By Cam Lucadou-Wells
A dog-owner gave up his Staffordshire terrier for dead as they were mauled by an escaped American Staffordshire bull terrier-brindle cross in Springvale, a court has heard.
Proseuratank Thin, 28, pleaded guilty to the attack by his brother-in-law’s dog ‘Junior’, which had leapt out of an open window and over a front-yard fence in View Road about 6.50pm on 21 August.
Both victims, a Staffie ‘Tyson’ and his owner, were passing by on a dog-walk.
They were left bleeding profusely from the attack, council prosecutor Bec Goddard told Dandenong Magistrates’ Court on 6 October.
The dog-owner victim picked up Tyson as Junior ran “full speed” at them. But he was savaged by Junior to the forearm and had to put his dog to ground.
Junior then clamped onto Tyson’s neck, refusing to let go as he threw his head back-and-forth.
After minutes of struggle, the owner resigned himself to not being able to save his dog and waited for Junior to “finish”, Ms Goddard said.
Fortunately, an unknown man came to the rescue, flinging a leather jacket over Junior’s head and then chasing the dog down the street.
Both Tyson and his owner underwent surgery.
After a City of Greater Dandenong investigation, Junior was euthanized.
Thin took responsibility for the attack, given he’d been the last to leave the house and had inadvertently left the escape window open that day.
A Commerce Masters student, Thin was at work at the time of the attack.
Junior had never attacked before, and been usually confined to the house and rear yard, Thin told the court.
Thin was ordered to repay the victims’ medical and veterinary expenses totalling $6374, plus $1355 pound fees to the City of Greater Dandenong.
He was fined $400 plus $131.50 statutory costs.
In sentencing, magistrate Greg Connellan said the fine was much less than normal due to the large compensation bill.
Other factors were Thin’s clean record, his cooperation with council officers as well as the fact he didn’t own the dog.
