A heroic Aberdeen dog owner saved her beloved pet from a vicious attack by an out-of-control Staffordshire Bull Terrier – by biting the Staffy’s ears.
The brave woman leapt into action when the Staffy, named Storm, pounced on her precious Maltese pooch.
Initially unable to get the bigger dog to let go of her terrified little pet, the desperate owner clamped her own jaws down on the animal’s ear – and it worked.
Storm released the other dog and scurried back to his owner, Ross Kemp, 31, who has now appeared in court over the frightening incident.
Owner denied attack
Fiscal depute Anne MacDonald told Aberdeen Sheriff Court the attack happened at a block of flats on Charlotte Gardens at 1.30pm on June 13 last year.
She explained that the woman was leaving the building via a communal door with her small Maltese dog when Storm, who was not wearing a muzzle, lead or harness, burst in.
Ms MacDonald said: “The accused’s dog ended up pouncing on top of the Maltese dog, gripping the back of the dog with its jaw.
“The complainer was so alarmed by what she saw that she ended up getting onto the back of the accused’s dog, grabbing the dog’s mouth and trying to get it off her dog.
“It ended up that the complainer did not have any success and decided to bite the ears of the accused’s dog because she was wanting to protect her own dog.”
At this, Storm let go of the smaller dog and retreated back outside to Kemp.
The woman approached Kemp and told him what had happened.
Initially, he denied any knowledge of the incident, but when the woman said she was phoning the police he said he would pay for her dog’s vet bill if she didn’t call them.
The woman phoned the police regardless and Kemp left.
Different version of events
Sheriff Peter Grant-Hutchison commented that Kemp had given court social workers a different version of events, including that the offence happened in a park.
He warned: “In the version of events in the social work report I’d be considering a destruction order.
“The version of events the fiscal has given gives me even more concern.”
Kemp, of Charlotte Street, Aberdeen, pled guilty to a charge of being the owner of a dog which was dangerous out of control.
Defence agent Neil McRobert acknowledged there was a “clear discrepancy” between the two versions of events, but said the key aspects of the incident were the same in both.
Sentence deferred
He continued: “This is not an aggravated offence in so far as there was no injury to a person.”
Arguing against a destruction order for Storm, Mr McRobert highlighted his reaction to being bitten.
He said: “The dog’s reaction to that was not to turn its attention to the human who was biting it but to get out of the place it was in.”
The solicitor asked for sentence to be deferred to allow the defence time to obtain a report on Storm from a dog expert.
The sheriff agreed and deferred the case until next month.
For all the latest court cases in Aberdeen as well as crime and breaking incidents, join our Facebook group.