A 58-year-old Mooroopna woman pleaded guilty in Shepparton Magistrates’ Court to having a dog at large between sunrise and sunset, being a person in control of a dog who rushed a person, being a person in control of a dog that attacked causing serious injury, being a person in control of a dog that attacked causing non-serious injury, and failing to register a dog.
Prosecutor Simon Pogue said the woman’s male American bulldog ran at and attacked a 72-year-old woman and her cavoodle at a lake in Mooroopna on December 12, 2023.
Although the woman yelled out to “pick up your dog”, it was too late, and the bulldog had already begun attacking them, Mr Pogue said.
The cavoodle’s back leg was in the bulldog’s mouth when the 72-year-old woman attempted to pull the dog away, but failed because it was not wearing a lead or collar, Mr Pogue said.
A passerby helped the woman.
The attack happened at a lake in McLennan St, Mooroopna, after the bulldog approached the 72-year-old who was walking her cavoodle.
Mr Pogue said the 72-year-old was left with lacerations, bruises and bites on her body, and the cavoodle’s skin was sheared.
The court heard the bulldog was unregistered since April 2022. It was impounded by authorities.
The woman’s solicitor, Anthony Coote, said the bulldog was about 50kg, and his client had taken it to the park for a swim because it was a hot day.
The court heard it wasn’t wearing a collar because it got fat, and a collar couldn’t fit around its neck.
Mr Coote said the bulldog was a rescue that was abused as a puppy, and the woman had owned the dog for six and a half years with no issues.
He said his client’s “lesson will be learnt” and asked magistrate Simon Zebrowski to consider that the dog had been kept in the pound for six months because it had taken a while for the matter to be heard in court.
Mr Coote also noted that this was the woman’s first matter in court, and she had no priors.
Mr Zebrowski called the woman’s behaviour “really irresponsible” and “disgraceful”.
“Dogs are dogs, they act on instinct,” he said.
“You have a responsibility when you have a dog that it’s cared for and restrained.
“The bigger the dog, the greater the responsibility.”
The woman was placed on an adjourned undertaking to be of good behaviour for two years with no conviction. She was also ordered to pay $9752 to Greater Shepparton City Council for the impoundment of the dog, vaccinations and court costs.
Mr Zebrowski had reduced the costs payable by more than $3000 from the amount accumulated.
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