocked to the ground. Mrs. Stenson ran over. Shortly afterward, so did Stenson's son, John Jr., bearing a broomstick to hit King and make him let go. Mrs. Decker also was hit during the melee.
According to Iris Decker, but not the police report, her dog also was hit after it let go, and she was hit again after it let go.
"I called the police because I was hit after," she said.
According to Arie Stenson, but not the police report, a neighbor who is a police officer was also on the scene before her son. She and her son insist no one intentionally hit Iris Decker.
"Iris had no control," Arie Stenson said. "Eventually, the dogs dragged her down."
Tickets were issued and paid on both sides. The Stensons were fined for letting their dog run loose; the Deckers for failure to restrain their dog.
Problem solved? Not quite. The possibility of more charges remains, on both sides. Considering that John Jr. was a Peoria County state's attorney at the time, finding a judge would be interesting.
As an animal rescuer, Iris Decker said she feels bad to see any dog die. Yet she is also a bit angry because nothing would have happened if Queen had been on a leash.
"It's terrible," she said. "I just don't know how I could have prevented that."
As a grieving dog owner, Arie Stenson worries about the other small dogs in the neighborhood.
"Why still walk the dogs without a muzzle?" she said, noting the Deckers have never apologized for the death of either dog.
"The whole thing is so odd," said Malmberg, who is advocating for muzzles. "I understand Mrs. Stenson's point completely. And I understand Mrs. Decker's point of view, too. The Stensons just want to make sure no other dog is killed. The Deckers just want to enjoy their pets and see others stay in their yard."
Bottom line? Dogs will be dogs. It's up to the people to improve their odds.
http://www.pjstar.com/news/bibo/b48rods1046.html