Dad cleared of animal cruelty charge after dog came at baby
A Dubbo man who reacted after a neighbour’s dog entered his yard and got dangerously close to hurting a one-year-old baby has credited CCTV for setting the record straight.
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A relieved Dubbo dad who punched a bulldog after it entered his front yard and put its mouth over the face of a petrified one-year-old boy has been spared an animal cruelty conviction in court.
The 36-year-old father-of-five was inside his West Dubbo home on the afternoon of May 9 when he heard his children screaming outside.
A neighbour’s Australian bulldog had pushed two of the father’s young children over and they became frightened and distressed.
Witnesses saw the dog on top of the youngest child, with its mouth over the child’s face and the father ran outside, fearful his children’s lives were in danger.
The owner of the dog made her way to the father’s home and grabbed the dog by the collar in an attempt to get it home.
The father yelled at the dog owner because he was angry and felt she displayed a lack of regard for the danger her dog presented to his children.
With his right hand, the father punched the dog once and the owner tried to push him away and protect the dog.
According to court documents, when the dog owner put the dog between her legs the father tried to kick it.
He pleaded guilty to committing an act of animal cruelty in Dubbo Local Court on Wednesday.
However, Magistrate Gary Wilson dismissed the charge and said while the father’s actions were wrong, they were understandable.
Outside court the father, who cannot be named for legal reasons, said he was relieved by the verdict and wanted to put the incident behind him.
“My son’s knee had blood on it, this was all done in anger about what the dog did,” he said.
“It could have killed him if he fought back, but being a little boy he just laid there.”
A neighbour’s CCTV footage was credited with helping the father set the record straight about what happened, amid claims he was the target of false assault allegations.
“If it wasn’t for video footage, I would have had a bigger fight on my hands.
“I had to make my own justice. If your dog is not trained and it’s aggressive and it doesn’t listen then you have to keep it in your yard.”
Dubbo Regional Council fined the woman $1320 for not taking proper care of the dog.