‘Warden refused to collect escaped Akita Inu dog’

Nov 21 2009 Huddersfield Daily Examiner

Five months ago a 16-week-old Shih Tzu dog was mauled by an Akita on Crossley Lane, Mirfield.

The Bradley resident said about the stray dog reported this week: “We told the council we couldn’t go out until the dog was secured.

“They said unless we could guarantee the dog would be there when they got there they wouldn’t come out.

“I thought: ‘Fair enough. Forget it.’

“Monday morning I came out the back gate and the dog was beside my vehicle. I legged it back into the house.

“The kids were going to school in half-an-hour.

“The council didn’t even ask me where the dog was.

“Kirklees wouldn’t come out unless it was tied up. So do they want me to go and tie it up?

“I used to have a Rottweiler. I had that dog for 11 years and I wouldn’t trust it an inch. The Akita was the size of a Rottweiler.”

A council spokesperson said: “The exact nature of this incident is unclear but we are visiting a local dog owner to investigate further.

“It would be usual for the wardens to ask that a found dog be kept secure to enable it to be collected quickly rather than pursue it around the street.”