A reader wrote to the editorial office, asking us to publicize another case involving an aggressively behaving dog and an irresponsible owner:
Good morning. This subject has already been raised many times, but the police are not doing much about it. I mean the issue of aggressive dogs, or rather their irresponsible owners. A certain resident of Bolesławiec, whose personal details I cannot provide, lives near the market square. He often, if not every day, walks there with a black dog resembling an Amstaff. And while the walk itself is fine, the lack of any control over the dog is not.
The Amstaff is usually let loose without a leash, muzzle or even collar, which makes it much more difficult to restrain it in any situation—and there have been quite a few incidents involving this dog. So far, no person has been bitten. Other dogs are a different matter. Several cases have already been reported to the police by injured parties. It also attacked my dog; the difference was that this time it encountered a stronger animal, and it ended with only a few scratches. Despite this, the following evening the situation happened again, this time involving another animal.
(...) Attention should also be drawn to the Amstaff owner’s conduct, which leaves much to be desired. The attacking dog does not listen to him, and when he tries to pull his dog away, instead of grabbing it somehow—made considerably more difficult by the lack of a collar—he runs after it, kicking or hitting it.
The reader claims that the dog may not be vaccinated and that its owner is known to the police, adding:
Maybe publicizing the situation will change something in this matter. Does someone have to be attacked?
I would also like to add that there is a campaign against bull-type dogs everywhere, and they are labeled as killers. The problem is not the dogs themselves, but their owners. Dogs in this category, like other dogs, are not born aggressive, but they are more susceptible to this behavior. It can be instilled in them much more quickly, and when physical predispositions and human thoughtlessness are added, we have a ready-made recipe for tragedy.
It is similar in this case, and the consequences affect the animal most of all. It could be understood if these attacks were accidental—the leash broke, the dog pulled its head out of the collar, it could not be held, etc. Obviously, not everything can be predicted, but the owner’s conduct itself clearly rules this out.
What does the owner face if their dog bites another dog?
If one dog is bitten by another, the incident should first of all be reported to the authorities. It is advisable to have witnesses to the attack or, if possible, a recording or CCTV footage documenting the incident (this will facilitate the proceedings).
Calling the police or municipal guard in such situations may result in a fine for the aggressive dog’s owner. If the attacked dog was seriously injured and requires treatment, it is also possible to consider taking legal action. The owner of the aggressive dog may then be held liable and consequently ordered to pay compensation for the damage caused by their pet.
(illustrative photo)