Kildare court: Dog attack leads to five-year ban from keeping animals
NEWBRIDGE
A woman was banned from keeping animals as pets for five years by a Naas District Court judge.
Siga Zelvyte, with an address given as 3575 Lakeside Park in Newbridge, was banned from keeping animals by Judge Desmond Zaidan on Thursday, February 16.
Gardaí told the judge that the 39-year-old’s unmuzzled Staffordshire Bull Terrier dog had gotten loose from its lead and attacked a Labrador dog at Lakeside Park on February 29, 2020.
A Staffordshire Bull Terrier is one of the dog breeds on the restricted list in Ireland.
Other breeds listed include German Shepherds, Rottweilers, American Pit Bull Terriers and Akita dogs.
It was heard that the Labrador sustained a 'two or three centimetre' cut to its ear, which required stitches.
In addition, the court was told that Ms Zelvyte did not have a licence for her dog.
Defending barrister Aisling Murphy told Judge Zaidan that the incident 'was a freak accident', and noted that her client paid all vet bills for the Labrador’s owner.
She added that Ms Zelvyte’s dog was euthanized shortly after the incident.
Judge Zaidan told Ms Murphy that while he would not impose a fine on her client, he would ban her from keeping animals for five years.
He explained: "God forbid, the dog could have attacked a child. Over the last couple of months, there have been so many stories of dog attacks in the UK and Ireland."