THE owner of a banned dog which savaged another pet in the street has been allowed to keep the animal.
Wigan and Leigh magistrates decided the pit bull terrier Kilo, owned by Neil Gerrard did not have to be destroyed.
However, Gerrard, of Devonshire Road, Atherton, was ordered to pay more than £1,000 in compensation for his dog’s behaviour when the court reconvened for sentencing following an adjournment in the case while probation service reports were prepared.
The court had previously heard how Gerrard had been walking the dog without a lead in Astley when it bounded across the road, ignoring all its owner’s commands, and sank its jaws into the neck of a shih-tzu, dragging the other animal out of its owner’s arms and on to the floor. Magistrates decided that Kilo should be made the subject of a contingent destruction order, giving Gerrard 56 days to comply with a lengthy list of conditions or face having his pet put to sleep.
Gerrard must register Kilo with the Index of Exempted Dogs, which sets out a list of requirements the owner must comply with in order to be convinced the dog is not a danger to the public and can have the destruction order lifted.
Gerrard was also ordered to take out third party insurance for his pet, to have the dog neutered, and to have an identification dot tattooed on Kilo’s ear. He was also told the animal must be fitted with a Baskerville muzzle and a lead at all times when out in a public place.
Gerrard was also ordered to pay a compensation package totalling £1105, with payments being made to the owner of the injured shih-tzu and to an officer from Greater Manchester Police.
Gerrard was also ordered to obey a curfew between 8pm and 7am for two months and charged £150 in costs.
Contrary to common belief, the keeping of pit bull-type dogs is permitted so long as owners can satisfy the courts that they are not a danger to humans.