A local woman is appealing for dog owners to be more vigilant in ensuring their pets are in secured gardens after her own dog was attacked by a dog that was running loose around the town.
Honey Thorne says that while her husband was out walking their dogs, they were approached by a dog that had no visible owner nearby. The dog then attacked Honey’s dog, Pippa, which required a trip to the vet after Pippa was left with a wound that needed stitching up.
The incident happened near Tesco Express in Mane Way.
Honey said, “On Monday 6th May, my husband returned home from the walk following the attack which he says was caused by a breed of dog that looked to be banned in this country.
“When I looked closer at Pippa, I could see there was a puncture wound and so I called the police and rushed to the vets for an emergency appointment. The vets then realised that the wound was larger and deeper than it first appeared and Pippa was lucky that the tooth of the other dog hadn’t hit her jugular.
“Now, the dog who attacked her was running loose on its own. This attack happened opposite the Tesco Express on Mane Way, going across the crossing towards the school. What concerns me is that another dog or child could be next.
“I’m an experienced dog owner, and I feel that people must be warned about this dog. I believe I’ve seen this dog out on its own in same area before. The dog in question could be brown and white and about the size of a boxer.
“I want the owners prosecuted and the dog put to sleep. Next time, it could be a child walking their dog; it doesn’t bear thinking about.”
According to the police, it’s an offence to let a dog be dangerously out of control, whether that’s in public or private.
A dog is considered to be out of control if it:
• injures someone
• makes someone worried that it might injure them
A court could also decide that your dog is dangerously out of control if:
• it attacks someone’s animal
• the owner of an animal thinks they could be injured if they tried to stop your dog attacking their animal
Please note, a farmer is allowed to kill your dog if it’s worrying their livestock.
If you see a dog loose, please report this online at https://www.wiltshire.police.uk/ro/report/ocr/af/how-to-report-a-crime/
If the dog seems to be out of control, let the police know by calling 101.
