Leads plea after pet savaged: VOTE

John Lowndes’ wife Debbie was walking their two small terrier dogs on their leads in Clifton Park when they were set upon by two Staffordshire bull terriers that were off their leashes.

But after complaining to Rotherham Borough Council, Mr Lowndes discovered that the authority did not have a policy ordering dogs to be kept on a lead in public.

The older of the couple’s two dogs, which is aged 12, was left with severe injuries to its back leg.

Mr Lowndes said it took his wife and three men who were with the bull terrier to get the dog off.

When Mr Lowndes arrived, his wife’s coat was covered in blood and she was very distressed.

The vets’ bills will be around £200.

Electrical engineer Mr Lowndes (52), of East Dene, said: “She is an old dog and at her age it’s a bit like a pensioner being beaten up. The bite marks were horrific.

“After telephoning the council and being passed through various departments, I was alarmed to find that they have no strict policy that states all dogs should be kept on a leash in public places. Instead they have a very vague guideline which states that dogs must be kept under ‘close control.’

“But had these two dogs attacked a child while being allowed to run free in the park Rotherham Council’s ‘close control’ policy would have been under close scrutiny by the Press who would have had a field day with the council for sure.”

He said that one authority, Exeter City Council, had a very strict policy that says all dogs in public places must be kept on a leash at all times and this was backed up with fines.

Mr Lowndes went on: “It seems to me that if Rotherham Council was to adopt the same policy as Exeter it would not only make it safer for others walking their dogs but would also make people more responsible for clearing up their dog’s mess too.

“Too many people allow their dogs to run free, allowing them to defecate on the grassy areas where children play and ignore the fact that their dogs have done it.

“I for one think it’s time that changes were made to these vague rules that Rotherham Council have in place at the moment to make these public places safer and a better environment for us all.

“A dog warden I spoke to sympathised with me but said there was nothing that could be done.

"There is actually a law dating back to the 1847 which makes it an offence to allow a dog to put in fear any person or animal on the street, so in effect, the council is an accomplice to people breaking the law.”

A council spokeswoman said that the authority was aware of Mr Lowndes’ concerns.

“We have given him advice on the current legislation and the future proposals for dog control orders across the borough,” she added.

“Consultation on dog control orders is ongoing and may include requirements for dogs to be kept on leads in designated areas.

“Further work on this issue and the implementation of the orders is currently under way to ensure consistency across the borough as well as the enforcement of these following any approved orders.

“Incidents concerning dangerous dogs should always be reported to the police.”