Mitigation For Dogs...

Claudia Batchelor was dragged to the ground by a French bull mastiff last August, before it turned on her much smaller dog Barney.

Her partner Grahame Boyt then intervened to pull the dog, named Lola, off of Claudia, who told Southampton Magistrates Court she is still haunted by the incident.

What was the owner of the dog doing? Standing there clueless, like so many of them, I suppose?

But owner of Lola, self-employed Andrew Howells, who pleaded guilty for being in charge of a dog dangerously out of control, was spared jail when sentenced at the court.

Instead district judge Lorraine Morgan handed out a 12-month community order, which requires Howells, 50, of Holbury Drive, to complete 120 hours’ unpaid work. He must pay £500 compensation, £200 costs and a victim surcharge of £85.

*sighs*

The court also heard, following the attack, it was discovered the dog was suffering from a painful condition which resulted in her being put down in January.

I'm only surprised they didn't say it was of previous good character, suffered from a poor puppyhood, was a carer for its elderly mother and had a job lined up waiting....

In mitigation, Andy Wheldon said Howells was a responsible dog owner who accepted in hindsight the dog should been on a lead.

If he truly was the former, the latter would never have happened.