Pitbull owner 'didn't know breed is banned' and cries everyday since dog seized
A pitbull owner has claimed said she didn’t know the breed was banned after police applied for the pet to be destroyed.
Stella Barnes told Tameside Magistrates Court said she has cried every day since the dog named Lucky was seized by police. The 43-year-old said she gave Lucky to her daughter who lives on an army base in Southampton after she ‘took a liking to him’.
But her daughter discovered Lucky did not get on with her own dog, who was from the same litter. Although Barnes said she would take Lucky back, after the pair fell out in April she says her daughter took the canine to a rescue centre and left him there.
Staff at the kennels looking after Lucky described him as ‘pleasant and friendly with no sign of aggression’, but Greater Manchester Police (GMP) applied for him to be destroyed under section 4B of the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 after an assessment found he had a ‘substantial number of features’ of a banned pitbull type dog.
Steven Greenough, a dog handler, visited Barnes’ address and she told him she was ‘unaware’ of the dog’s breed. Manchester Evening News reports Lucky had accumulated a bill of £2,009 while he was in the kennels plus a fee of £266 to be neutered, Alice Cocker, a solicitor at GMP said.
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The chairman of the bench Sheila Levell noted Barnes’ affection for Lucky and decided she was ‘fit and proper’ to look after him. She ordered her to pay £400 towards the costs Lucky had accrued and gave a contingent destruction order.
As part of the order Lucky is required to wear a muzzle and be kept on a lead by someone aged 16 or over when he is in a public place. He must also be kept in secure conditions to prevent his escape. Barnes from Oldham must also obtain third party insurance and a certificate of exemption for Lucky and keep him at the same address as herself.
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