The man walking a death row dog when it killed a puppy said it should have been destroyed.
Ex-soldier Phil Pudney broke his silence in the wake of a decision by appeal judges in Edinburgh to overturn an order to put the dog to sleep.
Mr Pudney, who lives in Arbroath, said he still has nightmares about the “unfortunate incident” on May 10 on the town’s West Links and will have to live with “the bad decision I made on that day”.
The 60-year-old cared for St Bernard, Douglas as part of his role with the charity Saving Saints Rescue UK from which he has since resigned.
He was using a controversial “shock collar” to help control the dog, one of six he was walking at the time.
It attacked four-month-old jackadoodle Buzz, mauling it to death.
Buzz’s owner, Sarah Connor, said Douglas should be destroyed as it now has a “taste for blood.”
Mr Pudney said: “I am in full agreement with the family that Douglas should be put to sleep and I have nightmares of the event.
“I have rescued dogs all my adult life and I have to live with the bad decision I made on that day.
“I hope the decision by the appeal court doesn’t come back to haunt them.”
Douglas is originally from Bulgaria where it spent its early life being abused by cruel shepherds.
Appeal sheriffs said this week that the abuse suffered in Bulgaria contributed to the reaction to the electric collar.
It is understood Douglas “went berserk” and killed Buzz after the collar was activated.
A sheriff in Forfar fined Mr Pudney £500 and ordered the dog’s destruction but stopped short of banning him from keeping other animals,
Saving Saints founder Anne-Marie Luckhurst successfully lodged an appeal on Wednesday to overturn the sheriff’s ruling and take ownership of the dog.
The Welsh Assembly banned the use of electric collars in 2010 with a £20,000 fine and six months imprisonment available as court disposals for those flouting the rules.
Ministers in Scotland are now considering a similar approach north of the border and have consulted on the use of all electronic training aids, such as shock collars and boundary fence systems.
Angus solicitor Nick Whelan this week called for a ban on the “barbaric” devices which deliver a shock to pets as punishment for bad behaviour.
There are an estimated 50,000 of the devices in use in Scotland.
The Scottish SPCA and several other animal charities and organisations oppose collars as either a training or compliance tool.
It has been estimated that up to half a million dog owners across the UK use the collars which can provide shocks lasting up to 30 seconds.
The collars are also banned elsewhere in Europe, including Denmark, Norway, Sweden and Germany.
