Bulldog bit woman several times and shook her cavapoo in its mouth like 'a toy'

A court has heard how a man’s American bulldog caused multiple injuries to a fellow dog walker and shook her Cavapoo in his mouth believing it to be “a toy”.

Penny Knight was walking and throwing a ball for her dog on 14 September last year on a beach at St Bees.

Jonathan Foxcroft, 48, was in the area with two dogs — his two-year-old American bulldog called Boss and a Staffordshire bull terrier.

After both began sniffing and crowding her dog, Ms Knight nudged them away but as they returned she was knocked to the floor. She managed to get up but saw Boss shaking her dog in his mouth.

As 66-year-old Ms Knight put her hand near Boss to help her trapped pet, she was bitten several times and recalled hearing Foxcroft state that his dog “thought hers was a toy”.

Ms Knight suffered 12 puncture wounds to her left hand which caused slight scarring, one large puncture wound to her chin and two small ones to her face.

She attended hospital and was given a tetanus shot. Her Cavapoo was taken to a vet’s and found to have a dislocated hip which required surgery costing several thousand pounds.

Ms Knight described being “very emotional” after the incident and said, three months later, she had not let her dog off the lead or taken it back to the beach.

Bystanders rushed to try and separate the animals, two holding on to Boss’s tail and legs to try and drag him away. Foxcroft also tried to intervene to stop the attack and regain control of his dog.

Foxcroft, of Bay View, St Bees, was brought to court after his identity became known, and admitted being the owner of a dog which caused injury while dangerously out of control.

Defence barrister Anthony Parkinson said Foxcroft was an experienced dog owner who did not foresee that the incident was going to occur. Boss had not acted aggressively before the incident nor since.

Mr Parkinson said: "The incident was as near to being an accident as one could get. If his dog could have been on a lead at the time then this incident would not have taken place.

“He deeply regrets what has happened.”

Foxcroft is due to be sentenced next Friday and, in the meantime, must ensure his dog is muzzled and kept on a lead when in public.

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