Residents of Haifa's Denia neighborhood are living in fear of two "murderous" American Staffordshire terriers.
By MIRIAM BULWAR DAVID-HAY (TRANSLATED)
Residents of Haifa's Denia neighborhood are living in fear of two "murderous" American Staffordshire terriers (Amstaffs) that have already attacked and killed several local dogs, including a poodle that was in its own yard, reports Yediot Haifa. The residents say they should not have to wait for a child to be attacked before the city acts against the dangerous canines.
According to the report, the two Amstaffs have been roaming freely around the neighborhood, in breach of the laws regarding dangerous dogs, and have killed several other dogs, even entering one woman's yard to attack her poodle. Police tracked down the Amstaffs' owners - also Denia residents - and fined them, and the dogs were locked up by the city's veterinary service for 10 days. But now they have been released to their owners once again, and residents say they fear for their lives. A group of residents has written to the city and to police, saying, "We are very worried, even terrified, that these dogs have now been released and will attack children, adults or other dogs."
The residents also said the fines that had been imposed on the owners had not been enough to convince them to keep the dogs under supervision, and that the canines were once again running free in the neighborhood. They demanded that the Amstaffs be locked up or destroyed, and said they would sue the owners for letting the animals run free and kill their pets.