Sheffield woman attacked twice by dogs on extendable leads

A woman who has been attacked twice by dogs on extendable leads has implored owners to use them more responsibly.
Pauline Memmott (right) and Victoria Cooper are calling for dog owners to use extendable leads more responsibly.Pauline Memmott (right) and Victoria Cooper are calling for dog owners to use extendable leads more responsibly.
Pauline Memmott (right) and Victoria Cooper are calling for dog owners to use extendable leads more responsibly.

Pauline Memmott, 58, was recently bitten by a dog on an extendable lead while out walking near her Meadowhead home.

Six months ago she was attacked by another dog while out walking her own dog, and she now wants more done to make dog owners aware of the dangers.

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In the latest incident, Pauline says she was walking on the pavement near her home when a woman with a cairn terrier came the other way.

"As I was approaching her, I thought 'that lead is far too long for her to be able to control that dog'," said Pauline.

"Then, as I passed, it lunged for me, bit me and broke the skin.

"I didn't call the police as it wasn't serious but in hindsight if I had had a child with me they could have been bitten."

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Now, Pauline wants people to change the way they use these leads, arguing that a limit of 1.5 metres should be adhered to at all times.

"I am sure people don't realise it is dangerous," she said.

"You see it all the time when people have their leads extended by three and four metres.

"You just can't control a dog when it is that far away from you."

Pauline says she thinks the leads should only be fully extended in large open spaces but even then believes there are better options available.

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"The dog trainer I know says people should train their dogs to come to them when they are off the lead," she said.

She added the dog trainer says she would go further and ban extendable leads - precisely because of the 'irresponsible' way owners use them.

Pauline, who lives in Meadowhead with her husband and their Tibetan terrier Beckham, says she hopes sharing her story will make people think twice when using the leads.

She says her only motivation is to stop other people from suffering what she has, or potentially something much worse.

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In September, a 'devastated' dog owner was forced to carry his pet Yorkie home in a plastic bag after it was brutally attacked and killed by an Alsatian in Handsworth.

The man’s dog was reportedly on an extended lead when the 'upsetting’ attack happened.