Mum arrested after husky bites cat.

Mum arrested after husky bites cat.

Saturday, March 06, 2010, 07:11



A mum-of-four said she was kept in police cells for almost five hours – because her dog bit a cat.

Housewife Paula Smith, of Bathurst Road, Tredworth, said she was forced to leave her four children home alone after being arrested by police.

She was taken to Gloucester Police Station and then charged with having an out-of-control dog.

Paula said her 13-year-old son Ricky had accidentally let the family’s two Siberian huskies Ben and Kai out in the morning.

The 35-year-old said: “I couldn’t believe it, I was willing to pay the vets’ bills, so there was no reason to lock me up.

“They kept me in for nearly five hours, and if my friend was not available to pick up the kids I don’t know what we would have done.

“It was a nightmare, it can’t be right to spend five hours in a cell because your dog bit a cat.”

Her husband Shane, 35, said they looked everywhere for the runaway huskies but to no avail.

“We contacted people and agencies we could think of in case they found them, but there was no joy,” he said.

“But then we found out that one of the dogs had bitten a cat.”

The couple have four children – Matthew, 15, Ricky, 13, Rosie, eight and Emma-Jane, six .

Paula was kept at the police station from 2.45pm to 7.45pm.

Shane, who works as mechanic, added: “I can’t believe they left the kids at home on their own and arrested my wife.

“If the dogs have hurt a cat then we are happy to pay the vet bill, no questions of that, but I don’t know why they had to arrest my wife.

“The amount of criminals out there like drug pushers and burglars and the police are wasting time and money arresting innocent people for this.”

A Gloucestershire Constabulary spokeswoman confirmed Mrs Smith had been arrested.

She said: “Police received a call at around 2pm on Monday, March 1, from a woman in Cheyney Close, Gloucester, who was very distressed as two large husky dogs had got into her garden and attacked her 17-year-old cat.

“Rocky, who is also blind, has suffered a puncture wound to his side and it is still not known if he will survive.

“His owner fully supports the action taken by the police.

“The owner of the dogs, a 35-year-old woman from Gloucester, was arrested by police following the incident.

“She has now been charged with being in charge of a dog dangerously out of control in a public place and bailed to appear at Gloucester Magistrates’ Court on March 29.”

As a cat lover my sympathies are with the cat and its owner, no doubt a view not shared by all on a dog site.It does however seem excessive to question her for this ammount of time, and isn't it against the law to leave young children on their own, the police should have made sure the kids were looked after, maybe there is more to this story.

Agree with MTM. The cat should have been safe in his own garden.

Do agree an arrest was a bit over the top tho, unless they are known to be letting their dogs out all the time.

My mums neighbour has an Akita and it's been out lots of times and on a main road! I took photos of it once (had a cut all down it's back) and called the rspca!! They've now installed a bigger gate but it still lives outside.

The cat should have been safe in its own garden and I do sympathise fully with the cat owner.
However the arrest seem totally over the top and while it may have been an accident the dog getting out I think in cases like this a fixed penalty to make the dog owner take it seriously and be more careful in future would be more fitting.
I am looking at the picture though and it doesn't look to me like the dog is on a lead there out on the main road. I may be mistaken but perhaps the police new more about this family and thier dogs than has been reported.

it does seem like genuine error, however the law does not allow for that so that all are protected

i have cats andwould hae been very upset if it happened to me. if you know your dog has a high prey drive then surely you must take extra precautions

my older boy used to be a bit of an escape artists with no recall, my garden gate has a big bolt and a very very big return spring on it, just in case!

Dog owner totally to blame in this instance. SHE let her dogs out, they got into somebody elses garden and attacked a pet which should of been safe there, she deserves everything she gets, and perhaps in future she will take better care of her dogs.

agree with borderdawn .dogs should have been under control i know mistakes are made by kids but if she was there she should have been supervising the kids and dogs
mmy daughter and i were walking ourr 4 on a lead when a jr owned by a local copper ran out of their house he was trying to put her in the car ran up to my border who stressed out and started barking told my daughter to keep walking he apologised and asked if his dog had bit her i said no but she was lucky as my bt couldve bit his sdog the way she ran up agreesivly to her . his attitude was well itll stop her doing it again! no keep your dog under control you muppet!

Well if a dog/s got into my garden I would be most annoyed if they bit or killed any of my animals that are in the garden, a couple of thought came to mind reading that ...one she said her 4 kids were left alone in the house, then she said I don't know where I'd be if my friend couldn't of picked them up. Well what is it they were left or picked up? Plus one of those kids is 15 so I am sure he is old enough to watch them whilst her friend is coming to get them.
Second a 17 year old blind cat IMO wouldn't exactly run so that causes concern in my mind that the dog just went for the cat who is most likely not able to defend itself.

sure 5 hours was OTT, but I so think that they are responsible and should place the dogs where they can not be let out.

Totally agree. I think the husky owners seem to think that the cat's life is not important. I one of their dogs had been attacked by another dog they would have been up in arms.

IF and its a big IF this was an accident, the door being left open, then sadly because huskies are KNOWN to have a prey drive, (despite the odd ones that live happily with cats) the dogs would have been on a high, escaping, running about, and seeing a cat while in this high state may have been all it took, the cat may have even just been sat there staring(becaue blind) and that would have been enough for them to go into the garden and grab the cat, the article dosnt say that there were fences or locked gates on the garden the cat was in? the dogs may well not live with cats so to them the cat could have been a squirrel/rat/mole/etc all fair game to them sadly. IF on the other hand, these dogs were KNOWN to regularly "escape" then maybe the police thought keeping the woman in for so many hours, would shake her into realising it cannot go on anymore, there is a law regarding dogs out of control, this woman/family own huskies, and so should be specially alert to the risks of them running off, by now they should be in a routine of locking doors/closing gates etc to prevent them escaping, even the children if they were raised alongside the dogs, very sad for the cat, I hope the poor thing recovers, you dont have to be all dog, or all cat lovers to appreciate that it is heartbreaking for a beloved pet to be attaked.

Mo