Suspected dangerous dog seized and man arrested after dog seen off leash in Sutton Common Park

Suspected dangerous dog seized by police Suspected dangerous dog seized by police

Police have seized a suspected dangerous dog after it was seen being walked in a park without a leash.

A 51-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of being in possession of a dangerous dog and was taken to Sutton Police station after officers saw two men with the dog in Sutton Common Park.

The dog was seized and will be assessed by the status dog unit after police carried out a warrant under the Dangerous Dogs Act in Forest Road, Stonecot, this morning.

The men said the dog was not theirs and that it belonged to their landlord.

Police patrols have said that the dog was loose behind metal gates on a shared driveway.

There is no evidence the dog has harmed another dog or member of the public.

Stonecot PC Jane Husher, who led the operation, said: "We want local residents to come forward if they believe a prohibited breed is being kept in their community.

"We will act on our own information, and information from local communities, and take appropriate action to deal with prohibited breeds in the borough. Courts can implement certain conditions but will assess each case individually."

For further advice contact Sutton police station on 101 to find out the local number of your Safer Neighbourhoods Team. Alternatively, you can visit:www.met.police.uk/sutton

Comments(8)

Hove Ex-Pat says...
11:07am Wed 26 Sep 12

It is a pity that the people in charge of the dog cannot be seized & caged.

Krissi says...
4:14pm Wed 26 Sep 12

and if they assess the poor animal is- it will be executed without any chance of appeal- whether it has done anything or not- and some so-called dangerous breeds are only so because their owners make them so - and they have been demonised by the media

GR-London says...
10:52am Thu 27 Sep 12

On a visit to the countryside, walking across paths on farms I passed many dogs off leads where there are sheep grazing.

It is well known that you should NEVER let your dog off the lead in these circumstances, but people do and sheep are regularly killed and injured. Sometimes the farmers put signs up and the idiots still do it.

There's only one answer; all dogs must be on a lead and muzzled in public. Failure to comply; hefty fine and possible prison sentence.

Brianfromsutton says...
12:41pm Thu 27 Sep 12

Thank you GR-London for using the word LEAD, instead of Leash!!!... it's a shame the reporters can't use proper English rather than the American-ised form!.

That said, I am confused by this story which I'm not sure is down to the reporting or the facts.

If 'Officers saw two men with the dog in Sutton Common Park', why were they not stopped and arrested at the time? Do they have to obtain a warrant to make such an arrest?

How come they 'traced' the dog to Stonecot... did they record a car number, follow a vehicle or the people home? If it was a case that specialist officers had to be deployed to make such an arrest, that would make sense.

I agree that Dangerous Dogs should be seized to protect the public but the article also states that ...'There is no evidence the dog has harmed another dog or member of the public'.

As everyone says a lot of the time it is down to the owners as to why a dog is dangerous and in this case it seems that the dog in question did not appear to be so.

At the end of the day if it is a 'banned' breed the law must take its course but let's hope if this dog is not classed as such and is not a danger, it can be returned to its owner unless, of course, there is more to the story than has been revealed.

John1957 says...
5:05pm Thu 27 Sep 12

Hove Ex-Pat wrote:
It is a pity that the people in charge of the dog cannot be seized & caged.
The dog that was seized was not dangerous or vicious. The dog is also not maltreated, and is well fed. This is a pet that has been taken from a family home by over zealous policing. The dog (Jedi) and the owner Mr Khan are the only ones likely to suffer.

TheEverardedbutt says...
11:28am Fri 28 Sep 12

John1957 wrote:
Hove Ex-Pat wrote:
It is a pity that the people in charge of the dog cannot be seized & caged.
The dog that was seized was not dangerous or vicious. The dog is also not maltreated, and is well fed. This is a pet that has been taken from a family home by over zealous policing. The dog (Jedi) and the owner Mr Khan are the only ones likely to suffer.
Yet another case of punishing the breed and not the deed.
I have had to carry my dogs papers in the past to prove she is not a banned breed although this is no longer necessary!
I have a Scotts Standard/performance American Bulldog and police regularly stop me. (Usually Croydon or Bromley police)
I am able to prove her breed and they leave me alone. Many of South Norwood's police now know my Millie and will often stop and ask how I am doing.
I guess I'm lucky having knowledgeable and understanding police officers in my area.

It is high-time the laws were changed the current system is nothing more then racism, they actively hound bull-type breeds, punishing the dog because of the way it looks.
If they did the same with people (stopping and arresting any black youth as they might commit a street robbery or arresting every middle-aged white male as they could be a paedophile) there would be uproar yet it seems to be acceptable to do the same with our dogs.

PUNISH THE DEED NOT THE BREED!!!

Surreydon says...
9:51pm Sat 29 Sep 12

John1957 wrote:
Hove Ex-Pat wrote:
It is a pity that the people in charge of the dog cannot be seized & caged.
The dog that was seized was not dangerous or vicious. The dog is also not maltreated, and is well fed. This is a pet that has been taken from a family home by over zealous policing. The dog (Jedi) and the owner Mr Khan are the only ones likely to suffer.
All dogs should, by law, be chipped and kept on a lead when out. It's really not difficult. My dog is always on a lead when out for his walks.

George36 says...
11:58pm Tue 2 Oct 12

Why is this a "Top Story" anyway ?
I agree with Krissi's &TheEverardedbutt's comments, dogs are only as good or bad as their owners..

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