UNITED KINGDOM -- A couple are "disappointed" no-one was punished after their Dalmatian was mauled by a pair of Staffordshire bull terriers.
Their 12-year-old pet was attacked during a morning walk in Evington Park, Leicester, on September 2.
The 66-year-old owner, who did not want to be named, said: "My 77-year-old husband was taking Gladys our dog out for her regular morning stroll when these two Staffordshire bull terriers came out of nowhere and attacked her.
"She immediately lay down to show she was being submissive but they still savaged her. They tore at her face and throat and nearly ripped one of her ears off. My husband is still very upset about seeing her suffer. He and the owner of the dogs eventually managed to get them off but Gladys was really hurt. We took her to the vet where they operated on her.
"They had to stitch up some of her wounds and said she was lucky not to lose part of one of her ears. It was very upsetting."
The woman, who was left with a vet's bill of £368, reported the attack to the police, the RSPCA and Leicester City Council.
She said: "They all got in touch with us but all that was done really was that the dog owner was told to try to keep his dogs under control. We are very disappointed by this."
The 1991 Dangerous Dogs Act created a new offence of being an owner of a dog of any type or breed which is dangerously out of control in a public place.
A Leicestershire police spokesperson would not say why the dog owner in this case had not been prosecuted, but that they had dealt with the case as officers saw fit.
He said: "The owner of the dogs was quickly identified and told to keep control of the animals."
He added a log was now being kept and if it happened again the force may take it further.
An RSPCA spokesperson said it was not the organisation's role to deal with dogs out of control in public places and the city council said its officers joined police to meet the owner of the dogs responsible for the attack.
(Leicester Mercury - October 06, 2011)
