Sheriff spares life of dog which was 'out of control'

[TrueBlueTerrier]

http://www.hawick-news.co.uk/news/Sheri ... 3582341.jp

A dog's life has been spared after it pinned a four-year-old child to the ground and bit a postman.
Teresa Rodkiss, who owns the German Shepherd bitch, was ordered to pay £428 costs for keeping it at an animal welfare centre, where it will remain for continued assessment.

Rodkiss, 35, of Ruberslaw Road, was also banned from keeping an animal for two years.

She admitted being the owner of a dog which she allowed to enter a garden where it was not permitted near her home on September 23, where it jumped a fence and pinned a four-year-old child to the ground.

Depute fiscal Juliet Petrusev said the four-year-old had been playing in the garden when the dog jumped the fence and pinned him to the ground.

"He was not bitten but he had scuff marks to his back," explained Miss Petrusev. She said Rodkiss had left her dog in someone else's care at the time of the offence.

On October 22, Rodkiss admitted being the owner of a dog which was dangerously out of control near her home, and bit a postman on the hand, puncturing his skin.

"The postman was on duty at about 11am and was on his way to deliver letters when he became aware of the dog coming from a shared garden at the rear of the flats," explained Miss Petrusev.

"It began barking at him and jumped up and bit him on the hand, puncturing the skin."

Miss Petrusev said the Crown moved for the dog to be destroyed.

Defence solicitor Mark Harrower said the first offence happened when the dog was left with a teenage relative.

He said the garden area was divided into two by a low fence of about 2ft high, and the child had been playing in the garden.

"The child was being boisterous and the dog knocked the child down," said Mr Harrower.

"While I appreciate it must have been alarming for the child, and his mother, the dog didn't bite the child," he added.

Mr Harrower said the dog had been in its own garden when the second offence happened.

"The postman was delivering mail and walked round the back of the houses and he came round the corner at the same time as the dog.

"It wasn't on a lead or muzzled, and it is blind in one eye, so may have been startled," said Mr Harrower, who opposed the Crown motion to have the 19-month-old dog destroyed, and produced a report from a canine expert.

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Last Updated: 13 December 2007 6:38 AM

[norbet colon]

--It's a pity this fella can't put L&C and their attack dogs to sleep