Law change urged after dog attack

A pug dog like this one was attacked

A County Down couple have told of their disbelief that the authorities could do nothing after their dog was attacked by a Staffordshire bull terrier.

They were walking at Seapark, near Holywood, when the Staffordshire grabbed their pug dog. The pet suffered a puncture wound to his neck.

Jane Mary Stewart said she was stunned at being told nothing could be done as it was one dog attacking another.

Belfast dog warden Nigel Cardwell said the current law needed to be updated.

The attack happened on Saturday when Jane Mary, her husband, Charles, and their daughter were walking in an area which is frequented by families and dog walkers.

Jane Mary said she noticed a strange dog running along the beach, and thought it looked like a bull terrier.

She said, without warning, it turned from the shore and headed straight for the family.

A dog on dog attack is not a criminal offence

"It happened so quickly. He came over the wall and jumped for the dog, sunk its teeth, it wouldn't let go," she said.

Her husband, Charles, said: "I started trying to retrieve it from our dog. I then grabbed its collar because it wouldn't let go, not matter what we did to the dog...

"I was obliged to twist the collar in an attempt to semi-choke the dog so that would take a breath of air and it would release its jaws from the dog.

"We only really saved our dog by lifting him off the ground."

Jane said she managed to grab hold of the attacking dog's tongue, but added: "The owner was shouting I should get my hand out because I was going to get bitten.

"But quite honestly when you see your dog in this sort of danger you are really not worrying about what happens to yourself."

Dangerous Dogs legislation describes three breeds of dogs that don't exist and one that 15 years later we are still trying to adequately describe Nigel Cardwell Dog warden manager

Charles said the dog's owners were "visibly upset" and told them that such an attack had never happened before.

"I just couldn't understand why somebody would walk a dog of that strength and type in a public area with children around and other dogs around, which is a well known dog walking area, with no lead or restraint on," he said.

Jane Mary said she was told by the police and the dog warden that there was nothing they could do as no one had been bitten.

"I'm jolly sorry I wasn't bitten because then they might have been able to do something," she said.

"Does it have to be that I get bitten, or even worse still a child gets bitten or killed for them to take notice of what is potentially a dangerous dog?"

Nigel Cardwell, who is Belfast's City Council's dog warden manager, explained that a dog on dog attack was not a criminal offence.

However, he said there was a "loophole in the law" which the council was campaigning to have changed.

"Everybody who works in local authorities at the moment is saddled with legislation which is essentially 25 years out of date," he said.

"Dangerous Dogs legislation describes three breeds of dogs that don't exist and one that 15 years later we are still trying to adequately describe.

"It is not satisfactory from anybody's point of view."