Diana Walton, who is still struggling to come to terms with the loss of her Yorkshire Terrier Folly at the hands of a Pit Bull at Belmont Park in Exeter, said: “I cannot believe it has happened again.”
Ms Walton was speaking after dog owner Helen Dale and her Jack Russell Poppy were both injured by a Staffordshire Bull Terrier last Sunday that left the owner needing an operation and several days hospital treatment.
In a poll on the Express and Echo website, three quarters of our readers have since voted in favour of a ban on dogs without leads in the city's parks. Since the latest attack Exeter City Council said it would be reviewing its policy.
But Ms Walton said action should have already been taken.
She said: “Since my dog was killed in August I have been campaigning to have dogs on leads at all times in the parks. It is for the protection of the dogs as I don’t want to see anymore getting killed.
“But I cannot believe this has happened again. It brought back everything that happened to my dog so vividly and I will be stuck with those images for the rest of my life.
“Unlike this latest incident, I did not get the chance to save my dog. What are the council waiting for? Do we have to have a child killed before they do something about it.
“This has gone beyond a joke. I don’t blame the dogs - it is entirely the owners fault. I have been walking dogs for the last 20 years and the standard of behaviour has gone down and down. They just stand and watch them perform.
“My dogs are well behaved but don’t stand a chance against these larger dogs.”
Ms Walton said she was told the dog that killed Folly was destroyed in December after a court issued the order under the Dangerous Dogs Act.
She added: “I don’t believe in taking away the freedom of dogs. But if owners don’t have control over them, I don’t see how there is any option but to ensure they are kept on leads.
“I have a new puppy Bella now and cannot take her anywhere near the park. I don’t feel safe there. I am still suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder and walk her around the roads.
“I shouldn’t have to go through life like this because of the arrogance of some of these dog owners. It will take me a long time to get over.
“A friend saw the latest attack in the paper and I was so upset. Having dogs on leads is not about punishing them – it is about protecting them.”
After last week’s incident a spokesman for Exeter City Council said: “We treat these incidents very seriously and were alarmed to hear of this attack. Our sympathies are with the victim and we will be reviewing our policies in light of this latest incident.
“We have been carrying out regular patrols of the park but we cannot have a permanent presence there. So far we have not witnessed any recent problems in Belmont Park but would ask members of the public to contact the police if they have any information about this incident or any others in the park or other parts of the city.”
(Exeter Express and Echo - January 18, 2014)
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