Hampstead Heath ‘dog attack’ probed

Published: 09 September, 2010
by CHARLOTTE CHAMBERS

A JOURNALIST had two muscles severed in his arm when he was attacked by a powerful French Mastiff on Hampstead Heath.

Paul Robinson, 54, claimed he was walking his six-year-old Beagle, Martin, by the mixed ponds in Parliament Hill on Thursday morning when the animal, also known as a Dogue de Bordeaux, which is bred for fighting and bear hunting, sank its teeth into his arm as he tried protect his dog by putting it on a lead.

Mr Robinson has been forced to take six weeks off work due to the injuries he sustained. 

Police were notified of the attack after lifeguards were alerted that a man had been bitten. Officers in turn called for an ambulance after realising the severity of his injuries.

Mr Robinson said the Mastiff first attacked Martin in April, in a fight he described as “like the Tasmanian Devil versus Snoopy,” which cost him £400 in vet fees.

“This dog has gone for my dog twice,” he said. “There needs to be some way of working out what triggers him off. Research shows my dog has five out of five for friendliness, this dog has one out of five for friendliness.”

Mr Robinson said he was alarmed that following the second attack the dog was still walking around the Heath without a muzzle or a lead days later and could have attacked again.

He believes police should have the power to take it away for observation and tests, to establish whether it is dangerous.

“When that dog bit me, it should have been taken away and observed, but instead it was just let go,” said Mr Robinson.

“I don’t think [the police] have got the powers to do anything without a court order. Everything is retrospective. Things really need speeding up. The system needs to improve to prevent it from happening again – to another dog or a child.”

A police spokeswoman said: “We are investigating the incident under the Dangerous Dogs Act and will speak to both dog owners.” Under the act, a judge can order the destruction of a dog if it is decided it cannot be retrained and poses a future risk to the public and other dogs.

While the breed has seen its popularity surge in recent decades, it is not considered a dangerous dog and is often used by police because of its size.

On Monday a judge at Highbury Magistrates Court will decide whether a dog that attacked a Border Collie and its owner on the Heath in August 2009, leaving both with injuries, is still a danger to the public.

The five-year-old Rottweiler-mix, called Lucio, could be destroyed if an assessment finds he cannot be trained. 

In July Lucio’s owner Valeria Fettuccia pleaded guilty to being in charge of a dog that was dangerously out of control in a public place.