Dog faces threat of death for another attack

[TrueBlueTerrier]

A DOG that attacked a postwoman will be put down if it strikes again, a court has warned.

A court has put the Staffordshire bull terrier on a “suspended sentence” after biting Royal Mail worker Christina Oxman on the leg as she delivered letters.

The dog’s owner, Deborah Crow, of Yatesbury Avenue, Blakelaw, Newcastle, pleaded guilty to allowing Toby to be dangerously out of control in a public place.

City magistrates ordered her to pay £250 compensation to the postwoman, who was attacked on September 22.

And in an unusual move, Toby was put under a contingency destruction order, which means he will be put down if he bites anyone else.

Justin Gibson, prosecuting, told the court that Toby had developed a “dislike of postwomen” and that Mrs Oxman had become afraid of dogs since the ordeal. Julia Russell, defending, said: “She accepts her blame for this incident, but her feeling towards her dog have to be taken into account. Mrs Crow has had Toby since he was a puppy and he’s never done anything like this before.”

Magistrates told Mrs Crow: “If the dog attacks someone else, it will be destroyed.

“This is essentially a suspended sentence on the dog.”

Toby must now wear a muzzle and be on a lead at all times in public places.

After the hearing, Mrs Crow, 41, claimed her dog was gentle and popular with children.

Toby is even visited by a teenager with Asperger’s syndrome as part of her therapy, she said. Residents in Mrs Crow’s neighbourhood have collected over 500 names on a petition in a campaign to stop the court ordering Toby’s destruction.

“I’ve continually asked Royal Mail to leave my post in a wheelie bin so they don’t have to come to the door,” said Mrs Crow.

“I am a very responsible dog owner and animal lover. I even pay a company to take Toby out while I’m at work, which a lot of people wouldn’t do.

“Toby is afraid of post bags from an incident when he was a puppy and means no harm. I’ve asked Royal Mail to make no deliveries until I can fit a post box outside my gate. I can’t risk losing Toby.”



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[taurus88]

Poor dog having such a stupid master. I love dogs myself and feel that all attacks by dogs are essentially the fault of their owners. When you take a dog into your household, you have to appreciate that you are bringing a wild animal into your life. Even if it's fantastically behaved, you have to be responsible and treat it as a potential threat. I have a few dogs and, even though I've never known them even threaten to bite anybody, it's impossible to predict how a) they will react to different kinds of people, be it because of their appearance, their scent, their body language and b) how people will react to the dog (which itself may effect point a). I've seen so many people who are reckless with the way they handle their dogs simply because they seem to be of a very basic misunderstanding, firstly in that their dog is an animal and therefore prone to instinctive reactions, secondly that their dog does not speak English, and therefore cannot always be calmed by a command.

[chelseachris]

Whats keeping her from putting her post box outside the gate its the same old story it never done that before,the dog won"t touch you,we have heard all the stories before .