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Rottweilers kill pony and are shot dead by Lancashire police

Amy Mathieson, H&H news writer

28 April, 2008

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A pony has died after being savagely attacked in a field by two rottweiler dogs.

Police arrived at the field in Clough End Road, Haslingden, Lancashire just before 2am on Sunday, 27 April, following a call from a member of the public.

The pony was already dead when officers arrived and the exact cause of death was still unknown.

Police firearms officers shot dead at the scene the two dogs that mauled and killed the pony.

Inspector Dave Hodson from Rossendale Valley Police said: "We gave every consideration to dealing with the dogs as humanely as possible but sadly it was necessary for us to take immediate action.

"I must stress this is not our preferred option but the dogs were considered to be dangerously out of control and we were left no choice.

"We will now be looking into how the dogs managed to escape from what appears to be a secure compound less than a mile away."

Following a recent spate of dog attacks on horses and riders recently (news, H&H 13 March) the British Horse Society (BHS) is asking victims to contact them (news H&H 6 March).

Mark Weston from the BHS told H&H: "This is a truly horrific incident with tragic consequences.

"We are receiving more and more reports of horses being attacked by out of control dogs and I would urge victims to complete a dog attack incident report form on our website (www.bhs.org.uk) so that we can highlight the prevalence of this problem and educate owners who do not keep their dogs under control of the dangerous and tragic consequences of not doing so.''

The owners of the pony and the dogs have been traced by police and an investigation is underway.

Anyone with any information should contact the police. Tel: 01282 425001.

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