Sweden: Memorial for dog killed in Stockholm terrorist attack

SWEDEN -- An image showing a memorial for a dog killed in central Stockholm when a lorry rammed into people has drawn attention online after it was posted on Facebook.

Four people - a British national, two Swedes and one Belgian - were killed in the Islamic terrorist attack on Friday.

Markus Krantz, 37, and his girlfriend who live just north of the capital went to the scene of the attack after it was re-opened to the public, and noticed that nothing was there to recognise the death of the dog called Iggy.

When it came to light that Iggy was a rescue dog, Markus returned to the scene and left the dog flowers and a message on their behalf.

The original image posted by Markus on Saturday from the scene of Iggy's death - which has over 48,000 reactions - shows dog crackers, candles and a leash that belonged to his dog Ebba who died in 2016.

Markus told the BBC that he and his girlfriend heard that a dog had been killed but were unable to find anything where Iggy last walked that specifically recognised the dog.

"We decided to put down flowers and dog crackers, and light a candle," he said.
"My mom asked me to take a picture and send it to her and since it went online, the response has been 100 per cent positive. Just pure love," Markus continued.

Following this, Markus discovered that Iggy was a rescue dog from Dogs Aid Animal Sanctuary in Dublin. Markus currently has five dogs, all rescued from Romania.

Dogs Aid asked Markus to return to the site and leave a message on their behalf: "Iggy Run Free, from all ur friends in Dogs Aid in Dublin."

On Facebook, the sanctuary said: "We are deeply saddened to learn that one of our dogs was killed in the terrorist attack in Stockholm. DOGS AID IGGY found his beautiful home in Sweden in 2012."

More people have paid a visit to the memorial site. Pictures online show a stuffed dog, a child's drawing of a dog, crackers, a rubber dog bone toy, candles and flowers.

And Facebook users sent their love to Iggy, with one sharing an image of "doggy heaven".

(BBC - April 10, 2017)

Sweden: Man attacked by Rottweiler, whose owner fled before police arrived

Note: This was translated to English.

SWEDEN -- Ahmed Abdul Aziz stood at the train station in Eslöv when a Rottweiler bit him bloody. The aggressive dog bit hold of his arm and would not let go. The dog owner should have stood by and just watched.

I tried to take hold of the dog's neck so that it would not break my arm, said Ahmed Abdul Aziz.

23-year-old does not believe that the dog owner bussed dog on him. He seemed rather afraid of his own dog and to have fled from the scene.

There was a young guy. He just stood there, like terrified.

Train passenger kicked the dog
After a while, a man came running from the station and kicked the Rottweiler. When police arrived at the scene, after 45 minutes, the dog had run away and the owner left the place.

- Many people who waited for the train picked napkins and laid on my arm. They asked me to lie down. Several called police and ambulance. Finally I got to thank and say they would not miss the train.

It was in mid-February as Ahmed Abdul Aziz was attacked in broad daylight when he would take the train home to Malmo after visiting a friend in Eslöv.

According Eslöv police must Ahmed Abdul Aziz have tried patting the dog. "He is aware that he did wrong," reads the police report. "Perpetrator and the dog disappeared," it says further.

Does he deserve to be bloody piece for trying to pet the dog?

- The dog owner is responsible for the dog, but the report is made the victim aware that he had done wrong, said local police chief Anders Karlsson.

Ahmed Abdul Aziz disagrees. He has filed a police report the incident.

- If the dog bite, the well have been muzzled? I did not even pet the dog before it jumped up and bit me, he says. I find it strange that the police have not even tried to talk to the dog owner.

(Expressen.se - Feb 20, 2017)

Dog owner sentenced after attack

SWEDEN -- A dog owner in western Sweden was sentenced and fined after her Rottweiler viciously attacked two joggers in a wooded area last summer.

Local courts found a Borås woman guilty of causing grievous bodily harm when her Rottweiler attacked and severely bit two joggers in a wooded area on separate occasions last summer.

The convicted dog-owner is on probation for 100 days and must pay 25,000 kronor (about $4,000) in damages, according to local media Borås Tidning.

The district court held that the dog-owner neither had supervision or control of her four-legged companion as required by law.

In one incident, the dog allegedly charged a female jogger, tore through her arm muscle and continued to attack her legs and face. The victim finally fended off the dog with a sharp stick.

As the investigation pursued, authorities discovered that the Rottweiler had previously attacked another jogger in the same area without the owner being able to stop the animal.

During the trial, the dog-owner denied accusations that she had been negligent, maintaining that the dog had managed to tear through and escape both a leash and muzzle.

The courts could not validate such claims, noting that she neither had supervision or control over the dog as required.

The dog has since been put to sleep, at the mandate of local police.

(The Local - September 17, 2011)