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Woman tells of 'horrific' attack on elderly dog
A SCARBOROUGH animal lover says she will "never forget" the noise an elderly dog made when it was attacked by another animal.
Susan Preston-Fayers, of Dean Road, says she is also surprised that the dog warden service does not operate at weekends.
Mrs Preston-Fayers says she spotted an elderly black labrador wandering on the South Bay beach and tried to contact the dog warden service so that it could be taken to safety.
She said: “I waited for almost an hour but no-one arrived. I did not have a spare lead, or anything else on me to take the dog home safely.
“It broke my heart to have to leave it but worse was to come. As I was leaving the beach another dog attacked it. I will never forget its screams.”
She added that it took three people to separate the two animals. She said: “It ran off towards the Spa having had such a terrible time. The poor dog was extremely friendly and there was no call for it to be attacked.
“When I got home my husband looked up the number for the dog warden. To our surprise they do not work weekends.
“He then rang the RSPCA. I grabbed a dog lead and went back down looking for it but I couldn’t find it.”
The labrador was later found and initially looked after by the RSPCA until it could be handed over to the dog wardens.
Steve Pogson, Scarborough Council’s health and community safety manager, said: “We are aware of this particular dog, which I can now confirm has been successfully reunited with its owner.
“I can also confirm that the dog appeared to suffer no injuries as a result of the alleged attack. The council does not operate, and never has operated, an out-of-hours collection service for found or stray dogs.
“There is also no statutory requirement on the council to do so, or currently the resources to facilitate this. There are however facilities available for members of the public to take found dogs to kennels at any time of the day.”
l Anyone who finds a stray or lost dog outside normal office hours is advised to contact the council’s out-of-hours number on (01723) 351558 where they will be advised of kennels where the dog can be taken – alternatively they can keep the dog until the warden can collect it on the next working day.
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Weather for Scarborough
Saturday 26 May 2012
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Temperature: 10 C to 15 C
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