Governor should sign Lydia's Law
Had she lived, Lydia Chaplin would have walked through the doors Monday morning at Erie High School to begin her senior year.
She would have joined dozens of other seniors embarking on their final year at Erie - sharing classes, going to study hall, being involved in clubs, activities and sports, and looking forward to a bright future.
Instead, a senseless tragedy stole Lydia's future. After being mauled by four marauding dogs on a cold night near her rural Erie home in January 2005, she died of hypothermia.
The pain of her horrible death won't ever leave her family, friends and acquaintances. People who never knew her also were touched.
Local lawmakers have tried different approaches to prevent similar tragedies from happening. We believe a bill introduced by state Rep. Jerry Mitchell, R-Sterling, and co-sponsored by state Rep. Mike Boland, D-East Moline, has the best chance of success.
It would allow the local animal control warden or administrator to capture any dog found running unsupervised with three or more other dogs. Such dogs would be deemed potentially dangerous, because dogs in a pack have been proven to be more likely to attack people or other animals. A captured dog would be required to be sterilized within 14 days. If the dog owner ignores this provision, a $500 fine or impoundment of the dog would result.
The bill passed both the House and Senate by overwhelming majorities. It was sent to Gov. Rod Blagojevich's desk July 5. After receiving it, he has two months to decide its fate, but he has yet to act. He can sign it, veto it entirely, use his amendatory veto to alter certain provisions, or ignore it altogether. In the latter case, the bill would become law without his signature.
The beauty of the bill is it targets two known causes of the nearly 5 million dog bites inflicted annually on people: non-neutered and non-spayed dogs, which are more aggressive, and dogs running in a pack, which stimulates vicious behavior.
Boland took the offensive last week, calling on the governor to enact Lydia's Law without delay. He sent out a news release, spoke at the Whiteside County Fair and wrote letters urging Blagojevich to act.
"The governor should not hesitate signing this bill into law. This is an important step in making sure that dangerous dogs are not roaming our streets and putting lives at risk," he said.
Boland is absolutely correct.
Lydia's death was not a fluke. Last year, 26 Americans were killed by dog attacks. Other Illinois residents must not be kept at risk of suffering this horrific fate.
The governor should sign Lydia's Law without further delay. By doing so, he will honor Lydia's memory while helping to prevent other bright futures from being stolen.
