Magistrates granted exemptions to the owners of other dogs, including:
• Dina lives in a house with five young children and two other dogs. Her owner did not want her to be destroyed but magistrates said: “This is a test about the public.”
• Zeus and Boi. Police investigated claims they attacked their owner, who maintained she had been knocked over in Lowestoft, but being homeless put her in breach of the Dangerous Dogs Act.
• Luna, whose owner said he couldn’t live without his pet, blamed family illness for missing the deadline for registration, saying: “I can’t imagine life without her.”
• Lula, described as “extremely soft”, is close to her owner’s five-year-old and two other young children. Magistrates said it was a simple decision: “We aren’t going to have the dog destroyed.”
• Kush, named after a type of cannabis, was sold as an American bulldog but behaved well while undergoing a police examination.
• Another Zeus, who was also thought to be an American bull dog when bought by his owner. The court considered her to be a fit and proper person who met the conditions of the Dangerous Dogs Act.
Each dog and owner has to adhere to the rules granted by the exemptions set out in the Dangerous Dogs Act.
