FOUR dogs seized by police after it was suspected they were pitbulls are believed to have cost the county’s force more than £26,000 in kennel boarding fees.
Twins Shaun and Luke Dayus had their dogs taken under the Dangerous Dogs Act during raids in July last year.
The dogs, bred from Staffordshire bull terriers, were housed in kennels for 45 weeks before a bench of magistrates ruled last week they didn’t have “substantial” pitbull characteristics and could be returned to their owners.
Shaun Dayus, aged 25, of Tiree Avenue, St Peter’s, Worcester, and his partner Clare Houdley, 22, were found not guilty of possessing three fighting dogs – Nala, 8Ball and Bronson – and a cleared of a charge of breeding fighting dogs.
Luke Dayus, 25, of Swaledale Court, Warndon, and his partner Sarah Gaffney, 21, owners of a dog named Archie, were found not guilty of possessing one fighting dog.
During the three-day trial, Worcester Magistrates Court was told by Trevor Turner, a former chief veterinary officer for the Crufts show, that he would expect a pitbull-type dog to score 65-70 per cent on his scoring system.
All four dogs scored under 60 per cent. Information obtained under the Freedom of Information Act has revealed boarding fees paid by south Worcestershire police in 2010 work out at just over £148 per dog per week.
Using these figures would mean a cost of £6,672 per dog between July 8, 2010, and Thursday, May 19, this year – a total cost of £26,691.
The starting salary for a constable at West Mercia is £23,259.
During the hearing, Mr Turner raised concerns about the care given to the dogs while in kennels, saying Archie had become underweight.
He said he had advised the kennel about diet and exercise, resulting in some weight gain. Shaun Dayus said the costs were “stupid”.
He said: “We’re still waiting to see the vet reports.
“It’s a stupid amount for them to spend. It seems they have got loads of money to waste.”
Chief Inspector Keith Williamson, responsible for operations in south Worcestershire, said police had acted on intelligence and intervened in order to protect the community.
He said: “There was thought to be sufficient risk posed by these animals.
“We held the belief these were suspected dangerous dogs and a court process was needed to determine whether or not this was the case.
“Throughout the time it took this case to get through the court process, police had the responsibility of kennelling the dogs in a humane and suitable environment for their suspected breed, at an approved kennels.
“Police in south Worcestershire take the offence of owning a dangerous dog extremely seriously and will continue to act on intelligence on those dog owners and take them to court.”
In 2010, 19 dogs were seized by officers. The average kennelling cost per dog was £1,408 – a total cost of £26,766.
In the three years between 2006 and 2009 only four dogs were seized by south Worcestershire police which resulted in a total kennelling cost of £9,756.
West Mercia Police were unable to confirm their kennel costs for 2011 and if they had increased or decreased from the previous year.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel