Lanarkshire children continue to be traumatised by vicious dog attacks and we wonder what will it take for a crackdown on “pets” that maim.
What do 8 year-old Lanarkshire boys Aiden Gallagher and Adam Taylor have in common with 6 year-old Lanarkshire girl Sinead Fleming?
All three were viciously attacked by dogs in Lanarkshire within the last two months.
Adam’s mum Marion, recalling her son’s terrifying encounter with a Japanese Akita in the back garden of their home in Broughton Place, Shawhead, said:
“Adam opened the gate to the neighbours’ back garden and wandered in as they don’t have a fence up and the Akita just went for him.”
“I heard him screaming ‘help, Mummy’ and crying out and when I ran outside I saw Adam’s head trapped in the dog’s mouth.”
Aiden was also attacked by an Akita in Cadzow Crescent, just yards from his home in High Cross Avenue, Old Monkland. The Akita’s huge jaws locked on the little boy’s shoulder as he screamed in terror and left him needing treatment at two hospitals.
His horrified mum Karen, 37, said: “The dog had him in its jaws for over a minute, shaking him about as he screamed in pain.”
Sinead Fleming was visiting a friend’s house in Crinan Crescent, Coatbridge, when the vicious attack took place a Sunday afternoon. She was playing on a grass area outside the house in the Townhead area of the town when her mother heard the little girl’s chilling screams.
Mum Lauren was horrified when she found that her terrified daughter’s face had been ripped open by the dog. Sinead told her:
“The dog just came up and bit me. I was doing handstands at the time and the dog just jumped on me and knocked me over.”
“It had me pinned down and started biting my face – I was screaming but I couldn’t get it off me.”
However, despite the recent frequency and viciousness of dog attacks, when large animals have clamped small children’s heads in their massive jaws, North Lanarkshire Council’s attention seems to be focussed more on the other end…
The Council’s “Scoop the poop” initiative will hit dog owners with a fine from the council’s canine crackdown squad.
If owners do not pick up their pet’s mess then they can be given an on-the-spot fine of £40 if their dog is caught fouling.
“Dog fouling is dangerous and offensive and our residents are fed up with it,” said Councillor Helen McKenna, convener of the environmental services committee.
We can all agree that dog fouling is dangerous, but what about dangerous dogs and their owners?
Written By Andy Thorogood