A pensioner whose dog was mauled by an out-of-control Staffordshire bull terrier won her case against the owner and was awarded £1,400 compensation by Luton County Court.
Julie Dearn, of Church Road, Upper Sundon, was devastated when her springer spaniel Ben (pictured), then 11, was attacked by the Staffie on a public bridleway near her home in March this year.
The Staffie was off its lead and bit Ben’s neck so hard that it went right through his muscle, down to the bone and severed his tendons.
Mrs Dearn said: “The judge ruled that she (the owner) has to keep her dog on a lead and wearing a muzzle whenever they go out. I feel better now I know she has to keep the dog on a lead because everyone in our village was frightened to walk their dogs in case it attacked again. We will be watching her very closely to make sure she keeps to the rules.
“It was disgusting how she behaved with that dog. We told the judge it wasn’t the dog’s fault, it’s the owner. She just couldn’t control it.
“I see so many youngsters in town with these dogs and they have no idea of the damage they can do or how to train them properly, it’s frightening.”
Fortunately Ben, now 12, survived the unprovoked and vicious attack, but the vet bills came to around £2,000.
Despite saying at the time of the attack she would help to pay them, Mrs Dearn and her husband heard nothing more from the owner of the Staffie.
The couple could not afford the bills and Ben’s pet insurance no longer covered him because he is over the age of eight so they took the Staffie’s owner, who also lives in Upper Sundon, to court. The case was heard on December 17. The court costs were £70 for the initial letters, and £168 for the hearing, all of which the Staffie owner must pay back on top of the £1,400 compensation.
Mrs Dearn said: “I want people to know that they can win cases like this if they take them to court. It’s a warning to irresponsible dog owners that they can’t get away with having out-of-control dogs. All along I was thinking how it could have been a child that was attacked.”
Speaking after the attack, Mrs Dearn said: “It was the worst thing I’ve ever seen.”
Ben had stitches across his neck and down to his chest and will have a limp for the rest of his life due to his damaged front paw. Mrs Dearn said he gets scared when other dogs run towards him, but other than that he has recovered and is back to his old happy self.