A north-east dog who bit a child and a neighbour has avoided being destroyed “by a whisker”.
Collie-cross Zinger sank its teeth into a 12-year-old boy’s arm and was dangerously out of control at Balmedie beach, Aberdeen Sheriff Court heard.
A few months later he did the same again, this time to one of the neighbours of owner Hazel Farquhar.
At the time of the second attack Farquhar had been ordered by the council to keep a muzzle on Zinger.
She claimed that she was nearly home and that’s why she took the dog’s muzzle off.
Farquhar, 60, pleaded guilty to allowing Zinger to be dangerously out of control on two separate occasions and that she failed to comply with an order for the dog to wear a muzzle when in public.
Fiscal depute Sean Ambrose told the court that a witness had taken his son and their two dogs for a walk along Balmedie Beach on July 9 2020 when they encountered Zinger.
He said Zinger ran towards the dogs of the witness before jumping up on the boy and biting him on the right arm, breaking the skin.
As a result of that incident, an enquiry was carried out and Aberdeenshire Council’s dog warden issued a dog control notice ordering Farquhar to keep Zinger muzzled and on a lead at all times.
However, Mr Ambrose told the court that on October 23 that year a neighbour was attacked by Zinger when she stopped to speak to Farquhar in the street.
He said: “The neighbour noticed that the dog was on a short rope lead and was not wearing a muzzle.
“Zinger then lunged at her and bit her forearm, clamping down and refusing to let go.
“The accused said ‘I don’t know why he did that, I’m sorry’.
“The woman told her that Zinger should have had a muzzle on but the accused said that she had removed it at the top of the street.”
Farquhar’s neighbour was left with two puncture wounds to her right forearm and an abrasion to the underside of her right forearm.
The court heard that she could see bleeding swelling and bruising on her arm.
Police officers were called but when they attended at Farquhar’s address they chose not to enter due to how aggressively her dog was behaving at the front window.
Farquhar was subsequently cautioned and charged.
‘A different dog now’
Defence agent Charles Benzies told the court that Farquhar was “very close to her home” when she chose to remove Zinger’s muzzle.
He added: “The dog was in defensive mode, which is uncommon for that breed.
“She is remorseful for this and in no way seeks to minimise this – she is very apologetic.
“Since this incident, she has taken part in a number of online classes that she has put the dog through.
“Zinger is a different dog now than he was when this incident took place.”
In considering whether to make an order to destroy the dog, Sheriff Philip Mann told Farquhar that he has “got to be conscious of public safety”.
He added: “The imposition of the dog notice is in itself the last chance here.
“Fortunately for the dog, you now have a positive report that confirms you have made good use of that time by training Zinger.
“He should not now be a danger to the public.”
Sheriff Mann told Farquhar the dog’s life and been saved “by a whisker”.
He fined Farquhar, of Keith Avenue, Balmedie, £850 and ordered that Zinger be kept on a muzzle and lead while in public.
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