A dog credited with saving its owners from a fire is to be destroyed after a Perth sheriff condemned it for a “full-blooded” attack on a man.
Four-year-old German shepherd Dylan will be put down after snapping at the neck and throat of his victim during the unprovoked attack.
The man was walking to work on a path between Strathtay Road and Crieff Road in Perth at around 8am when Dylan sprinted towards him and pounced.
Dylan’s owner Michael Philbin, 49, had previously pleaded guilty in January to being in charge of the dog during the incident on August 28. As a result of the bite, the victim required treatment at Perth Royal Infirmary for an arm injury.
Sheriff William Wood heard that in September 2011 Dylan was hailed for helping the sleeping Philbin family to escape a fire in their home.
The dog raised the alarm and alerted the Philbins to the danger by scratching at their faces and barking, allowing them to flee to safety through a back window.
Dylan had barked when he smelled fire in a storage area at the close in Strathtay Road, Perth.
At Perth Sheriff Court, Mr Philbin revealed: “The fireman said that if it had been another five minutes we wouldn’t have woken up because of the smoke.”
Giving evidence on Friday, a neighbour to the Philbins, Krzysztof Szczeseny, said that he allowed Dylan to play with his seven-year-old daughter and that she cried when the dog was taken away after the attack.
Philbin pleaded with Sheriff Wood to show mercy, vowing to muzzle the dog at all times, to enrol him on a training course and apologise to the victim of the attack.
He said Dylan had been spooked by workmen who were refurbishing the council flats.
Mr Philbin said: “Workmen were setting up saws and benches. This had been going on for a couple of months.
“I noticed Dylan became unsettled by the noise of the saws. It was making him a bit nervous.
“He became a bit more jumpy and was acting out of sorts just prior to attacking this poor guy.
“He’s a good dog. I don’t think he needs muzzled but I will keep him muzzled as I don’t want to lose him.”
Sheriff Woods said: “This is a difficult case as here I have a dog who is clearly a much-loved family pet and showed his value in September 2011 of making you aware of danger in your house.
“If he was a human, you would say he was otherwise of good and exemplary character.
“This is an aggravated offence as injury has been caused that would normally attract destruction as a consequence.
“There is no suggestion that the dog was attacking workmen at home.
“He was not just snapping at this man’s heels, it was a full-blooded, full-blown attack.
“He tried to bite the neck and throat and was clawing his way up his back.
“I can’t be satisfied that this dog is not going to constitute a danger to public safety in the future.
“I am going to make an order for the dog to be destroyed.
“There is every likelihood that he will behave himself in this way in future.”
As Mr Philbin pleaded for his dog to be given a second chance, Sheriff Wood added: “I am sorry I need to make an order in these terms but feel it is right in these circumstances.”