A dog owner whose pet attacked and injured another animal in Allington has been slapped with a £100 fine by Maidstone council.

The council said it was the first time that a fine had been issued in the town for such an offence.

The dog made its latest attack on another dog in Allington but the borough said there had been a series of incidents involving the same animal.

The deputy leader of Maidstone Borough Council Jonathan Purle said: “This wasn’t a one-off incident and the team had been made aware of other victims affected by the behaviour of the dog and its owner.

"In fact they were well known in the area for the dog's anti-social behaviour. Fortunately, the latest victim provided sound evidence, sadly the severity of the trauma and injuries sustained were horrendous.

“As a dog owner myself I believe that on the whole, dog owners are very responsible and there will always be over-zealous play or minor disagreements which is normal in the course of dog ownership.

"Thankfully, severe incidents like this are rare. However if they do happen, we have powers to tackle irresponsible owners who choose to ignore their dog’s aggressive behaviour and allow their dogs to repeatedly behave badly.”

Using community protection powers, the council has also issued a formal warning to the owner, which requires the offending dog to be kept on a lead and muzzled in public to avoid any future attacks.

Failure to comply with this requirement may lead to prosecution resulting in a criminal record for the owner.

To make a report of re-occurring anti-social dog behaviour, click here.

Escaped animals, unusual finds and news from the RSPCA can all be found here.

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