Gran slams court decision not to destroy dog that bit her and attacked her pet pooch

UNITED KINGDOM -- A gran who was bitten on the nose by an out-of-control Bull mastiff has slammed a court decision not to have the dog destroyed.

Sylvia Caffrey, 60, was walking her dog Missy on Barlow Moor Road in Chorlton when the Bull mastiff set upon her pet, before biting the 4ft 10in shop assistant as she tried to intervene.

Owner Helen Sayle, 47, of Fitton Avenue, Chorlton, has since given up the Bull mastiff – named Holly – and persuaded Manchester magistrates not to order the dog to be put down.

Chairman of the Bench David Wagstaff served a ‘contingent destruction order’ against the Bull mastiff – meaning the dog will be put down if her new owners do not keep her under control.

Mrs Caffrey, of Hardcastle Road, Chorlton, has been left afraid to walk Missy – a Bichon Frise – following the attack in June and said the order was not protecting the public from a ‘dangerous’ animal.

Mrs Caffrey, a shop manager,  told the M.E.N: “That dog attacked me deliberately and if it gets out again there is no reason it won’t do it to someone else. It should have been destroyed.

“What if it was a child next time? That dog ripped Missy’s tummy open and had me pinned down on the floor and I’m very angry that people aren’t being protected from dogs like that.”

The mum-of-two and gran-of-one added:? “I’m a dog-lover but I move out of the way of dogs now and I feel very anxious when I’m taking Missy out for a walk. It’s changed my life.”

Sayle, who owns one other dog, was ordered to pay £643 in compensation – including nearly £500 in vets bills – after pleading guilty to having a dangerous dog at an earlier hearing, but was not banned from keeping animals.

The mum-of-four was also given a 12-month conditional discharge.

The Bull mastiff has since moved in with a new family in Fallowfield and must be muzzled and controlled on a lead by a person over 16 in public.

It had escaped from Sayle’s garden and was being kept on a makeshift lead by a group of people who were looking to trace its owner at the time of the incident.

After the hearing Sayle said: “I’m very pleased with the decision because she’s a lovely dog.

“She would never mean to attack a human but she does have some issues with smaller dogs and unfortunately the owner got caught up in it.

“I am sorry for what happened and perhaps I was struggling with the two dogs that I had at the time but I’m glad it’s all been sorted now.”

(Manchester Evening News - Nov 7, 2013)