Owners of Labrador attacked in Buntingford park speak out after man is sentenced

Hi Resident

The owners of a dog attacked by a Pit Bull in a Buntingford park have spoken out following the sentencing of a man who pled guilty to a dog offence. 

Olive the black Labrador made a miraculous recovery after being set upon by a tanned Pit Bull breed dog in Westmill Recreation Ground earlier this year.

Olive was being walked by her owner on Tuesday 24 March when the offending dog ran at Olive and attacked her, causing significant wounds which needed specialist surgery spanning a two month period.

Shortly after the incident, the Pit Bull was seized by police and handed to the Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire Dog Unit, before it was humanely euthanised. 

Marcus Gibson, aged 32, and of The Tannery in Buntingford, appeared at Stevenage Magistrates Court yesterday (Thursday 9 July) after earlier pleading guilty to being in charge of a dog dangerously out of control.

He was sentenced to 200 hours of unpaid work and is banned from owning or being in control of a dog for five years. He has also been ordered to pay £1,500 in compensation to Olive’s owners, who shared a statement following the court hearing.

They said: “As a family, we would like to sincerely thank the two police officers from East Herts Police in Buntingford for their unwavering support and dedication following Olive’s attack. 

“We are also incredibly grateful to Reed Vets for their immediate care, and to the wonderful team at Swayne & Partners in Bury St Edmunds for helping Olive recover from her life-threatening injuries over almost eight weeks. 

“Thank you also to our family, friends and the wider community for their overwhelming kindness and support. 

“We hope Olive’s story reminds all dog owners of the importance of keeping dogs on leads and, where appropriate, muzzled if they are not well socialised, to help prevent such devastating incidents from happening again.”

Sergeant David Miller from the Buntingford Neighbourhood Policing Team said: "Firstly, I want to express my best wishes to Olive and her family after what I can only imagine was a traumatic incident.

"Seeing Olive's recovery over the past few months has been a breath of fresh air and goes to show how strong she has been throughout.

"I am pleased to see a positive outcome in this case and hope it provides some reassurance to Olive's family after everything they have been through.

"Everyone is entitled to feel safe when going about their daily business and dog owners have a responsibility to keep their pets under control. In this case, Gibson thought that did not apply to him.

"I would also like to thank the members of the public who reported the incident, as well as the officers and call handler involved in the response."