A Carlisle woman has been told her XL Bully will be destroyed after it injured a man while dangerously out of control in a city park.
Linda Kenney, 57, was said to have been out of it, on either alcohol or drugs, and did nothing as her off-the-lead pet, Rogan, ran towards the man and his smaller dog near Holmacres Drive, Harraby, on December 2 last year.
Despite the man trying to protect his own petrified dog, it was pinned down by Rogan, which was wearing a muzzle but this had slipped partly off.
The man tried to grab Rogan’s harness but later told police: “It ended up dragging me around.”
He managed to clip a lead on to Rogan but suffered physical injuries which comprised lumps and bumps after his head was banged on the ground.
“I felt in fear for myself and my dog in case we were going to get bitten,” he said.
Carlisle Magistrates’ Court heard other people, including a mother and child, were in the park where Rogan was also seen to pull towards another dog.
When challenged by an off-duty nurse, Kenney responded by calling her names.
In the aftermath, despite police officers warning her not to, Kenney repeatedly left Rogan’s lead locked on to a fence, leaving him unattended.
It emerged she had collected the XL Bully, hours earlier, from kennels.
It was housed there the previous day having been left in the care of first a 15-year-old child and then someone who was banned from keeping dogs.
The court heard Rogan was the subject of an exemption certificate for the banned breed animal — but only on condition that it was kept on a lead in public and muzzled.
Kenney admitted owning a dog which caused injury to the man while dangerously out of control.
Defence solicitor Adele Graham said a dog expert who assessed Rogan in a controlled setting concluded that the animal was balanced, stable and resilient.
It had been an isolated incident, said Miss Graham, who sought to satisfy the court that Rogan did not pose a danger to public safety.
But deputy district judge Imran Hussain ruled that Rogan should be destroyed.
He cited her inaction at the scene, attempts to victim-blame in the aftermath and a probation’s serious concern about her looking after dogs.
He told Kenney — unemployed and currently working with drug services: “I am overwhelmingly of the firm view you are not a fit and proper person to be in charge of the dog. I am satisfied Rogan is a danger to public safety.”
“There is good reason why Parliament has said these dogs need to be controlled and our communities need to be safe,” added the judge. “This legislation is there for very good reason. This breed of dog can inflict very serious harm, even death.”
Kenney, of Warnell Drive, Carlisle, had a four-month prison sentence suspended for 12 months.
She was given a 10-week night time electronically monitored curfew, must pay £100 compensation to the man and £1,000 towards the cost of kennelling Rogan in recent months.
Kenney was not given a ban which would prevent her owning other dogs.
