Heartbroken owners have injured pet put to sleep (From Swindon Advertiser)
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Heartbroken owners have injured pet put to sleep
7:10am Tuesday 16th March 2010 in
A YORKSHIRE terrier has died of injuries inflicted during a horrific bull terrier attack.
The case of Harry, who had to have his hind leg amputated following the unprovoked attack at the bottom of Inglesham Road, Penhill, was first highlighted by the Adver on Friday.
At the time, vets expected Harry to survive the operation.
However his owners eventually decided to put him to sleep after they decided it was the only humane option.
Last night police said they were seeking either a destruction order for the attacker dog, or a control order to prohibit the dog from going outside without a lead and a muzzle. Such orders are made by a court.
The force has also reported the dog’s owner for failing to keep proper control of a canine in a public place.
Shane Jones, the stepson of Harry’s owners, said the whole family were heartbroken by the dog’s death.
He said: “Harry had to be put to sleep on Saturday as complications had set in, and it was the only humane thing to do.
“We could no longer stand his great pain.
“Infection and complications occurred and his temperature was very high.
“He had been moved into quarantine and we couldn't even stroke him without wearing gloves. It was very tough because it was such a sudden downturn. We all thought he was going to pull through.
“It’s been difficult to come to terms with but we like to think he is in a better place now.
“We are heartbroken.”
He added the family hoped the attacking dog would not be destroyed.
Victoria Jones, Shane’s daughter, posted a comment on the Adver website, saying: “We are missing him very much.
“Harry was the kindest, most friendly and lively dog. We have a hole in our family and a hole in our hearts.
“Rest in peace, puppy.”
Swindon Police West sector sergeant David Flynn said the force would take the file to the Crown Prosecution Service in the next few days.
He said the dog which was thought to be involved would remain with the owner until the case was brought forward.
Sgt Flynn added: “We are looking into the possibility of having the dog destroyed.
“We have taken this case seriously and conducted a full investigation including finding the woman and reporting her for the offences.
“Although I intend to take the owner’s comments about the dog’s fate on board, we will have to leave the final decision up to the magistrates.”
Harry’s death came almost a week after the Government announced plans to extend the Dangerous Dogs Act to force owners to purchase third party insurance and microchip all dogs. The Jones family back all the measures in the hope that they might mean fewer attacks.
Comments(24)
Janais is back
says...
8:33am Tue 16 Mar 10
That dog will attack again - I think the child thing is being emotive though - it will attack other dogs I would think and should be in an environment where it cannot cause injuries again, and that will probably mean being destroyed.
My venom is really for the offending dog's owners - by not taking measures to control it - I have no thoughts other than they should be heavily punished.
I save my last critisism for the Police and their 'partner' agency the SBC - would they really have acted so promptly (if at all) without the intervention of the local newspaper? I doubt it.
politicrat
says...
9:10am Tue 16 Mar 10
The attacking must be destroyed period.
I will be setting a website over the week end and I will give £200 of my own pocket for information leading to the destruction of this dog.
Mr Blackwell
says...
9:18am Tue 16 Mar 10
.
Clearly there is a highly dangerous dog on the loose in Swindon, whose owners equally clearly have no way of controlling it.
.
It needs to be found and destroyed as a matter of urgency.
.
Once that's done, charges need to be brought against the owners. People must learn that if they choose to have dangerous animals as pets, they have a responsibility for them. NOBODY *needs* animals of this kind as pets, they do it for what they think is 'status' and because they think it helps them intimidate others.
.
Well, what an achievement, you managed to kill a lovely little puppy just because you think your stupid dangerous dog makes you look 'hard'.
.
The only look that really suits you will be the one you have whilst you're standing in the dock.
.
Not that I expect our deluded local judges to actually *do* anything to deter irresponsible owners, of course...
politicrat
says...
10:50am Tue 16 Mar 10
Mr Blackwell wrote:dont expect judges or police to do anything if you want this dog destroyed you have to call for popular justice.
Very sad indeed. . Clearly there is a highly dangerous dog on the loose in Swindon, whose owners equally clearly have no way of controlling it. . It needs to be found and destroyed as a matter of urgency. . Once that's done, charges need to be brought against the owners. People must learn that if they choose to have dangerous animals as pets, they have a responsibility for them. NOBODY *needs* animals of this kind as pets, they do it for what they think is 'status' and because they think it helps them intimidate others. . Well, what an achievement, you managed to kill a lovely little puppy just because you think your stupid dangerous dog makes you look 'hard'. . The only look that really suits you will be the one you have whilst you're standing in the dock. . Not that I expect our deluded local judges to actually *do* anything to deter irresponsible owners, of course...
Veggie
says...
10:52am Tue 16 Mar 10
politicrat
says...
10:57am Tue 16 Mar 10
Veggie wrote:are you working for pet social services?
I know you all want the dog put to sleep but this really is the owners fault not the dogs. The dog should not have been allowed out alone and I expect (knowing the owners of some of these dogs) it was roughed up and made aggressive. The dog should not stay with that owner as they are not capable of looking after it. My thoughts are with the family if little Harry - it's heartbreaking.
this dog will vanish sooner or later
Veggie
says...
11:08am Tue 16 Mar 10
ToriaPlum
says...
12:47pm Tue 16 Mar 10
The attacking must be destroyed period.
I will be setting a website over the week end and I will give £200 of my own pocket for information leading to the destruction of this dog."
Very Much Appreciated, i will be interested in your setup, please update me with your progress.
Miss V Jones
reality_check
says...
12:59pm Tue 16 Mar 10
.
Under the Dangerous Dogs Act it is an offence to fail to keep any dog under proper control in a public place. There are many incidents where this is not the case which could easily result in serious injury to either people or other animals, yet the police are steadfastly indifferent, choosing to ignore such criminal behaviour until someone actually gets hurt.
.
As their negligence is a contributing factor, will Sgt Flynn acknowledge that the police should bear some responsibility for such injuries when they do occur?
.
Expect the irresponsible and criminal owner in this instance to receive nothing more than a small fine (which won't get paid) and a warning to be more careful in future.
Gooey
says...
1:38pm Tue 16 Mar 10
Mr Blackwell
says...
1:41pm Tue 16 Mar 10
Gooey wrote:How were the lentils this morning?
The dog should not be put down without it being assesed first.Just because it attacked a dog doesn't mean it would do so to a human.Dogs fight other dogs,so if every dog that went for another one was put down, there would be very few dogs alive.It is very sad that a dog has died and i feel for the owners,but the pitch fork waving brigade on here need to think a bit before casting judgement
Gooey
says...
1:47pm Tue 16 Mar 10
Mr Blackwell wrote:What are you on about?
Gooey wrote: The dog should not be put down without it being assesed first.Just because it attacked a dog doesn't mean it would do so to a human.Dogs fight other dogs,so if every dog that went for another one was put down, there would be very few dogs alive.It is very sad that a dog has died and i feel for the owners,but the pitch fork waving brigade on here need to think a bit before casting judgementHow were the lentils this morning?
I take it you are having a pop at me.Well done
Mr_Big
says...
1:53pm Tue 16 Mar 10
1:38pm Tue 16 Mar 10
“The dog should not be put down without it being assesed first.”
I think they should put the dog in a room with Gooey to be ‘assessed’, he will certainly be a GOOEY mess then! LOL
Gooey
says...
2:15pm Tue 16 Mar 10
Mr_Big wrote:Glad you can joke about a dog dying,and another facing death.
“Gooey, swindon says... 1:38pm Tue 16 Mar 10 “The dog should not be put down without it being assesed first.” I think they should put the dog in a room with Gooey to be ‘assessed’, he will certainly be a GOOEY mess then! LOL
All for the sake of a cheap shot at another poster on here.Good on you....
This site is riddled with posts having a pop at individuals, for what?
Because their view differs from the majority.It's like a playground
Gooey
says...
2:15pm Tue 16 Mar 10
Mr_Big wrote:Glad you can joke about a dog dying,and another facing death.
“Gooey, swindon says... 1:38pm Tue 16 Mar 10 “The dog should not be put down without it being assesed first.” I think they should put the dog in a room with Gooey to be ‘assessed’, he will certainly be a GOOEY mess then! LOL
All for the sake of a cheap shot at another poster on here.Good on you....
This site is riddled with posts having a pop at individuals, for what?
Because their view differs from the majority.It's like a playground
The ModFather
says...
2:52pm Tue 16 Mar 10
Kineasy
says...
2:53pm Tue 16 Mar 10
TiredMummy
says...
4:20pm Tue 16 Mar 10
Its all very well for the police to say we are going to get a court order blah blah blah, but how long will it take?
The dog should be taken from them and not necessarily destroyed, but taken away so it cannot get out and do this again. This happened right next to the park where children play and dogs are walked.
I understand that some staffies are lovely and I am sure they are but morons like this dog owner ruin the reputation for all other owners!
Putting a ban on them keeping animals - will they take any notice? I am not so sure - these people seem to do what they want when they want with no serious comeback
rmc001
says...
4:45pm Tue 16 Mar 10
Happy Girl
says...
7:02pm Tue 16 Mar 10
To those that see it fit for the attacking dog to be put to sleep is not always the answer! The owners are the ones that have created this dog to act the way it did... they will only get another dog which will end up roaming the streets! The attacking dog could go to a rescue centre have some training and be rehomed to a family that will care, train and look after this dog the way it should be! Yes it may need to be muzzled when out walking but surely that is better than killing him?? I know what he has done is very wrong but killing him is not the way to go! We dont kill every evil human being that kill/rape/attack other humans so why should we kill dogs that through no fault of their own have ended in this situation.
Like I said before I own a Staffie and Mr Blackwell I can assure you its not for a status symbol to make me look hard!!! I live in a very respectable area, I own a lovely house, work hard as does my husband and we have 2 beautiful children. Our dog is part of our family, we involve him in our day to day activities giving him lots of love! He is NOT a dangerous dog nor is he intimidating, everyone that sees him makes a massive fuss of him! We encourage him to interact with other dogs as much as possible and like I have said before he has NEVER attacked or turned aggressive when other dogs have been somewhat aggressive to him!
Please dont blame the dog, blame the owners!
RIP Harry xx
reality_check
says...
10:16pm Tue 16 Mar 10
TiredMummy wrote:This is exactly the sort of Police indifference/neglige
This dog lives very near me. I am worried everytime I take my small children to school and my dog out for a walk. Its all very well for the police to say we are going to get a court order blah blah blah, but how long will it take? The dog should be taken from them and not necessarily destroyed, but taken away so it cannot get out and do this again. This happened right next to the park where children play and dogs are walked. I understand that some staffies are lovely and I am sure they are but morons like this dog owner ruin the reputation for all other owners! Putting a ban on them keeping animals - will they take any notice? I am not so sure - these people seem to do what they want when they want with no serious comeback
nce I am talking about. If you have seen this animal in public off the lead then contact the police to report this crime. Remind them that this is a criminal offence under the Dangerous Dogs Act and that they have a duty to respond. Advise them that you believe your children are at risk. If no action is taken within a reasonable time (7 days is reasonable) write to the Chief Constable (Brian Moore) with your concerns and ask for a written explanation as to why they have failed to investigate this crime and are willing to put your children and other members of the public at risk. If they still fail to act you can complain to the Police Complaints Commission.
Kay87
says...
8:20am Wed 17 Mar 10
My cousin has a terrier and my staffy loves her!!
IT IS THE WAY THE DOG IS BOUGHT UP! ANY DOG COULD TURN AND BITE IF THEY ARE BADLY TREATED!
amberbamber
says...
9:36am Wed 17 Mar 10
like dog like owners really...the people (i use that term lightly) who own this dog were involved with an assault on an innocent girl and her rescuer last may where the school was also attacked...while this woman escaped charges everyone in the area knows she was involved and currently still hangs around with the other thugs who did this...seems their dog is destined to follow the same thuggish route through no fault of its own other than being unfortunate enough to have been brought up by idiots who think its ok to go around using violence and threats..
still, im sure the poor owners of harry will feel much better when they start recieving a measly amount of compo each week taken out of thugs benefits, if they have any left after they have got their dope and drink of course!...not!!!!
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Shane Jones with Harry, who died over the weekend
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fi fi and the flower tots says...
8:04am Tue 16 Mar 10