A Dunfermline couple have appeared in court over two separate dog attacks by their Staffordshire bull terrier.
Siobhan Hunter was forced to “rugby tackle” her pet after it charged into a neighbour’s house and attacked a Lhasa Apso dog in March this year.
Weeks earlier, Hunter’s partner Steven Fraser had to wrestle the dog from a family’s bloodied Jack Russell after it escaped his garden in Jennie Rennie’s Road.
Dunfermline Sheriff Court heard the staffy is still in the care of the couple.
The pair, both 43, appeared consecutively in the dock for sentencing after earlier pleading guilty to separate offences of owning a dog which was dangerously out of control.
Rugby-tackled attacking dog
Prosecutor Azrah Yousaf told the court that at around 6.20am on March 24, the Lhaso Apso owner took her dog into the secure front garden and became aware of loud barking.
She opened the door to let her dog back in the house and looked back to see the white Staffy barge towards her gate.
It “burst open” and the Staffy entered the house, the fiscal said.
“It jumped on top of the Lhasa Apso and the complainer tried to grab the dog off her dog and at that point, the dog bit the middle finger of the complainer.
“Both dogs went into the back garden and the Staffy continued to bite and claw at the Lhasa Apso’s back.
“The accused came running out her house, which is situated right next to the complainer’s house.”
The fiscal said a police report described Hunter “rugby tackle the Staffy and hold it until (the complainer) could get the dog safely back into the house”.
Ms Yousaf said the Lhasa Apso was taken to the vet, where its wounds were cleaned and the bill came to about £1,000.
The woman also sought medical attention for her finger injury, which was cleaned.
The fiscal said Hunter told police she had been taking the dog out for a walk and the the other dog had barked at her pet, which then pulled away from her.
Police advised her to muzzle the dog and have proper control of it, the fiscal added.
Jack Russell savaged
Ms Yousaf said that on New Year’s Day Fraser let his three dogs into his back garden and they escaped through a gate, left open by a delivery driver.
The female owner of the jack Russell lifted it up and Fraser’s Staffy tried to jump up to bite it, prompting the woman’s partner to intervene.
The fiscal said: “At that point the Jack Russell managed to get away and the Staffy is seen to take hold of the Jack Russell by the neck and is shaking the dog.
“The accused appears and takes hold of his dog and attempts to release the dog from gripping onto the Jack Russell.”
The fiscal said Fraser and the other male tried to prise open its jaws.
“Eventually, the Jack Russell is freed and has large puncture wounds to the neck and is bleeding heavily”.
The Jack Russell was taken to the vet, where the bill came to £2,970.
Fraser told police he opened the door to let out the dogs and they escaped without his knowledge.
Only one accused sentenced
Defence lawyer Alan Davie suggested Fraser’s culpability was at the “lower end of the scale” and he has since reinforced the fence and put up a 6ft gate, which can only open from the inside.
He said the dog now wears a muzzle and lead and to his knowledge, the conduct of both accused has since been “exemplary” and without further incidents.
Sheriff Garry Sutherland made a compensation order of £1,485 for Fraser to pay half of the vet bill for the Jack Russell.
But the sheriff further deferred sentence on Hunter until October 16 for a dog warden’s report, which was previously requested but is apparently not ready due to staff illness.
The sheriff said: “It’s really quite urgent we have this – the protection I would want to be in place is not.”
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