Sheffield man handed dog ban

A man from Sheffield has been given a two year dog ownership ban after his unregistered XL Bully attacked a woman last year.

Just after midnight on 4 July, police received reports that a woman had been bitten by a dog on Fife Street in Sheffield.

Armed officers attended to find the woman seriously wounded.

It was only later that officers found the owner of the dog, Davy Foy, 47, harbouring the animal in the back garden of a property. It was at that point the dog was seized and put into Police kennels.

At the hearing, that took place on 15 January, the judge heard how officers had great concern for the dog should it be returned for its owner who they believe is not a responsible owner.

The 47 year-old, who was not present at the hearing, was handed a two-year dog ownership ban, meaning he will not legally be allowed to own a dog until January 2027.

The Judge also granted a destruction order for the dog.

Leading the work on dangerous dogs across South Yorkshire, Chief Inspector Emma Cheney said: “Following the XL Bully legislation changing, Foy failed to register his dog and follow the exemptions, showing from the beginning that he was not a responsible dog owner and did not have his pet’s best interests at heart.

“A woman was seriously injured, requiring hospital treatment as a result of Foy’s lack of care in preventing his extremely capable dog from causing harm."

She added: "Dangerous dogs continue to place unprecedented demand on our force. We do not have additional officers or money to respond with and simple measures from owners could be the difference between an incident occurring and everyone’s safety. Please take action.”

The kennelling costs for the dog amounted to nearly £6,000, a cost to the taxpayer.