Hastings dog owner calls for change in law after pet mauled to death

Ian Mehrtens said he hopes to get the support of Hastings MP, Amber Rudd.

He said: “Last Wednesday (March 27) at around 5.30pm we were walking our two dogs, Brenda and Bella (sisters), home from an afternoon walk to the pier up Old London Road, towards our home in Edmund Road. Both were on a lead, I had Bella and my husband, Clive, had Brenda.

“We got close to the Sacred Heart School entrance when out of nowhere came a white pitbull terrier running loose with no owner. It lunged for Brenda locking is jaws on her stomach.

“What followed is too gruesome to describe but thanks to several people who stopped in cars to help, we managed to get the dog off and secured by a kind lady who have her lead.

“The dog had a barrel tag with a piece of paper inside containing the owner’s address and phone number. One kind man, Chris, put the dog in his van and returned it to the owner, who was unaware that it had escaped.

“We managed to get home and took Brenda to the vets, who treated her bites and we brought her home.”

Sadly in the early hours of the morning she succumbed to her injuries and died, Ian said.

He added: “I reported the incident to the police, who attended the following day. While they were shocked and horrified like everyone else, the Dangerous Dogs Act only applies if a dog attacks a human, not another dog.

“As a consequence, our beautiful Brenda lost her life to a savage attack by a dog that lives to attack again. This has to be wrong.

“I intend to start a campaign to change the law to ensure that dangerous dogs cannot be allowed to live following horrendous attacks like the unprovoked one we experienced. It is a horrendous thing to witness and to watch and hear your pet being mauled in this way and no one else should have to go through this.

“I intend to email Amber Rudd to see if she will champion our campaign through the Commons and into law.”

A Sussex Police spokesman confirmed the incident had been reported to police but added there were no further lines of enquiry at this stage and that the case was closed pending further information.

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