United Kingdom: Two guide dogs were attacked in the same area of woodland, leaving one of their owners housebound

UNITED KINGDOM -- Jason Lane’s beloved Golden Labrador Crispin was set upon by two hounds in Warley Woods, near Bearwood.

He soon learned that fellow Bearwood resident and guide dog owner Daniel Lethbridge had been through the same ordeal in exactly the same place.

Mr Lane, 45, who has no sight in his left and limited eye-sight in his right as a result of diabetes, said: “My attack when I was out with my partner Jonathan and my dog Crispin.

"There is an area of Warley Woods where lots of people walk their dogs, and these two Lurchers were with a woman nearby. They just came at him, the two of them acting as a pack.”

Mr Lane’s faithful four-year-old guide dog suffered a puncture wound just above his back legs, which put him out of action for two weeks.

This left Mr Lane housebound at his Milcote Road property during the festive period.

Since then, Mr Lane learned through the local Guide Dogs Organisation, of Mr Lethbridge’s attack.

Mr Lethbridge, of Park Road, relies on his guide dog, six-year-old German Shepherd Midge, as a result of the condition Leber’s hereditary optic neuropathy.

When an Akita-type dog attacked him and Midge at the end of May, Mr Lethbridge could just make out a large dark shape.

“I was very shaken up. All I knew was that there was something big and black and growling.”

At the time the 40-year-old was with his wife Joanne, 46, and her little dog at around 6.30pm.

“This large dog went for my wife’s little dog and Midge got in between, and then started at Midge. Then it went for me and bit my right forearm,” he said.

He was taken to City Hospital by ambulance. Although his injury has now healed he is still feeling the psychological impact, and like Mr Lane now avoids that area of the woods.

Andrea Jones of the Guide Dogs Organisation said: “Shockingly, since 2010, the number of reported dog attacks on guide dogs has increased from three to 11 per month nationally.

"Imagine not being able to see and just hearing the noise of a dog coming out of nowhere and attacking your dog. It is incredibly scary.

“Our message for all dog owners is that if you see an assistance dog, please keep your dog on a lead and under control at all times, as a precaution.’

(Express and Star - Aug 5, 2016)

United Kingdom: Family Share Shocking Image Of Toddler’s Injuries To Warn Of Dog Attack Danger

UNITED KINGDOM -- A shocking image of the injuries sustained by a three-year-old boy who was mauled by a dog has been released by his family.

The toddler was walking with his dad in Noctorum, Birkenhead, when he was attacked by a black Lurcher-cross type dog (aka German Shepherd), which is believed to be a stray, on Monday 25 April.

His family have allowed a photo of his injuries to be shared to raise awareness of the danger posed by dog attacks and to help police track down the stray.

Neighbourhood Inspector Georgie Minnery, from Merseyside Police said: “As you can see from the pictures, this was a particularly nasty bite on a little boy who was just walking with his dad. Residents should be able to feel safe in the community and as such we treat all incidents of this nature very seriously.”

Emergency services were called to the scene of the attack, a footpath between Noctorum Avenue and the Woodchurch Estate, at around 2.30pm and the boy was taken to hospital where he underwent surgery.

He is still undergoing treatment for the injuries to his face.

“We are carrying out a number of enquiries in the area to try and trace this dog, and its owner (if it has one),” Inspector Minnery added.

Police urge anyone who has any information about the incident to contact 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

(Huffington Post UK - April 29, 2016)

Kyle Ashman, 25, convicted of starving his dog and her puppy 'to the point of emaciation'

UNITED KINGDOM -- A man has been convicted of causing unnecessary suffering to a Lurcher and her puppy by not giving the female dog enough food leaving her emaciated.

Father-of-two Kyle Ashman, pleaded guilty to the charges at Hartlepool Magistrates Court.

The court heard that Ashman, 25, had supposedly been left "unable to cope" after losing his job and being left alone to look after his two children - aged three and one - along with nine animals, after the children's mother walked out.

Boo. Hoo. Did he starve the children too?

John Ellwood, prosecuting for the RSPCA, said the charity's inspectors were tipped off about the dogs and called round to the house where they found the female, Coco, "starved to the point of emaciation" with her seven puppies.

Mr Ellwood said all the animals have made a recovery while in the RSPCA's care.

"Coco was the subject of prolonged neglect. Either she was not fed anything, in which case the period would have been shorter but the suffering extreme. Or she was fed too little, in which case the neglect would have been over a longer period." – John Ellwood

Tony Jackson, mitigating, said: "I have seen cases of people who have been deliberately cruel. This is not a case like that. He has not caused deliberate harm."



Ashman, of Kirkstone Close, Houghton-le-Spring, Sunderland, was sentenced to 12 weeks in custody, suspended for 12 months.

He must give up his remaining dog and can not have another dog for five years. He was also ordered to pay £500 in court costs.

(ITV - Nov 13, 2015)

Abandoned dog left to starve to death chews through DOOR and WALL to escape

UNITED KINGDOM -- A starving dog abandoned for four days chewed his way through a DOOR and WALL so he could bark in desperation to the outside world.

Cruel Sean Lawton left the three-year-old Staffordshire bull terrier and lurcher cross alone for 96 hours without any supervision.

Battling pooch Sam was so hungry he munched through the solid room divider to reach a window ledge so he could bark at passers-by to save him.

The 28-year-old left the animal without food or water who was surrounded by mouldy feces when RSPCA inspectors visiting the home in Birkenhead, Merseyside.

Officers said the address last October reeked so strongly that it stung their eyes.

Lawton was banned from owning a pet for ten years today at Wirral Magistrates Court and handed a 12-week prison sentence, suspended for 12 months.

Sam, weighing 15.3kg, was taken to a vet, who gave him a body score of just two – one being emaciated and five being obese.

Chris Murphy, prosecuting, said: "Faeces covered the stairs and landing. The toilet door was closed so the dog couldn’t get any water out of the toilet bowl.”

 

"Mr Lawton had made an unsuccessful attempt to sell the dog on Facebook a month earlier. He said his child’s mother had left him and he was left with the dog.

“He said he had left some food and water. He said it was a hungry dog. He accepted it was not acceptable to leave the dog and he knew it was wrong.”

Lawton, who was not represented by a solicitor, told the court: “I just did something stupid”.

Magistrates also ordered him to complete 160 hours of unpaid work and pay £1,000 in costs.

(Daily Mirror - April 1, 2015)

Family appeals for vigilance after savage dog attack

UNITED KINGDOM -- THE owners of a family pet that was mauled in a savage attack have appealed to the public to be on their guard.

Molly, a Cockapoo dog, was attacked by a lurcher as she was being walked along the river walk adjacent to Meetinghouse Street.

Six-year-old Molly suffered horrific injuries and only narrowly survived the encounter. She required staples right down her back after being “shaken like a rabbit”. Her owner too sustained injuries to his hand after pulling the lurcher off his pet.

Ann Brolly said it had been a horrendous ordeal for both the dog and her father, the dog’s owner. She said that if a child had been walking in the vicinity on the same day, it would almost certainly have resulted in a tragedy.

“My father takes Molly down there all the time and he meets other dog owners with lurchers but they are always muzzled and on a lead. On this occasion the lurcher was on its own and it ran up and got a hold of Molly. A young lad saw what was happening and but for his help, our dog would have been killed. I don’t know who he was but he battered the lurcher on the nose until it let go,” Ann said.

Since the incident last week, Molly has required multiple trips to the vet. Despite her brutal injuries, she is likely to pull through.

Ann added, “All we want to do is highlight the fact that this could have happened to a young person. The way the dog got a hold of Molly, it shook her like a rabbit and nearly tore her apart.

“Daddy was injured himself but if it had been a youngster they might not have been so lucky. Who knows what would have happened,” she added.

(The Strabane Chronicle - Feb 20, 2015)

Laughing thugs filmed themselves trying to shake cat out of a tree so their dogs could attack it

UNITED KINGDOM -- This is the moment three laughing thugs tried to shake a terrified cat out of a tree so their dogs could maul it.

Joshua Varey, 24, filmed the ‘barbaric’ act of cruelty in Pendle, Lancashire while Shaun Mullens, 22, and Paul Ashworth, 49, clambered up towards the frightened animal, shaking branches.

At one point, Varey and Mullens can be heard laughing, Burnley magistrates were told. Now all three men could face possible jail terms.

 

In another mobile phone video, Varey and Mullens dig out a badger sett and send their dogs to attack the animal, which can be heard to scream.

All three defendants, from Colne, have pleaded guilty to what Burnley magistrates described as ‘deliberate and serious’ acts of cruelty that the defendants ‘appear to derive pleasure from’.

Paul Taylor, prosecuting, said: 'This is a serious case where these defendants, for their own enjoyment, caused harm, or more probably the death, of a badger.

'They exposed their own animals to very serious danger. Their dogs bear the battle scars as evidence of previous fighting, which they admit to keeping for that purpose.'

Mullens’ dog Missy can be seen on the video of the badger being attacked. Varey has admitted to keeping his dog Franco for fighting.

Mullens and Varey both have previous convictions for using dogs to hunt rabbits.

Ashworth has previous convictions for not using pain medication when treating two injured dogs, and another for leaving a dog without drinking water for several hours.

Ashworth’s solicitor John Rusius said: 'What he says is that he came across this situation after having had a drink and wasn’t thinking clearly.

'He was asked to climb a tree to get a cat down from the tree, which he did. He just did what he was asked to do, he didn’t think about it, or the consequences of it. Mr Ashworth is quite easily led.'

Derek Taylor, chairman of the bench, said: 'We feel that this is such a serious matter that we will be considering the full reach of the sentencing guidelines, including imprisonment.

'We feel it was a deliberate and serious act carried out in drink. It appears you were deriving pleasure from this barbaric act on an innocent animal.'

The hearing has been adjourned to July 11 for pre-sentence reports to be made.

The prosecution comes nearly 12 months after police and RSPCA officers carried out dawn raids at 11 homes across Pendle, during which Varey and Mullens were arrested.

Officers seized three lurchers, two terriers and a cross breed lurcher/bull terrier, computers, mobile phones, cash and drugs equipment during the swoop.

The operation in July 2013 followed a 12-month evidence gathering operation into badger digging, deer poaching, hare coursing and offences under the Dangerous Dogs Act.

In October last year, six cats were killed by lurchers in attacks in Glen Street and North Street, Colne, over three days.

Police said the incidents were known as ‘cat coursing’, where dogs were trained to kill domestic pets before going poaching or badger baiting.
(Daily Mail - June 6, 2014)

Video:

Dog left to starve by owner was 'most emaciated' vet with 30 years’ experience had ever seen

UNITED KINGDOM -- A neglected dog has been put down by a vet who described it as suffering with the worst case of starvation he had ever seen.

Fly, a 15-year-old lurcher, lost half her body weight, down to only 8.1kg, and shocked vets with her horrendous condition.

 

 

 

The dog's owner, David Lowe, 33, was summoned to appear at Bolton Magistrates' Court, to face charges of animal cruelty, on February 24, but failed to turn up.

However, the case was proved in his absence and he was convicted of five counts of causing unnecessary suffering to an animal in October 2013. His sentencing, held yesterday, has been postponed while further reports are put together for the court.

The dog was discovered by the RSPCA at Lowe's Farnworth home in October 2013 after a tip-off from a concerned member of the public.

When Fly was found, she was suffering from an abscess in its mouth, overgrown nails, a severe dental disease and had discharge oozing from a sinus beneath its eye.

Vets later found that Fly also had a mammary tumour and was diabetic.

The RSPCA took custody of Fly that same day but, after examination, vets decided the most humane course of action was to put the dog down.

RSPCA inspector Vicki McDonald said: 'Fly was the thinnest dog I or the vet had ever seen.

'She was in such a terrible state, with so many issues, that the vet took the difficult decision to put her to sleep there and then. Of course we would have loved her to have recovered, but this was the kindest thing to do.

'At 15 years old she was an elderly dog but she was not in this condition because of her age, she was in this condition because she had been badly neglected.'

The court heard how Lowe had been given £20 to take the dog to the vets for treatment but failed to do so, fearing she would be put down.

The dog could have been 'easily treated' if help had been sought earlier, the court heard, but she was put down after being found in a 'severely emaciated condition'.

Tony Stock, prosecuting, said: 'Angus McKenzie, a vet with more than 30 years’ experience, said this was one of the most severely emaciated dogs - dead or alive - he had seen in 30 years.

'The dog weighed 8.1kg - less than half its ideal weight - and scored zero in a body condition scale where one is emaciated and five is grossly obese.'

Adam Whittaker, defending, said Lowe had been homeless for four years and his ex-partner was caring for the dog until returning it to him last year.

Lowe was, who Mr Whittaker described as 'highly vulnerable', was said to suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder following an explosion in Raikes Lane, Burnden.

Magistrates decided to adjourn sentencing until April 16 to allow a report to be prepared.

(Daily Mail - Mar 21, 2014)

Dog owner saw pet almost 'ripped to pieces' in vicious attack

UNITED KINGDOM -- A dog owner had to have her pet put down after it was nearly “ripped to pieces” in a vicious attack.

Cheryl Dakin was walking along Greengate Lane, in Birstall, on her way to celebrate her friend’s birthday, when three dogs ran at her 16-year-old mongrel, Cadbury.

 

Cheryl, of Stocking Farm, Leicester, said: “Cadbury didn’t stand a chance.

“There were three dogs - it looked like a lurcher, a Jack Russell and a springer spaniel.

“All hell broke loose and the lurcher got hold of him in its jaws and was shaking him like a rag doll while the others were jumping over Cadbury and nipping at him.

“I hit the big dog and got bitten myself while trying to pick up Cadbury. Cadbury was screaming in agony and there was blood everywhere.

“If I hadn’t been strong enough to pull Cadbury away he would have been ripped to pieces. I was screaming hysterically and I think that was what made the dogs go away.”

Cheryl, 35, said Cadbury’s severe spinal injury was obvious from his agonised cries as she tried to carry him down the hill to Birstall’s vet for treatment.

Luckily, a passing motorist offered her a lift and after emergency treatment at Borrajo's Veterinary Clinic, she took Cadbury to his usual vet, The Park in Glenfield, where vets concluded his spinal injuries were serious.

Cadbury was kept in for a few hours and then Cheryl decided it would be best to take the traumatised dog home and bring him back two days later.

It was during the second visit that the vets broke the news that Cadbury would probably never recover.

Cheryl, who suffered a bite to her own leg in the incident and was treated with a tetanus shot after the attack, said: “I was told he had a spinal problem and that even a dog half his age would struggle to recover from something like that after surgery.

“We decided it was best for Cadbury to let him go.

“First I took him home so my 17-year-old son, Matthew, and I could say goodbye properly. Later that day Cadbury was put down back at the vet’s.

“I can’t describe how it felt to lose him. We’ve had Cadbury for 13 years - we got him from the RSPCA - so Matthew’s grown up with him. There was always the three of us at home so he was really part of the family.”

Cheryl returned to Green Gate Lane with the police after the incident but there were no signs of the dogs which attacked Cadbury.

Officers are asking anyone with information to come forward.

A police spokeswoman said: “We are investigating a report of a dog being attacked by three other dogs in Greengate Lane, Leicester. The incident took place at about 11.15am on Wednesday February 26.

“The dog received a bite to the back of its body. The owner of the dog also received an injury to her leg during the incident.”

Anyone who witnessed the incident is asked to contact Pc Hazel Fossey on 101 or Crimestoppers, on 0800 555 111.

(Leicester Mercury - Mar 9, 2014)

Pet is killed in vicious dog attack in Sapcote

UNITED KINGDOM -- A COUPLE from Sapcote were left devastated when their beloved pet Yorkshire Terrier died after being attacked by another dog.

The 14-year-old pet called Lucy was left with 12 staples across her throat during emergency surgery after being savagely attacked by a lurcher as she was leaving her home.

She died just hours after the operation.

The attack took place at 3pm on Monday July 29 at All Saints Close.

Owner of the dog, John Smith, who is in his late 70s said: “It jumped onto my little girl and had her in its mouth.

“There were two lurchers. One was on the lead with a collar on and one was off.

“They were with two girls and one of them tried to pick it up in her arms to stop the dog. The girls ran off and left the dogs. They couldn’t control them - they were too young.”

John said as soon as the attack happened they took Lucy to the Animal Rescue Centre in Braunstone where she received an emergency operation.

But he and his wife Priscilla received a call at 9pm that night saying that they should come to the centre. At 9.30pm Lucy died.

John added: “We are heartbroken. We are not sleeping at night and when we brought her home wrapped in a blanket I slept on the floor next to her.

“We have got a headstone for her and some plants to go either side of her grave.

“She was special and she was a one off. She would sit on the back of my shoulders and lick my head. She always used to come fishing with me and eat one of my cheese and pickle sandwiches. She was our favourite dog.”

A spokesperson for Blaby District Council dog warden said: “The dogs were claimed by an owner.
“We are offering support to the owner and the police are dealing with the incident.”

(Hinckley Times - Aug 15 2013)

Dog muzzle order after fatal attack on pet cat

UNITED KINGDOM -- A DOG that savaged a beloved pet cat will have to wear a muzzle whenever it is in public, a court has ruled.

Ryan Ramshaw’s lurcher, Slip, killed 15-year-old Penny in front of its horrified owner on July 22 last year.

The 19-year-old admitted failing to keep his dog under control at South Tyneside Magistrates’ Court in April, but the case could not be completed because he no longer owns the dog.

Previous hearings heard his cousin now looks after the dog and, because the only power the magistrates have in the case was to make a control order on the dog, he needed to be present before it could be closed.

But on Friday, Ramshaw, of Roman Road, Hebburn, and his cousin turned up and magistrates made an order that whenever the lurcher is in public it must have a muzzle on and that it must be microchipped.

Zeena Begum, prosecuting, said: “It was 7pm when the dog’s owner Vivenne Mahon went to her local shop. She heard a commotion behind her and heard someone shouting ‘get off’. She said she knew it was her cat and she saw a dog with the cat in its jaws shaking it to side to side.

“The cat’s eyes were bulging and she said she thought its eyes were going to pop out.”

The court heard Ramshaw was kicking his dog to try to get it away from the cat and eventually it let go, but the cat was fatally injured.

Christopher Brown, defending, said: “He is dreadfully sorry that this unfortunate incident happened, no one wanted it.

“He was going to the chip shop and didn’t know the dog followed him out. He has had sleepless nights over this. He took immediate action and tried to get the dog away.”

Speaking after the case, the cat’s devastated owner Ms Mahon said: “I’m pleased the case is finished and Ramshaw has had to face the music. That dog should never have been out without a muzzle.

“The sentence is irrelevant, he has taken responsibility for it.  I feel I have got justice for my cat. She was 15 and was my baby.”

(Shields Gazette - July 1, 2013)

Cat killed in Workington dog attack

UNITED KINGDOM -- A Workington couple have been traumatised after their pet cat was torn apart by dogs on their front doorstep.

They believe that Lurchers were set upon the pet deliberately and claim it is the latest in a spate of similar incidents.

Police said they were investigating the attack which happened on Wednesday, June 5, at 12.37am, although no arrests have been made.

The cat’s owner, who did not want to be named, said she was so traumatised that she had been physically sick and was too upset for a face-to-face interview.

But her partner Gordon Cunningham, 60, of Bowness Court, told how he wrested the cat from the jaws of one of the dogs.

Alfie, who they took in as a stray several years ago, died from injuries 20 minutes later.

Mr Cunningham said: “I got one dog by the collar and had to pull it off but it was too late.

“He must have had internal injuries because he only survived for 20 minutes.

“The people who did this are scum.

“My hands were covered in blood. I would not want this to happen to anybody else, and people should be made aware in the area that pets are being targeted.”

When the dogs owners came to collect them, Mr Cunningham claims he was told that they had been let out of a garden.

A neighbour, who did not wish to be identified, claimed she saw two young men in hoodies crouching behind a car. She said she heard one of them call “Get them!”

Gerald Humes, county and town councillor for Moorclose, pledged to raise the issue of dog wardens at the next meeting of the town council.

Sergeant Aidan Bew said: “We are working with the animal owners to find out exactly what happened.”

Anyone with information should ring police on 101 or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

(Times and Star UK - June 14, 2013)

Pet cat mauled to death

UNITED KINGDOM -- A family have been left devastated after their adorable pet cat was mauled and killed in front of an 11-year-old boy by a hunting dog.

Carianne Woodward says her pet, Koffey was savaged by a lurcher dog which burst into the front garden of their home.

Once inside the 37-year-old’s property, Carianne says the large dog attacked her 18-month-old cat in front of her and her 11-year-old son, Joseph Woodward.

RIP Koffey

And despite the full-time mum-of-five shouting and hitting the dog, it carried on shaking Koffey around like a “rag doll”, and only stopped when its owner came to get it before running off.

Within minutes of the attack ending, Koffey, whose back legs were severely damaged in the incident, died in agonising pain. Carianne believes this was not a random attack.

And she wanted to warn other animal owners about the incident in the hope that publicising it might prevent it from happening to any more “innocent and loved family pets”.

She said: “I was shaking and in hysterics and beside myself with shock really, so was Joseph.

“She was really badly injured, her back legs weren’t working and then she didn’t last much longer after that.

“Why would you walk along the street with a lurcher off its lead when you know that if it sees a little animal like a cat it’ll go for it?

“That’s what they’re trained for, they’re hunting dogs, it’s obvious. And for the owner to just run off after what his dog had just done, it’s appalling.”

Carianne says she was preparing tea when she heard the commotion outside her house in Chaucer Avenue.

Her and her son Joseph opened the door and saw the attack.

“I’ve rang the police, but they say there’s nothing they can do because a dog killing a cat is not a criminal offence,” said Carianne, who is also mum to Jake, 18, Lewis, 15, three-year-old Ashton, and William, one.

“The more I’ve spoken to people about what happened to Koffey, the more I’ve heard people saying the same thing has happened to them and I think it’s terrible.

“It’s hard enough for me to deal with what I’ve seen, never mind a child. I don’t think it registers with these people that these are loved pets.”

A spokeswoman for Cleveland Police confirmed that officers are investigating and appealed for anyone with any information about the incident, which happened around 5pm on Sunday, to telephone officers on 101.

(Hartlepool Mail - Dec 19, 2012)

Distressed and dying... the pet whose life ended in agony

UNITED KINGDOM -- The death of a family pet is all the more distressing when it is caused by a savage attack. Una Brankin reports on her family’s story of the violent loss of a beloved pet

It was a typical scene down in the meadows on our farm near Sandy Bay in Ballinderry, one mild afternoon. My brother was cutting firewood with a chainsaw and the family dog Koochie, a cute seven year old Jack Russell, was scampering around chasing birds and sniffing out the wildlife.

That day in August she was having the time of her life as usual while Michael worked. Then in the middle of the afternoon, the chainsaw jammed and came to a halt. Michael probably will never forget the awful screech he heard from the other side of the hedge in those few terrifying seconds.

Tragic story: Koochie in her last days

“I wouldn’t have heard it at all if the chainsaw hadn’t quit,” he said. “I can only describe it as high-pitched screaming or squealing — I ran into the field and these two lurchers were attacking Kooch and shaking her like a rag doll.

“I ran over and kicked the hell out of them but they had a grip on her and they wouldn’t let her go.

I’ve never kicked anything as hard in my life — if I hadn’t got there at that second, they would have torn her apart.”

In the middle of the desperate scramble, a stranger appeared on the scene and pulled one of the lurcher-type dogs off Koochie. Michael explained: “One of the lurchers was black and the other golden; they looked a bit like greyhounds. I would never have got them off Kooch if the owner hadn’t appeared. He said he was sorry and that lurchers don’t usually attack dogs, and they probably thought she was a fox at first.

“I told him to get off my land and that I’d shoot him and his dogs if they ever set foot on it again. This happened way down our meadow, half a mile off the road. This man was trespassing with those dogs, looking for something to kill. I picked up Kooch and rushed to the vet. She had puncture marks all over where the lurchers sank their big long teeth into her and she was shaking in shock.”

The vet prescribed painkillers and antibiotics.

Koochie was still in shock when she was brought home and she acted funny all night. She wouldn’t settle in her basket and kept getting up and down. Mum sat up with her for hours until she eventually fell asleep. The next morning, she wasn’t there.

Said Michael: “I found her later down the field at the back of the house, cowering under the hedge. She was quivering and obviously suffering. Over the next few weeks she got worse. She was miserable. She ate very little.

“She still went out and about with me but she had no energy. She always had a great time running about, she was happy and she had a great life before this happened. We didn’t realise the extent of her injuries at that stage, until mum insisted we get a second opinion.”

So Koochie was brought to another vet, who x-rayed her.

He told us the lurchers had bitten right through her stomach and intestines. They were all infected and knotted up. He prescribed more painkillers and antibiotics and we brought her home. She wouldn’t eat at all and started bringing up mucous with blood in it.

We phoned the vet and he said as a last resort he could operate to confirm what he thought was wrong. We told him to go ahead, just in case there was any hope, but when he opened her up there was nothing he could do.

The dog was in chronic pain so we had to tell him to put her to sleep. Michael said: “I went to collect her and put her in the garage at home. Mum was an awful case. She sat there nursing her and crying her eyes out for ages.”

We’ve lost other dogs before, to accidents and old age. This little dog’s loss is worse because of the cruelty and savagery which led to her death and the deaths of other animals at the hands of predatory dogs and some of their owners sickeningly film the attacks.

Koochie with Hugh and Sheila Brankin
and their grandsons Jack and Patrick

“We all have suffered terribly since the dog was attacked and we could do nothing but cry after she died,” said my mother. “The house is lonely and quiet without her coming in and out. She loved going for a walk with me on Sunday afternoons and she’d appear at my feet wagging her tail exactly when it was time to go every week without fail; she knew it was Sunday.

“She was a great help on the farm and we always felt safe with her in the house at night. We don’t feel safe at all now.”

(Belfast Telegraph - Oct 17, 2012)

'Help us find owner of dogs that savaged cat' say RSPCA

UNITED KINGDOM -- THE RSPCA is urging Tamworth residents to help them identify the owner of two dogs which mauled a pet cat to death.

The Herald exclusively broke the story last week after CCTV footage captured the Lurchers mauling five-year-old cat Mercedes on the drive of her home in Belgrave.

Heartbroken couple Neil Watton and Angela Ball made the grave discovery after returning home early from their holiday.

The footage, which since appearing on last week's Herald front page has been reported by media outlets across the world, captures a man shooing away the dogs before tossing the cat's lifeless body into a wheelie bin.

The RSPCA is now appealing for people to come forward with the identity of the dog's owner.

And Mr Watton and Ms Ball, of Shannon, are also offering £100 for information which leads to the identity of the dog's owner being revealed.

Judith Haw, a spokesperson for animal welfare charity RSPCA, said: "Anyone that knows the man we want them to get in to contact as we would like to speak to him.

"Clearly he did not have charge or control of his dogs and legally a dog owner should have charge and control of their dog in a public place.

"If you own dogs that you know are likely to attack small animals then as a responsible dog owner you should have your dogs on a lead and possibly muzzled.

"Some breeds of dog are likely to chase small animals as it is in their nature and if you own such a breed you must take measures to prevent such attacks.

"This is certainly a shocking incident which has caused understandable upset to the cat owners. Someone must know who the owner is and I would urge them to call in to the RSPCA on 0300 1234 999."

(Tamworth Herald - September 21, 2012)

Calls for crack down on irresponsible dog walkers after park savaging

UNITED KINGDOM -- A dog owner's whose pet was savaged at Putney Common is demanding park wardens enforce by-laws.

Alexa Kesselaar, of Orbain Road, Fulham, watched helplessly as her elderly lurcher was savaged by a Rottweiler which she says was one of 20 dogs being walked together on the common.

It took two people to prise the dog off 14-year-old Ruby, who was left with injuries that included broken ribs, a damaged spine and possibly a punctured lung.

“Her screams haunt me even now,” said Ms Kesselaar, 47. “She went into terrible shock, her eyes rolled back and blood was pouring from her. I thought she was dead. When we got to the vets, they couldn’t believe she was still alive.”

As she cares for her pet, Miss Kesselaar is demanding more is done to prevent similar attacks in future.

A walker is allowed a maximum of four dogs in parks in Putney and in Hammersmith and Fulham and Ms Kesselaar says wardens must enforce the rules more strictly. She also wants tougher legal penalties for owners of dogs that attack other dogs.

“Only humans are protected at the moment and it isn’t right,” she added. “Ruby could have died on the spot.”

Gordon Vincent, chief executive of Putney Common Rangers, said: “We are aware of the incident on Putney Lower Common and are helping Ms Kesselaar as much as we are able.

“We do have staff working and patrolling the common on a regular basis and we ensure the ‘Maximum of four’ by-law is enforced as much as possible. This was an exceptional incident and, fortunately, one that only happens very rarely on the common.”

(Fulham Chronicle - August 15, 2012)

Woman's dog attacked at country club

UNITED KINGDOM -- Paddy was left with nine stitches after he and his companion Rosie were attacked by a Staffordshire bull terrier.

Paddy, a lurcher, and Rosie were enjoying a leisurely walk at Howley Hall Golf Club in Scotchman Lane when they were set upon by the dog, which owner Jane Dyer said she hadn’t come across at the popular walking spot before.

Now she is warning other dog owners and walkers to be on their guard.

She said the attack came out of nowhere, and had left Paddy shaking at the sight of other strange dogs.

Jane was walking back to her car with the dogs when she noticed a couple she hadn’t seen before. They had the bull terrier as well as a pit bull-type dog and an Alsatian.

She said the pit bull tried to bite Rosie’s back.

“It ran at her and was trying to bite her on the back,” she said.

“She was yelping and ran off.”

Jane said the dog’s owner said it wasn’t normally like that, and at the same time the bull terrier, which was on a lead, lunged for Paddy. She said: “It just attached itself to Paddy’s neck. There was no growling or barking, it just attacked.

“Paddy has a long neck and was able to get hold of this dog himself in his defence, forcing it to let go. He ran off, chased by the pit bull and the Alsatian.

“It all happened so quickly.”

Jane said it was possible the other dog was injured as Paddy tried to defend himself.

When Jane caught up with Paddy she saw a long, deep wound on his neck.

“If it had been any further round he would have been killed,” she said.

Paddy was treated for shock and had his wound stitched up – treatment worth more than £500.

Although his injuries have healed after the incident on April 20, Jane said Paddy was a lot more subdued and spend a week feeling sorry for himself.

The attack comes as the government is attempting to pass a law that all dogs are microchipped as puppies so it’s easier to trace owners of vicious dogs.

(Morley Observer - May 8, 2012)

Pensioner feared his dog was dead following savage attack

UNITED KINGDOM -- A pensioner feared his pet was dead after it was attacked by a trio of "out of control" dogs.

Peter Morris suffered cuts to his hand when he was forced to pull the three lurchers from his King Charles Cavalier Spaniel in Forest Row last Friday.

But he was more concerned for five-year-old Lulu, who received a series of deep cuts during the ordeal.

Mr Morris, of Michael Fields, in the village, said: "It was a really horrible experience. I had no choice but to pile in and pull their jaws off my dog. I really thought that they had killed her."

The incident occurred on a public footpath between Michael Hall School and the A22, known locally as Cow Path.

Mr Morris said the lurchers were even on leads, explaining: "I was walking down to the village to post some letters and I took my dog with me. Coming the other way was a woman with three lurcher type dogs. As soon as she saw us, she said, 'There's going to be trouble'.

"I knew I had to get my dog on the lead and steer her out of the way, but this woman just could not control her dogs. Obviously, she must have known these dogs would be out of control. I'm pretty sure she was a dog walker for someone. She just wanted to get out of there as soon as she could.

"I got a few marks on my hand from trying to fend the dogs off."

Lulu was rushed to the vets immediately afterwards and is now on the road to recovery.

Mr Morris has warned other dog walkers to be wary of aggressive dogs following the incident.

He added: "My message to other dog owners is if you see three grey lurcher type dogs without muzzles, and they don't look as if they are under proper control, be very suspicious."

The incident was reported to Sussex Police.

(East Grinstead Courier and Observer - May 10, 2012)

Dog owner watches as pet ‘ripped apart’

UNITED KINGDOM -- A Derry man whose much loved pet was ‘ripped apart’ in a vicious attack by another dog has warned that a child could be next.

Eddie Harkin from Ballyarnett Road says he has been left feeling “sick and angry” after fighting in vain to save six year-old poodle/schnauzer cross Odie from the jaws of a lurcher type dog.

Mr Harkin had been out walking with Odie - his constant companion over the last six years - along Collon Lane at around 6:15pm on Wednesday evening when his pet dog was savagely set upon.

“I saw a young boy, maybe aged no more than ten, outside a house playing with two lurchers. The two dogs came running towards us but one turned back. The other just launched into an attack,” Mr Harkin told the ‘Journal’.

Odie was brutally mauled by the dog in front of his helpless owner.

Mr Harkin says his pet was dead within minutes despite his best efforts to fight off the attacking dog.

“It was that quick, it just ripped him apart. There was nothing I could do, even if I’d had a stick to hit it with I would not have been able to make it stop.”

He says Odie’s savage death was “terribly hard to watch.”

“It was like someone took a knife and ripped him apart. It was vicious,” he says.

Mr Harkin says he wanted to speak out so the Derry public were aware of the potential dangers associated with some dogs.

“People should not be keeping dogs like this as pets.

“This needs to be highlighted, it could easily be a child next,” he says.

Derry City Council have confirmed an investigation into the attack is underway - and that the dog who attacked Mr Harkin’s pet has been handed over to authorities.

“A dog warden is presently investigating the case and the dog allegedly involved in the attack was voluntarily surrendered to the dog warden,” a spokeswoman for the council says.

In 2011 new legislation was introduced to tackle dog attacks.

The law included compulsory micro chipping for all dogs and also made it an offence to allow a dog to attack and injure another person’s dog.

(Derry Journal - April 20, 2012)

Cat's owner shattered by its death in dog attack

RIP Henry

UNITED KINGDOM -- A woman has been left devastated after her cat was savaged and killed by a dog in Oxford.

Deborah Hughes, who suffers from ME, said her three-year-old cat, Henry, had been the reason she got up each morning.

Henry was mauled to death by a large dark brown or black dog, possibly a greyhound lurcher cross, while a woman believed to be the dog’s owner, wearing a bright yellow waterproof jacket, watched the attack.

The incident happened in Nightingale Avenue, Greater Leys, at about 9.45pm on October 25 and was witnessed by Oxford United supporters returning home from the Kassam Stadium.

Miss Hughes, 44, put up dozens of posters around Greater Leys, called animal sanctuaries and hired Animal Search UK after Henry went missing.

She said: “When I was feeling unwell and had trouble moving, I got up for him because I knew he wanted breakfast. He gave purpose to my life.”

Witnesses contacted her after seeing the posters and told her the graphic details of the attack, which they said they were powerless to stop.

She said: “I was shaking all over and when I put the phone down I went completely to pieces. I have not recovered since.”

“I feel terribly guilty about it, because I did not protect him.”

She added: “My concerns is that this could happen to someone else’s animal.

“Lots of people in the community have cats.”

Thames Valley Police have appealed for anyone with information to call 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.

(Oxford Mail - Dec 24, 2011)

Ashford dog attack owner 'just walked away'

UNITED KINGDOM -- A DOG attack left a woman needing medical treatment and her pet requiring an operation after they were mauled in broad daylight.

Joanne King, 46, of Chesterfield Road in Ashford, was walking her two Lhasa Apso dogs, Tilly, two, and Lucy, 10 months, in a park off Woodthorpe Road when they were attacked.

After the incident, which happened on Sunday (December 11) at around 1pm, the owner of the dog involved left the park leaving Tilly, who suffered puncture wounds and a damaged eye, for dead.

Ms King said: “He [the other owner] had two dogs and one was wearing a muzzle.

"He said to me ‘don’t worry, they can be a bit funny but this one is muzzled’ and then the next minute his other dog, a lurcher, was attacking Tilly.

“People came rushing to help. This one man was booting the dog but every time the dog would get up and come back again.

“There were people coming over from all over the park screaming for help and the man didn’t do anything to get his dog off at all and then he just walked away.

“The dog also bit me and I’ve had to have a tetanus shot and I’m now on antibiotics.”

Surrey Police officers are now appealing for witnesses to come forward and are looking for the lurcher’s owner. The man was described as white and in his mid-40s.

Ms King added: “Lucy was traumatised by the attack too. The dog went after her first but she fit in between some railings and then the dog came back.

“Every time it was booted and booted away, it kept coming and coming. That dog just wanted my dog dead.

“The whole community is stunned and shocked, and one of the local dog grooming companies has contacted all its customers calling on people who might know anything to come forward. We are all traumatised by it.

“Tilly has had to return to the vets following her original operation. We weren’t sure if she would lose her eye but the retina is still intact.

“Apart from her badly damaged eye she also suffered four big puncture wounds, about two or three inches deep, in her back that needed stitching.

“This is unusual for dog bites because of the bacteria in their mouths but we had to stitch and sedate her.

“There are so many smaller dogs that go to that park and they now all run the risk of being attacked.

“One of his dogs was muzzled and the one that attacked was supposed to be the calm one.”

Anyone who witnessed the incident or who has any information should call Surrey Police on 101, quoting reference SL/11/9395. Alternatively, contact Crimestoppers anonymously and free on 0800 555 111.

(getSurrey - December 16, 2011)