A court has heard how an 11-year-old girl screamed in terror as a dog set about her.
The youngster was walking in Brechin when the Weimaraner leapt up at her and sunk its teeth into her hand.
On Tuesday, Ronald Church (18), of Guthrie Park, Brechin, was ordered to pay the girl £100 compensation after being found guilty of being in charge of the dog when it was dangerously out of control.
Forfar Sheriff Court heard the girl was taken to hospital after the animal, named Bailey, jumped up and bit her as she walked home with her sister and a friend.
Church had denied that on August 13 at wasteland on Scott Street he was in charge of a dog which was dangerously out of control, whereby it approached an 11-year-old girl and began barking at her, jumped on her, and bit her on the hand to her injury.
Giving evidence via a videolink, the girl, who is now 12, told the court the dog sunk its teeth into her hand.
She said: ”It came running up, jumped up and grabbed hold of my hand. I was screaming and shouting. Its teeth were in my hand and my wrist.”
She said the dog was on its hind legs when it sunk its teeth in but she managed to pull her hand away before it ran off back to Church.
”I got a scar on my hand. I was really in shock after it. I was screaming when it was on me. I was gobsmacked.”
She said the attack has left her with a scar on her hand which was bandaged at Brechin Infirmary and was too sore to move for a few days afterwards. Her jumper was also left with a hole in it and she was prescribed medication and given painkillers.
The girl’s older sister also gave evidence via videolink and said the dog was off the leash when the attack happened.
”It wasn’t until she started screaming that I realised it was biting her. We all froze for a few seconds. We didn’t think it was happening.”
She said it was only after she had shouted ‘Oh my God it has just bit her,’ that Church shouted on his dogs to come back.
Depute fiscal Arlene Shaw asked: ”Did he do anything else to stop what was happening?” She replied: ”No.”
She said Church didn’t speak to them or see if they were OK afterwards.
Giving evidence, Church’s stepfather David Allison said the family got two-year-old Bailey six to eight weeks before the attack.
Mr Allison said some children had been teasing Bailey and one put their arm through their fence and the dog grabbed its jumper.
After that happened he said they put up a bigger fence and the dog would be muzzled from then on when he and his wife or his stepson took him out.
At the closure of the Crown case, defence agent Brian Bell said the evidence heard had failed to establish grounds for reasonable apprehension that Church believed the dog would injure anyone.
However, Ms Shaw argued that Church was aware of previous bad behaviour because he had started to use the muzzle.
Sheriff Veal agreed and, finding Church guilty, he said he was satisfied the dog was out of control and ordered him to pay £100 compensation to the child.
The dog has since been returned to its owners.