News from that TDC have taken action against out of control dogs. Our tenants tell us regularly that they are happy with the way we look after our housing stock. The following press release from the Council demonstrates the active approach we take to prevent the anti-social behaviour of one person impacting on the lives of others:
On Friday 19 February at Redhill Magistrates’ Court, a housing tenant in Wolfs Wood, Oxted was disqualified from keeping a dog for five years, ordered to destroy one of her dogs and to re-home another dog. She also has to pay a contribution of £500 towards the Council’s costs.
Between March and November 2009 the Council’s housing team received numerous complaints about one of its tenants, Dionne Bakewell’s dogs. The complaints were about the dogs’ behaviour which included barking during the day and night and growling at passers-by and visitors. Residents also complained to the Environmental Health team.
The dogs frequently escaped into neighbouring gardens, the local park and wandered around local roads. They behaved aggressively and in a threatening manner snarling at local residents, including children.
There was a restraining order on one of the dogs which meant it had to be kept under control and chained, so it could not get within two metres of the front door between the hours of 8am and 5pm. It also had to be muzzled on the request of a council or police officer.
During one incident in April 2009, the dogs escaped into a neighbour’s garden where children were playing and growled at them. The children were very frightened and ran into another garden to get away from the dogs. The children’s mother spoke to Dionne Bakewell and was verbally abused.
The dogs’ behaviour was witnessed by council officers and the police. On 1 October 2009 the Council wrote to Miss Bakewell to advise it did not consider the dogs were suitable pets and asked her to immediately re-home them. The Council also started legal proceedings.
On 4 November a policeman, responding to calls from local residents about a dangerous dog loose in Wolfs Wood, was threatened by one of the dogs and forced to use his CS gas spray to protect himself. The dog was later captured and taken to the police dog kennels where it has remained.
