A man from Wigton has been told that his dog will be killed if it is involved in any similar incidents after it bit a walker after escaping from a garden.
Frank Gate was putting his rubbish bins out for collection when his eight-year-old Patterdale Terrier snuck out of the garden gate on August 10 last year.
Carlisle’s magistrates’ court heard today that a man was walking along Highmoor Park in Wigton when he was bitten on the thigh by the dog, named Alfie.
Prosecutor George Shelley told the court that the dog was barking aggressively and that the victim saw a sign on the gate – which was left open by the defendant – saying “beware of the dog”.
Gate admitted he had left it open and did not realise the dog had escaped.
John Smith, for Gate, said this was a “momentary lapse in his attention” and that the dog is usually friendly and happy to be stroked.
The injuries caused were a bite mark with broken skin and a bruise. The victim sought medical treatment and had a tetanus injection.
Gate told the magistrates the dog is always kept on a lease in public and that the dog is nervous of loud traffic noises and can cower when loud vehicles pass him.
Since the incident, the dog is kept on a lease when in the garden and wears a muzzle in public.
Gate was told they would issue a “contingent destruction order” and that if there were no further incidents in the lifetime of the dog no other action would be taken. If the dog is involved in a similar incident, it will be destroyed.
The court ordered that the dog must be on a lead and be muzzled in public.
Gate received a conditional discharge for one year, meaning no further punishment will be issued if he doesn’t re-offend in the next 12 months.
However, he must pay £150 compensation to the victim, £85 prosecuting costs and a victims surcharge of £22.
