[T]he owner of a Labradoodle dog came back to court today (Tues) to ask the court not to impose a destruction order on the 9-year-old dog called Tula.
After a woman was `bitten` on the thigh the dog’s owner Mrs Carol Jane Gowing, 74, of The Square, Warcop, pleaded guilty during an earlier hearing in Carlisle Magistrates Court.
The court was told how the Ladradoole had been let out of a car parked in the village at Warcop, and ran towards the victim in a “very aggressive manner“, the victim “screamed” when her thigh was bitten, Mrs Gowing shouted and whistled to the dog and called her back, and it immediately ran back her as did the other two-dogs both Labradoodles named Nina and Pie.
Mrs Gowing pleaded guilty to being the of owner of a dog dangerously out of control and causing injury in respect of Tula, she also pleaded guilty to having two dogs dangerously out of control in respect of Nina and Pie.
Gowing apologised for her lack of control on Thursday, February 24, and told the court her dogs are “not violent dogs, they play with her grandchildren,” but admits she should have had them on leads and that was her mistake.
She now keeps them on leads while in the car, so they can’t jump out of the vehicle.
Gowing handed in a number of letters from a vet and friends to explain how well behaved the dogs are normally.
On sentencing the presiding magistrate’ said, they accept this was a “momentary lapse” but must have been freighting for the victim, as for Tula she was dangerously out of control and caused injury, a contingency-order was imposed with restrictions for the dog.
Mrs Gowing would be fined £295, for the other two offences of dogs being out of control she was fined £150 for each offence, with court costs of £85 and a victims surcharge of £30, compensation of £200 was awarded to the victim, also all the dogs must be “muzzled while in a public place, and on leads in public, the dogs must also be on leads in the car to stop them jumping out when the car door is opened.”
