Pensioner faces eviction if he can't control vicious Staffordshire Bull Terrier (From Sutton Guardian)

Sutton pensioner faces eviction if he can't control vicious Staffordshire Bull Terrier

11:26am Monday 11th February 2013 in News By Mike Pyle

An elderly man could be evicted if he can't keep his Staffordshire Bull Terrier under control after it savaged two other dogs in the last year.

The 72-year-old's pet left a six-month-old Jack Russell puppy with wounds to its back and stomach in June last year and then attacked another Staffie in October. A police patrol in Belmont Park had to separate the two animals.

The dog was also reported when it ran onto a basketball court in Belmont Park, burst a ball and ran off with it in August last year.

The man, who lives in the Shanklin Estate off Brighton Road, has entered an acceptable behaviour contract with the police which means he must keep the animal on a lead and make it wear a muzzle when it is in public, exercise it regularly and clean up after it.

If the man does not stick to the agreement he could be given an anti-social behaviour order (ASBO), the animal could be taken away and he could also have his tenancy cancelled.

Sutton police are leading an initiative called Local Environment Awareness on Dogs (LEAD) along with partners including Sutton Council, Sutton Housing Partnership and the RSPCA.

The initiative was launched after 52-year-old Barbara Williams was killed by an 8st Italian Mastiff at her Wallington home in December 2011.