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Owner vows to fight for impounded pit-bull

Thursday, 02 October 2008

A FINGLAS dog owner says he has been left heart- broken after dog wardens took his beloved pet - and he has no clue when he will see him again.
Derek White (21), from Wellmount Green in Finglas West, looked out his window last Monday afternoon (September 22) to see a Hiace van carting away his five-year-old pit bull terrier, Chico.
Now the unemployed father-of-one feels he is being forced into micro-chipping and neutering the family pet in order to get him back.
A number of local residents alleged that the dog had been terrorising the neighbourhood but Mr White is adamant he has no idea why his dog was targeted.
“This is unbelievable, he is my best friend and nobody will tell me anything,” he said.
“All I know is that I have to agree to micro-chipping to get him back.
“I wouldn’t normally have him out without a muzzle; I didn’t know he was out there and he only got out for a minute.
“People in this area are judging me on the type of dog I have and it’s absolutely ridiculous.”
His ordeal began at around 3.30pm on the Monday afternoon when Mr White’s sister accidentally left the front door of his council house open.
Chico ran across the road to the opposite green and Mr White said he only realised what was happening when he looked out his bedroom window and saw his dog being taken away by four men.
He immediately ran out and confronted them.
“All I saw was some bloke with a rope tied around my dog’s neck; they didn’t tell me who they were or produce any papers so naturally I freaked out,” he said.
Mr White refused to allow the dog to be taken away and gardai were called. Witnesses say six police cars arrived before the wardens managed to take the dog to Ashtown Dog Pound.
It’s the second time Chico has been taken to the pound. Two weeks ago the dog was seized but Mr White claimed he managed to escape and made his own way back to his owner.
A dog warden said they had received a number of complaints about the dog and could not confirm when he would be returned.
“We have had numerous complaints about this dog, claiming it has attacked other dogs, cats and children so it was seized under Section 19 of the Control of Dogs Act,” the official said.
“We are getting him neutered at the moment but I cannot say when he will be returned to Mr White because the dog is under investigation.”
By law, dogs found straying, or not in effectual control, can be lifted by a dog warden and taken to the pound where they are generally kept for five days.
For now Mr White remains defiant and says he is determined to get Chico back.
“They can’t do this to my dog; they are targeting me because I own a restricted dog and I am a council tenant,” he claimed.
“My daughter, who is 19 months old, is pining after Chico, but we haven’t a clue when we are going to see him again. I will be making a complaint about the way I was treated and I will keep fighting until I get him back.”

» 2 Comments

2Comment
at Friday, 10 October 2008 16:19by Skippy O\'Brien

Perhaps someone should go out an interview somebody whose child has been mauled by a Pit Bull.
Pit Bulls are dangerous, period. I know plenty of people with them and they are all so naive.

1"Ms"
at Friday, 10 October 2008 16:20by Moriarty

I have no sympathy for him. If he wants to own a dog, any dog, he should not let it roam.
His excuse of it 'just getting out of the house' does not wash. What if an innocent child was attacked? I have 2 dogs which I keep in my own back garden and when they are taken out they are on leads. But I can’t walk my dogs in my own housing estate as there are so many vicious dogs roaming free.

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