Woman tries to warn dog owners of danger

Robbie Clasby wanted to put up notices around the grassed area in Laburnum Grove after a neighbour's dog was severely injured.

But she said Arun District Council told her she was forbidden from putting up the signs.

"I wanted to say to people to be aware of dog attacks. The public must be safe to walk their dogs," she commented. "I just want to stop people going through what my neighbour went through."

Her desire to save others from suffering the fate of her elderly neighbour arose after the attack on the grassed area last Thursday evening.

Her neighbour was walking her pair of Yorkshire terriers when two young men appeared with Staffordshire bull terriers.

One of the bull terriers attacked a Yorkie, while the other ran away, and her owner was injured as she tried to fight off the aggressor.

She suffered a bitten finger during the commotion and her Yorkie was also bitten and has required two visits to a vet.

"My neighbour was very shaken by what happened, understandably," said Mrs Clasby, who lives close to the grassed area.

"Her husband thought she had been beaten up when she returned home. Her dog's injuries will heal but the dog is a very quiet and nervous animal anyway."

Police have interviewed the dog owner about the attack and are investigating the incident, she added.

An Arun spokesman said it had joined with the police regarding the attack.

"The council has been in contact with the owner of the dog injured in the incident at Laburnum Grove and is now working with the police to prevent such an incident recurring. Both the council's dog warden and the local police community support officers have been patrolling the area since the incident and approaching members of the public to try to locate the offending dog and its owners.

"Incidents of dogs attacking people unprovoked are automatically passed to the police and dealt with as cases of assaults," he stated.

"While this case was not an assault on a human, it was clearly a very distressing attack and both the council and the police are working to find the offending animal and its owners in order to ensure such an incident is not repeated."

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