Woman signs contract after losing control of dogs (From Your Local Guardian)

Sutton woman issued with Acceptable Behaviour Contract

7:50am Friday 13th July 2012 in Sutton By James Pepper

A Staffordshire Bull Terrier

A resident has been given the borough's first Acceptable Behaviour Contract after her dogs were causing a nuisance.

The 24-year-old woman, who lives in flats on Langley Park Road, Sutton, allowed her two Staffordshire Bull Terriers Roxy and Governor to run out of control, jump up and intimidate residents as well as allowing them to bark for long periods.

In March the dogs ran after a delivery man who was forced to jump onto a car to avoid being bitten.

A letter was sent to the resident in April but when the dogs continued to run amok police sent an Acceptable Behaviour Contract to the resident's landlord.

The contract is a voluntary agreement between the resident and Sutton Council, the Met Police in Sutton and London and Quadrant Housing Trust – the resident's landlord.

Now the owner must keep the dog on a three metre lead in a public place as well as cleaning up after and regularly exercising her dog.

Failure to honour the contract may result in an Anti-Social Behaviour Order, or the tenant may lose her home.

The action is part of borough's Local Environmental Awareness of Dogs (LEAD) initiative to make owners of all breeds of dog aware of their responsibilities to their pet and the wider community.

PC Heath Keogh, of Sutton Police station, who is co-ordinating the LEAD initiative for the borough, said: "The bottom line for Sutton residents is a breach of an ASBO which could result in five years jail or a fine or both, and a possession order leading to a tenant’s eviction, for those in rented accommodation."

The LEAD initiative was prompted by the fatal dog attack in Demesne Road, Wallington, on 23 December 2010, when a 52-year-old woman died after being attacked by a dog.

Former army paratrooper Alex Blackburn-Smith avoided jail despite his dog mauling house mate Barbara Williams to death when it burst from a cage it was too big for.

At Croydon Crown Court on January 3, he was given a community sentence of 150 hours unpaid work and ordered to pay costs of £3,340.