Dog fears stirred by baby killing

DILLY Parker's heart goes out to the parents of Cadey-Lee Deacon, the baby girl mauled to death by Rottweilers at the weekend.

"That little bairn. What they are going through - it doesn't bear thinking about," she said.

Three months ago Mrs Parker's ten-year-old son, Luke Smith, was bitten on the ribs near his home in Foxwood, York, by a German Shepherd/timber wolf cross.

Luke didn't need stitches - but was taken to hospital and placed on antibiotics, and needed a week off school.

What horrifies Mrs Parker is the thought of what might have happened if her son had been bitten when he was younger.

If he had been five instead of ten, she says, his face would have been mauled instead of his ribs.

Mrs Parker has double reason for caution around dogs, because she was bitten by an Alsatian when she was eight. She has been scared of large dogs ever since. Not surprisingly, she thinks more should be done to control large and potentially dangerous dogs.

Under the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991, it was made illegal to own four breeds of dog in the UK, including the notorious pit bull terrier.

Mrs Parker thinks the list of dogs banned from this country should be extended - or at the very least that dogs such as Rottweilers and Alsatians should muzzled when out in public.

There should also be action against owners, Mrs Parker said. Many dogs were influenced by their owners - and an irresponsible owner can lead to a dangerous dog.

"I think every owner should take a course," she said.

Luke Agnew, who was bitten in the face by a friend's Staffordshire bull terrier, agrees there need to be stricter controls of large dogs.

The 24-year-old former Royal Mail worker spent two days in hospital following the attack four months ago, and needed 40 stitches.

He expects to go back into hospital in a couple more months for skin grafts. His confidence has been shattered by the attack. "There is still a big scar. Part of my lip is missing," he said.

Fighting dogs such as Staffordshire bull terriers should definitely be banned from this country, he said - people only wanted them for the status.

Any dog which bit someone, for whatever reason, should be taken in hand by a proper dog trainer, and not returned to its owner until it was trustworthy, he said.

No action was taken against the dog which attacked him, he says - because the attack happened in his friend's home.

"What is worrying is that there are dogs like that walking around, even in parks where there are children."

Experts warned today that there should be no punitive knee-jerk reaction against dogs in the wake of the latest attacks.

The Dogs Trust - formerly the National Canine Defence League - urged Rottweiler owners not to abandon their pets out of fear.

"Please don't punish the breed based on the actions of two dogs in very specific circumstances," a spokes-man said.

"It is not specifically in the nature of Rottweilers nor any breed of dog to attack in this way."

Many Rottweilers could make "fantastic family pets", the spokesman said. When a dog did become dangerous, it was more likely to be to do with the way it had been brought up by its owners than anything in the its nature.

Joyce Hopper, a York dog trainer, and Paul Stilgoe, a York-based RSPCA chief inspector, agreed that proper training was crucial.

Mrs Hopper, secretary of the York City Dog Training Club, said any dog, if provoked or put in the wrong situation, could bite. It was important for owners to train their pets from a young age - she recommended beginning at 12 weeks - and to "socialise" them to make sure they were used to being with people and with other dogs.

Dogs were pack animals, Mr Stilgoe added, and the purpose of training your dog was to establish yourself as leader of the pack or "alpha dog", so that it will obey you. Even when it obeys you, however, that doesn't necessarily mean it will obey your children. "It would take a very strong child to be alpha dog," Mrs Hopper said.

If you have children, they should be involved in the training so that the dog knows it must respect them too, she said.

But in her view, a child should never be left unattended with a dog. And in no circumstances should a baby ever be.

Even if you do not own a dog, it would be wise to familiarise your child with how to behave around dogs, added Mr Stilgoe. If necessary, introduce your children to a neighbour or friend's dog.

The key thing is for children not to provoke dogs, he said. Behave calmly and confidently around a dog, and it would be unlikely ever to attack.

Mum recalls beautiful little girl'

"Words cannot express our devastation at what has happened. We just cannot believe that Cadey-Lee is gone. She was such a beautiful little girl. We loved her so much."

Those words, in a statement released by Cadey-Lee Deacon's mum Amy and her partner, Lee Burchell, will haunt any parent of young children.

Further details have emerged of how five-month-old Cadey-Lee was savaged to death by two Rottweilers on Saturday.

Cadey-Lee was staying at The Rocket pub in Stephenson Drive with her mother Amy and Mr Burchell. Mr Burchell's mother, Lesley, the pub's licensee, was away, and the couple were looking after The Rocket.

The attack happened at about 4pm on Saturday.

"Amy and Lee, who is the manager of the pub, were moving furniture out of the living quarters to a new premises when tragedy struck," said Chief Supt Steve Pitts, of Leicestershire police.

"It appears that a fire escape door was left mistakenly open and allowed the family's dogs, Bruno and Bess, access to the living quarters. The dogs then made their way to the bedroom in which baby Cadey-Lee was sleeping.

"By the time Amy, Lee and the relatives who were helping them move realised what had happened, the dogs had attacked.

"It is a terrible tragedy. The thoughts of everyone are with Cadey-Lee's family at this time."

* Police are not linking Cadey-Lee's death to an attack on Sunday in which the baby's grandfather, John Brightwell, was injured and his partner, Debra Larn, murdered. Scott Walker, 26, has appeared in court charged with killing Debra Larn and grievous bodily harm to Mr Brightwell. He was remanded to appear at Leicester Crown Court on November 14.

"You should be able to anticipate your dog's every move, if you study him as he grows you will know your dog. Each movement will indicate that he is about to do something, for instance a twitch of the ears, a change in body posture..."

OWNING a Rottweiler is both a "pleasure and a responsibility", the British Rottweiler Association says. All dogs should be "well mannered and biddable", the association says. "But with all members of the large guarding breeds it is essential that they are acceptable members of society. The responsibility for all this is yours."

The Rottweiler, the association says, is "a sturdy dog that is self assured, down to earth, strong nerved and fearless.

"You do not need to teach a Rottweiler to guard, he is a natural protector, he will not (or should not) bark without reason and he will not bite without reason. Rottweilers are very intelligent animals which is why they are a working dog, they excel when kept occupied and will soon let you know if they get bored."

But it is essential the dog is trained properly, the association says. "You should be able to anticipate your dog's every move, if you study him as he grows you will know your dog. Each movement will indicate that he is about to do something, ie a twitch of the ears, a change in body posture or he may keep looking up at you (to see if you are watching him).

"You need to be one step ahead of him at all times. It is important that this is done as he is growing so that you have control of him when he has grown into a big strong boy Once you have read the signs it will help you to have a more relaxed time with your dog."

Dangerous Dogs Act 1991

THE Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 was introduced following a spate of vicious attacks on young children by pit bull terriers in the early 1990s. It involved strict guidelines for owners - and for how their dogs should behave in public.

The act singled out four fighting-dog breeds in particular - pit bull terriers, right, Japanese Tosa, dogo Argentino and fila Brazileiro. It was made illegal to own or breed any of these in the UK without the permission of a court.

Any such dogs that were legally kept in the UK had to be on a lead and muzzled when out in public, as well as having an identification microchip implanted, the act stipulated. They must also be registered and insured.

The act also created a new offence of being the owner of a dog of any breed which is dangerously out of control. Such dogs can be seized by the authorities and owners can face a fine or up to six months in prison - or up to two years if the dog injures someone.