A woman was pulled to the ground and bitten on the leg by a dog which jumped from a garden and chased her down the street.
She desperately hid behind a parked car before making her escape over a fence as the two-year-old mixed Alsatian kept chasing her in Dundonald Park, Cardenden.
She was left with a hole in her jogging bottoms and later went to hospital for a tetanus jag.
Dunfermline Sheriff Court heard 45-year-old Ross Armour had been looking after the dog, which belonged to his daughter, on April 24 last year, when it attacked.
Dog attack
Procurator fiscal depute Azrah Yousaf told the court the victim and Armour lived one street away from each other and knew one another.
The fiscal said the woman had been walking to the shops at around 2pm when she noticed the dog in Armour’s front garden “barking ferociously and snarling”, as if in defence mode.
Ms Yousaf continued: “It (the dog) is then seen to jump over the garden fence and run towards her.
“She felt the dog bite her upper left thigh around the buttock area.
“It brought (the woman) to the ground and the dog started jumping on her back.
“Mr Armour made efforts to get the dog under control and (the woman) stumbled away and hid behind a parked car.
“The dog continued to chase her until she got across the road and managed to climb a fence and get away.”
The fiscal said another person came from a neighbouring property and shouted for Armour to get the dog under control and he managed to get the animal into his house.
‘Upsetting and frightening’
The woman was later seen by neighbours, distressed and wounded.
Armour, of Letham Hill Avenue, Hillend, previously pled guilty to being in charge of the dangerously out of control dog.
Part of the original charge, since deleted, stated the dog attempted to bite the woman’s neck.
Defence lawyer Alexander Flett said the dog had escaped through a fence and ended up in the front garden and that Armour had no reason to anticipate it would behave the way it did.
He said he is “very apologetic” and had said sorry to the complainer directly.
The solicitor said he understands the dog was returned to Armour’s daughter and she has given it to someone in Edinburgh.
Sheriff Francis Gill told Armour the incident would have been “extremely upsetting and frightening” for the victim and although he did not own the animal, it was his responsibility to keep it under control.
A £500 compensation order was made.
Police threats
Unemployed Armour also admitted a charge of behaving in a threatening or abusive manner by shouting, acting aggressively and making threats of violence towards police on June 21 this year.
Ms Yousaf said one of the threats made was that he would bite off the nose of one officer.
Mr Flett explained Armour had been assaulted by two males and police were contacted but his client had been drinking and was upset and vented his frustration at police.
Sheriff Gill imposed a two-month restriction of liberty order.
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