A court heard how a man’s American bulldog caused multiple injuries to a fellow dog walker on a Cumbrian beach and shook her pet in his mouth believing it to be a toy.
Penny Knight was walking and throwing a ball for her Cavapoo at around 8pm on September 14 last year at St Bees.
At that time, 48-year-old Jonathan Foxcroft was in the area with two dogs — his two-year-old American bulldog called Boss and a Staffordshire bull terrier.
After both began sniffing and crowding her dog, Ms Knight nudged them away but as they returned she was knocked to the floor. She managed to get up but saw Boss shaking her dog in his mouth.
As 66-year-old Ms Knight put her hand near Boss to help her trapped pet, she was bitten several times and recalled hearing Foxcroft state that his dog thought hers was a toy, Carlisle Crown Court heard today.
After the incident, Ms Knight went to the nearby RNLI station for assistance. She had suffered 12 puncture wounds to her left hand which caused slight scarring, one large puncture wound to her chin and two small ones to her face.
She attended hospital and was given a tetanus shot but did not require stitches nor follow-up treatment. Her Cavapoo was taken to a vet’s and found to have a dislocated hip which required surgery during treatment costing several thousand pounds.
In an impact statement, Ms Knight described being very emotional after the incident and said, three months later, she had not let her dog off the lead since or taken it back to the beach.
“She felt her life had been turned upside down,” said prosecutor Beth Pilling.
Bystanders rushed to try and separate the animals, two holding on to Boss’s tail and legs to try and drag him away. Foxcroft also tried to intervene to stop the attack and regain control of his dog. He was described as appearing shaken in the aftermath but failed to provide his details when asked.
Foxcroft, of Bay View, St Bees, was brought to court after his identity became known, and admitted being the owner of a dog which caused injury while dangerously out of control.
Defence barrister Anthony Parkinson said Foxcroft was an experienced dog owner who did not foresee that the incident was going to occur. Boss had not acted aggressively before the incident nor since.
The incident was as near to being an accident as one could get, said Mr Parkinson, who added: “If his dog could have been on a lead at the time then this incident would not have taken place. He deeply regrets what has happened.”
Judge Ian Unsworth KC adjourned the case to carefully consider an expert’s background report. Foxcroft was bailed, is due to be sentenced next Friday and, in the meantime, must ensure his dog is muzzled and kept on a lead when in public.
