Charnock Richard woman gets £500 fine over ‘danger’ dog (From Lancashire Telegraph)

Charnock Richard woman gets £500 fine over ‘danger’ dog

3:25pm Wednesday 18th January 2012 in Chorley By Chris Gee, Reporter

A woman has been ordered to pay more than £500 and a suspended destruction order has been placed on her dog after it bit a man walking past her property.

Susan Ellison, 48, of Back Lane, Charnock Richard, pleaded guilty to owning a dangerous dog in a prosecution brought by Chorley Council.

Leyland Magistrates heard that a man was walking past a farm on a summer morning in July when two small dogs ran out of the gateway and began barking around his feet.

After shouting at the dogs very loudly to “get off, clear off” a third dog, an Alsatian, headed towards him and bit him on his left leg just below his hip.

The Alsatian ran off while the other two dogs stayed close by as he returned to the farm to make Ellison aware of what happened.

The court heard that she blamed a child she was looking after for letting the dogs out.

Ellison later admitted that she owned all three dogs.

The court was made aware that the Alsatian had already been the subject of a court order in a civil claim after it bit a postman in June 2010.

The order stated that the dog must be kept muzzled and on a lead when outside of the property.

In mitigation, Ellison stated that she now has chicken wire around the property to stop the dog escaping and is having electronic gates fitted.

Magistrates fined Ellison £295, ordered her to pay £200 costs, as well as a £15 victim surcharge.

The court also made a suspended destruction order that the dog will be destroyed if she fails to keep it under proper control.