A heartbroken pensioner has blasted “heavy-handed” police after officers stormed her home armed with riot shields and tasers to seize her “gentle little dog.”
Carole Roberts, 72, claims officers confiscated her beloved pet pooch Dylan under the Dangerous Dogs Act even though “he wouldn’t hurt a fly”.
She said 12 police officers turned up on her doorstep in Ronkswood, Worcester, to forcibly take Dylan on Friday (18/12).
West Mercia Police said the animal was seized as part of an investigation into an attack on another dog that left the animal so badly injured they had to be put down.
But the great-grandmother is adamant her Staffordshire Bull Terrier has been mistaken for another involved in the vicious mauling.
Carole, who has had Dylan since he was a puppy, says her dog has never bitten anything and even wagged his tail as the officers arrived to snatch him away.
She said “I feel really depressed. I feel suicidal. The dogs are my life.
“I know you will think I’m daft but I would sooner they took me away than my dogs.
“I was shouting and screaming. I was saying ‘you’re joking me!’ I was hysterical. There were two lady police officers with riot shields.”
Carole also accused officers of bruising her wrists while pulling her hands off a child gate as she tried to stop them taking Dylan away.
She added: “One of the officers had a Taser. They prised my hands off the child gate. They said ‘let go, let go, let go’
“I said ‘no, don’t take him’ I said ‘please let my wrists go’ They said ‘if you come in the front room and calm down and talk about it we won’t take him’.
“They promised me they wouldn’t take him if I calmed down.”
The police search warrant issued by Dudley Magistrates’ Court under the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 describes a black dog with a large, muscular body.
But Carole says Dylan is small and brown with a patch of white on his coat and is always on the lead.
Police told Carole they wanted to speak to her husband because the owner of the dog they are after was a man.
But she says her husband John, 79, has been too ill to to walk the dog for two years because he is on dialysis three times a week.
She believes this has added to his stress, fearing her husband of 54 years will have another heart attack.
Carole says her other dog, Alfie, a French bulldog, is also pining away for Dylan and keeps looking around to see where he is.
She also says police have not told her where or how her dog is other than he is not eating.
She added: “He’s never been away from home before. I’m sick with worry.”
Inspector Andrew Holliday, of West Mercia Police, said: “In August we launched an investigation after a distraught dog owner contacted us after their beloved pet sadly had to be put down having been attacked by another dog.
“Matters around potentially dangerous dogs are taken seriously and it is only right that we carry out every potential line of enquiry.
“We attended an address as part of this investigation and this did result in the seizure of an animal to support the investigation.
“This weekend we have spoken to the family whose dog was seized with the aim of finding a way forward for them and to enable our investigation into the death of the other dog to continue unimpeded.
“When responding to an incident involving a suspected or potential dangerous dog we attend with dog protection shields as a precaution until we are satisfied there is no immediate risk to the public and the officers attending.
“It is also standard practice for specially trained dog handlers to attend, alongside investigating officers.”
