€100 fine after dog with fear of women bites woman

An innocent passerby was bitten on the thigh by a German shepherd that has “a fear of women”.

A solicitor said the “much-loved” pet was trusted with children and friends.

And Mary O’Leary also told Clonakilty District Court the dog’s owner, Gavin O’Reilly from Dunmanway, genuinely believes the dog was controllable but plans to keep it away from the public.

The solicitor said Mr O’Reilly believed a previous owner of the four-year-old guard dog treated it so badly it had a fear of women.

However, Cork County Council dog warden Tim O’Leary said that in a follow-up visit after the Jun 3 attack on the woman at Beehaghullane, Dunmanway, he and a colleague were relieved the dog was on a leash behind a fence.

“In my opinion,” he told Judge James McNulty, “that dog is not to be trusted, it’s lethal.”

County council solicitor Frank Lynch said a woman, Catherine Flynn, was passing by a house when the dog escaped and bit her. The thigh wound required medical attention and antibiotics. A woman came from a house and pulled the dog off the injured party.

Ms O’Leary said it was accepted the victim was an innocent passerby. “It’s very unfortunate, my client is very distressed by what happened.” Living in a remote area, the defendant has the animal as a guard dog.

Mr O’Reilly, she continued, has acquired a radio-controlled collar which keeps the dog in the boundaries of a garden where the owner plans a dog run.

Noting the warden’s concerns, the judge said the dog had a vicious propensity. Although the owner was convinced the dog was wonderful, the judge said there were warning bells the defendant should not ignore. “Civil liabilities aside, there’s a danger and risk he may cause another injury to a family friend or a child — and that might be hard to live with.”

Imposing a fine of €100 for not keeping the dog under effective control, the judge dismissed an application for the destruction of the Alsatian.