Local woman takes legal action

A 32-year-old local woman, who prefers to remain an anonymous, is taking legal action against the owner of an American Staffordshire terrier which ferociously attacked her own dog. What is more, she has noticed that its owner is still taking it out without it being on a lead.

It was when trying to find out exactly what measures can be taken against dangerous dogs and their owners that she soon learned that such matters can get very complicated.

Since the attack last April, the victim’s owner said her pet Labrador was just not the same. “He is afraid of men and has become very fearful,” she said. She went on to give details of the attack which happened near the Lorze allotments. “All of a sudden, this American Staffordshire terrier bounded over and set about my Labrador, biting him repeatedly on the neck, up to twelve times in fact, and on the hip. As to the owner, he just stood there without getting involved, simply saying that, next time, he would get a male dog rather than a bitch as they were not so unpredictable.”

Not unexpectedly, the Labrador needed veterinary treatment after the attack, the vet confirming it had been most ferocious. Naturally, the Labrador’s owner was very annoyed that the American Staffordshire terrier (not to be confused with a Staffordshire Bull terrier in the United Kingdom) was out walking his dog without it being on a lead and without a muzzle. What is more, as mentioned, he never attempted to intervene. “This was not the first time such an incident had happened,” she claimed. “Something must be done. After all, I have since seen it running around without a lead again.” And the vet agreed that action should be taken after such a dangerous attack.

When Rainer Nussbaumer, the cantonal vet and head of veterinary services was asked about this incident by a journalist of the Zuger Zeitung, he said he had been informed about it and had been made aware that the woman was pressing charges against the owner of the American Staffordshire terrier, but could not go into detail. “What normally happens in such cases is that we investigate precisely what happened with the attacking dog forced to undergo a behaviour assessment,” he said, as he explained that possible sanctions include the dog being forced to be on a lead and wear a muzzle whenever out and having to undergo a course in obedience. In extreme cases, owners may have their dogs taken away from them or even be forced to have them put down.

Nussbaumer further pointed out that in Zug, unlike in other cantons, there was no list of banned breeds of dogs and no special regulations, such as being on a leash at all times, for certain types. Of note here is that, in Zurich, American Staffordshire terriers are banned altogether. “We have noticed that breeds of dogs which are banned in other cantons are increasingly being seen here,” added Nussbaumer as he mentioned, too, how there had been an increase in the number of incidents of dogs biting other dogs. While there had been 36 in 2014, this had risen to 44 in 2017. Of course, the increase could be as a result of vets and clinics reporting such attacks in a more disciplined way and that, with an increasing population, it was only natural there were more dogs, too.

Frank Kleiner of the Zug police confirmed the woman had filed charges against the owner of the attacking dog and, if the account is correct, he could face a fine.