People in one Milwaukee neighborhood say they don't feel safe, because of a dangerous dog. After making calls for help and getting no results, neighbors reached out to the I-Team. As we found out, the rules are different depending on where you live.
The dog neighbors are complaining about has reportedly tried to bite a handful of people living in a northwest Milwaukee condo community. They told us they want to prevent that from happening but feel their complaints were going unheard.
77-year-old Lulu Hill says she was almost bitten by her neighbor's pit bull, "get away, get away is what I was yelling." She was walking from the parking lot to her patio when the dog followed Lulu through the gate and all the way to the back door of her condo. She said it was growling and tried to bite her. Lulu hit him with her grocery bags and got inside her condo, "it was very, very scary for me."
She then called Milwaukee Police; the officers came out and talked to the dog's owner, but Lulu says nothing's changed. There's still no gate on the owner's fence, a violation of Milwaukee's pit bull/Rottweiler ordinance, which requires "owners must have a fence that is sufficient to contain the dog."
Neighbors tell us it's usually let out unsupervised and just runs the neighborhood. Reggie Smith lives in the same complex, he told us, "90 percent he's not on a leash, 10 percent he is." He calls the dog dangerous. Reggie's sister was visiting for the 4th of July when he says the pit bull went after her. "She came in and told me that dog almost attacked her and her friend." The friend had to kick it away.
Reggie's grandmother lives with him and likes to sit on their back patio. "I'm worried about that dog will climb underneath our fence and attack her." We were at the condo a few times but never saw the dog outside, only in a window. We tried talking to the dog's owner, but they didn't answer the door. We checked with the property management group; they are aware of the problem and have issued several fines, but Reggie pointed out "we ain't getting no results around here."
He reached out to the Humane Society and MADACC and said he was told the dog has to bite someone. "Why you wanna wait until somebody gets bit before you do something about it. That don't make any sense." Reggie also called the Department of Neighborhood Services. His complaint was about the dog running loose in the condo parking lot, which is considered a common area of condo property. Meaning it's not a violation of city ordinance.
When we contacted DNS it sent an inspector out to talk to the owner. After that visit, the department issued an order for the owner to fix the gate, get a dog license and show proof the dog has attended a behavior class.
Until the owner complies Lulu doesn't plan on leaving home without her pepper spray, "that's some protection other than beating him off with my handbag."
The I-Team also reached out to MPD about this. Now District 4 and the DNS are working together. The dog's owner has until mid-August to correct the violations. If there are more complaints from neighbors the DNS told us it will "take action as necessary."
To file a complaint with the Department of Neighborhood Services click here.
To contact the Milwaukee Area Domestic Animal Control Commission (MADACC) click here.
