Neighbor News
Border Collie killed by Pit Bull in Sycamore Grove Park, Highland Park
Border Collie killed by Pit Bull in Sycamore Grove Park, Highland Park
Sunday morning at around 10:30am, our beloved 1½ year old Border Collie, Hazel, was killed by a pit bull on the stairs leading to the 110 overpass in Sycamore Grove Park. My wife and I were walking home from a hike in Deb's Park with our two dogs, as we do almost every day. As we were walking down the steps, an off-leash pit bull ran full speed straight at Hazel, clamped onto her and wouldn't let go. The dog's owner and I started punching and kicking the dog, trying to get it off of her. I smashed a coffee mug on the dog and kept hitting it with the broken mug, but it still wouldn't let go. At this point, the owner came after me, yelling “stop! you’re going to kill my dog! your dog is going to be fine!” He hit me a few times, but I kept after his dog until I was finally able to get Hazel out of its jaws. When I picked her up, he was screaming at me and threatened to kill me. I told my wife to get our other dog and run, and I ran after them with Hazel in my arms. I’m not sure what happened to his dog, but Hazel didn't make it. We rushed her to an emergency vet clinic, where she arrived in critical condition. They tried to save her but couldn't. I let animal control know what happened, and they sent someone to the park later in the day. They didn't find anything, but they said they're going to check the park for the next two days. We are truly heartbroken, and nothing we do will bring Hazel back. Our only wish at this point is to do what we can to prevent this from happening to someone else’s pet or child. The man was roughly 5’8”, 150-170lbs, dark short hair, hispanic or white, and seemed to be under the influence of drugs. He looked pale in the face. His pit bull was mostly tan with some white on it. The dog would be identifiable, because I cut up its back and neck with the mug. If you see them, can you take a picture, email me, and call animal control or the local police? I believe in the community of Highland Park. We should be on the lookout for this man and his dog, and make sure that this dog doesn't have another victim.
Also, I insist to remain anonymous. My life was threatened by this man, and I don't want my identity to put me or my wife at risk. If anyone has any information, if you were in the park at that time and saw a man with a pit bull, if you saw anything around that time, please report it.
I’ve set up a gmail account to collect information about this.