Owner: No, it's not a nice dog

5:45am Saturday 6th September 2008

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The owner of a dog which mauled a young girl has admitted it is "not a very nice dog" around children and should have been muzzled.

Julie Jones's three-year-old Patterdale terrier, Chaz, left Reah Minns, of Greater Leys, needing two operations after it bit her left leg.

And when the Oxford Mail went to see the dog, which has been given away to new owners, it lunged at our photographer.

But Miss Jones, who was arrested and cautioned over the attack on Reah, said she warned the seven-year-old not to approach as she walked two dogs outside her block of flats in Southfield Park, East Oxford.

She also admitted the dog had previously bitten her niece's daughter and that she always told children not to come near it.

Reah was staying with her grandmother, who lives in the same building as Miss Jones, on Sunday, August 24, and was heading outside at about 11am.

Miss Jones, 43, said she was walking Chaz and her son's puppy. She added: "Her grandmother shouldn't have allowed her to come out at that moment. She knows that my dog is not great with children.

"I was saying to this little girl 'can you please go upstairs'. She came outside and the puppy was getting really excited and somehow it got out of my hand.

"She screamed, which made the puppy more excited, and I still had the other dog in my other hand. The puppy's running after her, she's running around and I'm telling her 'stop running, it's not going to hurt you'."

Chaz, who was on an extendable lead, then chased after Reah.

"In that split second somehow the extendable lead that was on lock came loose," said Miss Jones.

"I heard a growl and I pulled back on the lead. I was screaming for help, trying to get her uncle, who was looking out of the window, to come down.

"The grandmother came out and I said 'I'm sorry, I didn't realise'.

"It didn't bite chunks out of her leg. It's probably where I pulled the dog back. I probably saved her leg more.

"I didn't allow the dog to attack her. I felt really bad afterwards and I sat with Reah and her grandmother waiting for the paramedics to arrive."

She added: "He did bite my niece's daughter. It wasn't as bad as this one. If any children come round the dog I always say 'can you not come round, it's not a very nice dog'. I should have got a muzzle, but you just don't think."

Miss Jones said she wanted to get Chaz put down immediately, but her son persuaded her to give it away after the police decided not to remove the dog.

She said: "I don't want it back. If Reah's grandmother lives in the same block of flats I want them to feel safe around here. I feel really bad."

Last night, Reah's mum, Nicola McCavery said: "The dog should've been des- troyed.

"She had the dog on an extendable lead without a muzzle, knowing it was dangerous to children.

"I think it is disgusting that the police have let her keep it - I feel let down by the police. What if it bites another child or Reah bumps into it again?"