The owner of a bull terrier which last January attacked a chihuahua at the Ta’ Qali dog park was fined €70 by a court after being found guilty of leaving his pet roaming without a leash.

The chihuahua owner was also slapped with a €23 fine since his dog was also not on a lead.

During proceedings, the court heard that the bull terrier belonging to Nigel Caruana grabbed the chihuahua by the neck. The dog was only released when its owner Christian Seychell forced the bull terrier’s mouth open, injuring himself in the process.  

Subsequently, Mr Caruana had refunded Mr Seychell the expenses incurred to treat the chihuahua which amounted to €1,000. The bull terrier owner said his pet was very friendly with other dogs and children. He even produced a report from an expert who concluded his pet was not aggressive.

In its decision, the court presided by Magistrate Consuelo Scerri Herrera concluded that both owners were at fault for leaving their pets roaming freely. Consequently, they were both fined €23, whereas Mr Caruana was fined a further €50 over the incident itself.