A pet owner has been banned from keeping dogs after her massive Mastiff attacked a young child in her home.
Diana D’Acunto was in charge of the “large and powerful” two-year-old mutt when it launched the attack after the child attempted to take a piece of food from its mouth last year. The injured child was badly bitten on the arm and was rushed to the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh for treatment following the attack by the 60kg animal.
Medics were forced to apply surgical suture strips and dressings to treat the puncture wounds. The dog - named Boss - was subsequently seized by police and housed in kennels after it was deemed too aggressive for an animal charity to take it in.
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D’Acunto, 38, pleaded guilty to being the owner of the dog while it was out of control, unmuzzled and untethered at her home when she appeared at the capital’s sheriff court earlier this year. Sentence had been deferred for reports and for Sheriff Chris Dickson to obtain further information on the animal and to consider whether a destruction order is necessary.
D’Acunto returned to the dock on Thursday where the sheriff spared the dog’s life but told the shamed owner she was could not keep the animal and that she was banned from keeping dogs for the next two years. Sheriff Dickson also issued D’Acunto, of the city’s Craigour area, with a fine of £320.
Previously the court was told the child was at D’Acunto’s home on December 19 last year when she saw the dog eating something in the kitchen that “it wasn’t supposed to be eating”. Fiscal depute Christine Brownlie said the child attempted to take the item from the dog but the animal “gripped” the girl’s arm and “proceeded to bite her”.
The child then ran from the property to a neighbour’s home before she was taken to the accident and emergency department at the ERI. Ms Brownlie said the neighbour called in the police and that the Dogs Trust charity had refused to accept the dog “due its aggression”.
The court was told D’Acunto had been warned by neighbours on several occasions that she should have the “large and powerful” dog professionally trained and that it needed discipline. The mastiff was bought from a breeder in England two years ago and was used as a guard dog.
D’Acunto pleaded guilty to owning a mastiff named Boss that was out of control while unmuzzled and untethered and did bite a child on the body and clamp her arm in its mouth to her injury at an address at Craigour Grove, Edinburgh, on December 19 last year.
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