Police probed more than a dozen dog attacks in two years

Yorkshire Terrier Jack, which was aged 24, was due to go on a walk with owner Ray Bunn at Hartlepool Marina when it was attached by another dog.

A 44-year-old man has been reported for summons in connection with the incident on Monday morning.

The man was reported for being the owner/person in charge of a dog dangerously out of control and will appear at Teesside Magistrates Court in due course.

It comes as figures obtained by a Freedom of Information request show they probed 13 dog attacks which were reported in Hartlepool between 2014 to 2016.

The majority of the attacks were where one dog attacked another dog.

Of those recorded, five attacks involved a Staffordshire bull terriers, two involved Japanese akita and the remaining attacks involved a greyhound, alsatian, Patterdale terrier, another breed of terrier and a ‘wolf type’ dog.

Of the 13 attacks recorded, 11 were dog on dog attacks including one which involved three dogs on one dog.

Only one woman was injured out of the 13 incidents when she was trying to rescue a cat from a dog and was scratched.

One dog died in one of the attacks and only one owner was reported for summons with a dangerous dog out of control in public place.

A Cleveland Police spokeswoman said: “Of the dog attacks in Hartlepool between April 2014 and June 2016, nine involved a dog sustaining injuries, and on only one occasion a person was injured after they tried to save a cat from the dog.

“Each case is assessed on the surrounding circumstances and in cases of dogs attacking other dogs the decision to prosecute depends on whether any dog was considered to be dangerously out of control in a public place.

“In many cases where dogs have attacked other dogs a civil claim is more appropriate than pursuing a criminal case.”