A seven year old girl who suffered an injury to her lip when she was bitten by a pub's bull mastiff requested that the animal be saved from being put down on the basis that what happened to her was the fault of the owners', not the dog. The owners' of "Ginty" were landlords of the Dog and Bone pub in Gillingham and had owned the dog since it was an 11 week old puppy. On the night of the incident the dog was left in a back room of the pub but was later let into the bar area by somebody else. The girl began playing with the dog when it nipped her on the lip requiring four stitches on the outside of her mouth and more inside. Dave Skinner and Elayne Wilson had earlier denied allowing the dog to be dangerously out of control as they had been told this was the best thing to do to save the dog from being put down. However they changed their plea on the advice of their solicitor following new guidelines to the Courts on dangerous dogs which meant Ginty could be returned home on the basis that she is muzzled in public at all times. The couple were also ordered to pay compensation to police of £5,000 to cover kennel fees as well as £300 Court costs. The injured girl is also understood to be pursuing a personal injury claim in respect of her injuries.
Victim asks for attack dog to be spared as owners plead guilty