Women in plea after dog attack in Corby

UNITED KINGDOM -- A Corby woman is calling on dog owners to keep pets which are difficult to control on a lead after her jack russell was attacked by two great Danes on the Danesholme estate.

Heather Seymour was walking from Minden Close to Brunswick Gardens at about 11.30pm on Wednesday, September 25, with her dog Sparky and spaniel Spike when the attack happened.

She let her dogs off their leads in at the recreation area near Danesholme school when 11-year-old Sparky was attacked by both great Danes, leaving the animal with injuries to its neck.

Heather, 46, of Minden Close, took Sparky to the vet and was told the attack has caused muscle damage and that the wound could not be stitched.

The dog has been prescribed antibiotics and anti-inflammatory drugs.

She said: “It was very frightening. The owners of the great Danes called them but they didn’t respond. They had Sparky pinned to the ground but eventually he got away.

“These things can happen with dogs and usually there is a lot of noise but very little damage.

“If people have dogs which are difficult to control they should keep them on the lead, or muzzled. They owe it to other people to be responsible.”

Heather was walking her mother home after a night out to celebrate her birthday.

She said: “I wish now I hadn’t let my dogs off their leads. Sparky is a lovely old boy and not at all feisty. I dread to think what might have happened if I’d had my six-month-old puppy with me.”

A police spokesman said: “Although they can be very distressing for owners, dog attacks on other dogs are not necessarily a criminal issue.

“If a person is injured by a dog that is dangerously out of control in a public place, then an offence is likely to have been committed, however, this does not extend to other animals.

“Decisions have been made in the past by courts and other authorities suggesting that it is the nature of a dog to kill and wound small animals. Therefore, in the event of your pet being wounded or killed by a dog, it is not a certainty that the police would be able to take any action.

“Deliberate attacks or dog fighting are offences and are taken seriously by both the police and RSPCA.

“It may be possible to take civil action under the Dogs Act 1871 but this would depend on the circumstances.”
(NorthantTelegraph - Sept 26, 2013)