Dog to be destroyed after seven attacks

Press, 20 November 1987, Page 4

Dog to be destroyed after seven attacks

A German ShepherdRottweiler cross dog which attacked seven people at different times on July 28, August 3 and August 4, must be destroyed. The dog’s owner, Sharon Margaret Fenton, aged 28, a sickness beneficiary, pleaded guilty in the District Court yesterday to seven charges of owning a dog which attacked a person. She was ordered to pay the $53.10 in medical costs for treating some of those bitten.

Sergeant J. E. Dwyer, who prosecuted, said the first attack was on July 28 when a boy was playing at a neighbouring house to the defendant’s, in Waltham Road.

The boy climbed on a fence and the dog jumped up and bit his body. The injury required seven stitches.

The six other attacks occurred to pedestrians passing the defendant’s house, one on August 3 and the five others between 1.30 p.m. and 3.30 p.m on August 4. All sustained bites or

had clothes ripped. Most had to have medical treatment

Sergeant Dwyer said that when questioned about the attacks, Fenton said she knew the dog had bitten the boy playing on the fence, and that it had been able to get out of her property at the rear. Fenton said yesterday in Court, that the first attack was provoked because of children banging on the fence and teasing the dog. She had warned the children about climbing on the fence, and that the dog could bite them “and it did.” She said the extent of the injury would be because the weight of the dog as it fell back after jumping up at the boy on the fence. “From there on I don’t know where he went wrong, he just had to go at anyone,” the defendant said.

It had been a placid animal before the first incident She said she had since sent him away and he was somewhere on the Coast

He was only a puppy she said.

Judge Fogarty told Fen-i. ; ton that she had an obli- » gallon to the public to tell ■ the police where the dog was.

A lot of people had suffered because of its attacks. . w Fenton said she did not know where the dog was “over there.”

Sergeant Dwyer said the dog was obviously in somebody’s custody, and the police still sought an order that it should be destroyed. The Judge said he had no hesitation in making this order, having regard to the number of attacks involved. He ordered Fenton to pay the medical expenses, but said he would impose no fine in view of her financial situation, and that the dog’s behaviour had manifested itself quite suddenly and she had been co-operative in relation to the police’s inquiries. It was the third order made this month in the District Court for a dog to be destroyed.