When the Suffolk police were told by Mr Crawford that a dog had come into his front garden and savaged his cat to death, they passed the buck to the local authority’s dog warden (animal control) despite the fact that it was highly likely that a crime had taken place. The dog warden wrote a letter to the dog’s owner. We haven’t seen the letter but it can’t be enough, surely?
I am sorry to say that the attitude of the police is unsurprising. They no doubt considered the potential crime too minor. Many police forces in the UK do nothing about more serious crimes while massaging crime statistics at the same time. Many Brits have lost faith in the police over the years.
Sassy, a 16-year-old-cat, was sleeping in the garden. Along comes a dog which entered the garden and grabbed Sassy in his teeth and shook her close to death. She died soon after of a suspected heart attack.
The police in this instance have abdicated their responsibilities. This was almost certainly a crime. You only have to visit the government website (gov.uk) on the subject of controlling your dog in public to understand that.
In the UK, either in a public or private place, a dog is considered to be out of control if he/she:
- injuries someone
- makes a person worried that she/he might be injured
- injures an animal
- the owner of an animal believes she/he may be injured if she intervenes in an attack by a dog on her companion animal
Clearly the law covers the attack on Sassy so why didn’t the police take action to uphold the law? They aren’t that interested are they?
This is another example of the authorities treating a cat “as only a cat”. An animal of low value.
Recently the second most senior politician the UK, George Osborne, set a bad example with respect to cat caretaking when he and his family consistently let their cat wander across streets heavy with traffic. Their cat was recently injured. One day she will be killed unless she is lucky.
A greater value needs to be placed on companion animals including the domestic cat. There is a need for greater respect for the cat.
LOL!! A perfect case of karma. The cat and owner only got back exactly what the owner and cat did to countless hundreds of other animals — tortured them to death for their own entertainment.
You obviously have no regard for the law then Woody because this was a crime.
Cats don’t torture animals for their entertainment you idiot. God you are stupid, Woody.
I agree with the previous 3 posts!!! The poor cat had no idea and it died a horrid death. This poor cat died because some irresponsible dog owner couldn’t control their pet. The dog’s owner should be charged. It was running around loose and got onto someones property and KILLED their cat!!! What would have happened if it was a infant/toddler/child playing or sleeping in their own yard and some dog came onto their property and attacked the kid?? Would the cops care then? What if it was their own pet? Deepest condolences to Sassy’s owners!!! RIP little fur angel … you did NOT deserve to go this way!!!
Thank you for your very sensible comment. The police have decided to bin the problem. They would say they are too busy. I’d say they are not committed enough to upholding the law. Lazy police.
I don’t think that outcome would be much different here than in the U.K.
It’s classic dog being favored over cat.
Even though the dog was unleashed and trespassed, clearly against OUR laws, I doubt that our law enforcement pursue criminal charges unless the cat “owner” made a whole lot of noise, presented themselves at the State Attorney’s Office, or went to the media.
It’s disgraceful that Sassy couldn’t sleep peacefully in her own garden. I think the police should have arrested the dog’s owner and charged him for letting his dangerous dog run free.
I hope the Crawfords don’t let the matter rest because that dog will be free to do it again and maybe even attack a small child next.
Definitely. It is a disgrace that a dog can kill a person’s beloved cat companion with impunity. What message does that send out to irresponsible dog owners? The owner should be on a charge in the magistrates court in the public’s interest.