PIT BULLS TO BE TESTED FOR MARIJUANA

Toxicology tests are being done on the bodies of three pit bulls shot
after they mauled two children and four adults to determine if the
dogs ingested marijuana found inside their owner's home, authorities
said Tuesday.

The dogs' owner, Scott Sword, 41, of the 6600 block of Hawthorne Drive
near Cary, has been charged with felony possession of marijuana and
misdemeanor production of marijuana plants, said McHenry County
Sheriff Keith Nygren.

On Nov. 5 police handling the dog attack found five harvested
marijuana plants growing in Sword's back-yard garden and more than 30
grams of marijuana in his home,Nygren said.

The dogs, which were killed by police, were sent to a veterinary
laboratory at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where they are
being tested for drugs, specifically marijuana, said Edin Mehanovic,
the county's animal control administrator.

If the dogs ate marijuana, police want to know if it may have
contributed to their vicious behavior.

"Dogs usually don't show aggression if they ingest marijuana, but this
is a substance that could potentially have that effect," said
Mehanovic, a veterinarian. "I personally think the dogs' behavior has
nothing to do with marijuana. In a toxicology lab we will eliminate
that."

The children, Nick Foley and Jourdan Lamarre, both 10, were going
door-to-door for a Girl Scout fundraiser when the pit bulls got out of
Sword's home and attacked them.

Sword had his front door propped open, which allowed the dogs to
escape, Nygren said. Four adults, including Sword, were attacked when
they tried to help the children.

Nick remains at Advocate Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge,
where his condition was upgraded Tuesday from critical to serious,
according to a hospital spokeswoman. Jourdan was released from the
hospital Thursday.

Sword, who lost a thumb in the attack, remains hospitalized, according
to police, who declined to say where. He will be arrested on the drug
charges when he is released, police said.

Sword has not been charged in the pit bull attacks, officials said.