A man drowned after he refused to let go of his pet dogs which had fallen through ice on the River Tees near Stockton, an inquest heard.

John Butterfield, 51, of Portrack estate, plunged through the ice while trying to save his dogs in January.

Passers-by tried to save him using a tree branch but Mr Butterfield refused to let go of his pets.

Teesside Coroner’s Court recorded a verdict of accidental death on Thursday.

The coastguard, the Cleveland Police fire boat and a police helicopter were involved in the rescue operation.

Attempts were made to revive Mr Butterfield, who had been in the water for about 25 minutes on 10 January, but he was confirmed dead at Middlesbrough’s James Cook Hospital.

The inquest heard passers-by Alan Wheatley and Steve Canham risked their own lives trying to reach Mr Butterfield with a log.

Mr Canham, from Billingham, said: “We shouted for him to let go of the dogs and grab it with both hands, but he just wouldn’t.”

“I shouted ‘mate, the dogs have had it’. The man with me said ‘save yourself’.

“He seemed to let go of the log and disappeared under the water.”

A pathologist found unemployed Mr Butterfield who had mild learning difficulties, died from drowning.

Recording a verdict of accidental death, Teesside Coroner Michael Sheffield said: “His concern for the dogs was admirable but according to the evidence he seems to have become obsessive about his two dogs.

“It seems he continued to hold the two dogs when they became limp, which prevented him from holding onto the log.

“Had he properly been able to hold onto the log with both hands his life might well have been saved but that’s not what happened.”

Family members left the inquest without commenting.

Piles of dog mess have been spray-painted bright green by a Dorset council to try to shock owners into picking up their pets’ waste.

Poole council took the action after about 200 piles of mess were found in an alley near Poole High School.

Workers are still cleaning mess on the paths but any piles on the grass verges in the area will be painted and, if not removed, cleared up after a week.

Opposition councillor Brian Clements said it was a “bizarre thing to do”.

The Liberal Democrat added: “My first sense would be to catch the people who let their dogs foul and take action against them.

“These council workers should be spending the time finding these people not painting piles of dog poo, it is a very bizarre thing to do.

“I think the people that are leaving the mess will be amused by these piles of bright green mess rather than put off by them.”

The Conservative-controlled council said it hoped the paint would show the scale of the problem to dog owners.

Environmental officers will also be visiting the area to advise people to clean up after their animals.

Shaun Robson, head of environmental services, said: “Dog fouling is a real concern for residents of Poole.

“Unfortunately we have a small minority that don’t seem to get the message.

£50 fine

“We hope the paint will help highlight the size of the problem and change people’s behaviour.

“We do our best to catch people but it is very difficult and we have to think of new ways, like this idea.”

It has not been decided how long the trial will run for. It began on Wednesday after the discovery of the mess.

People who do not clean up after their dog can be given a £50 fine.

If they refuse to pay, they can be prosecuted and may face a court appearance with a maximum penalty of a £1,000 fine.

Some of you will have seen our new logo already.

As from 19th July 2010 we have officially changed our name from The Dog House to Halo Dogs LTD

The reason?

Nothing more than wanting our own name that is easily recogniseable and identifiable as The Dog House was being used by so many other companies from gift shops to pubs and record labels!!

Success of the scheme depends on dog owners donating their pets’ blood
A blood bank exclusively for dogs has been launched for the first time in India, academics at a university in the city of Madras (Chennai) say.

The blood bank has been set up so that middle class dog owners can get treatment for their pets in the event of a road accident.

Such incidents have spiralled in number across India because of increasing urbanisation and more traffic.

The success of the scheme depends on dog owners donating their pets’ blood.

“This is the first blood bank of its kind in the country,” Tamil Nadu Veterinary and Animal Sciences University Vice Chancellor P Thangaraju told the BBC.

He said that many dogs lose their lives because blood bank facilities do not exist in the country.

‘Frequently injured’

“Dogs get frequently injured – not only while crossing roads but also in and around the many multi-story apartments that exist across the country,” he said.

Dr Thangaraju said that the lack of availability of blood has become a major cause of death among dogs, especially when the animals require surgery.

He said that appeals for volunteers to come forward and donate blood from their dogs had been “encouraging”, although he expected it would take some time before a satisfactory reserve had been built up.

Although there are no plans at present to make the blood bank commercially viable, the university has plans to do so in future – depending upon the availability of blood which Dr Thangaraju said would be sold “for a small fee”.

He said that the collection and storing of canine blood was the same as the process used to collect human blood and that stringent measures would be taken to ensure that donated blood is free from infection.

Dogs aged between one to eight – with body weight of around 20kg – are considered eligible for blood donations, Dr Thangaraju said.

A maximum of 300 millilitres per dog can be donated at any one time and a healthy dog can donate between four and six times a year.

Figures produced by the university show that about 100,000 pets – the overwhelming majority of which are dogs – are treated by veterinary hospitals every year in India.

Experts say that the blood donations will only involve a tiny percentage of India’s canine population – figures released by dog protection groups say that the country’s eight million stray dog population is unlikely ever to benefit.

The RSPCA wants would-be owners to consider Staffies as pets

The RSPCA found new homes for more Staffordshire bull terriers than any other type of dog last year.

The animal charity said it rehoused 507 of the 615 “staffies” and crosses it had taken into its 13 regional centres.

The high number needing new homes was in part down to their popularity with irresponsible owners “more interested in their own image”, it said.

After staffies, the top breeds rehoused were Jack Russells, German shepherds, border collies, then Labradors.

‘Brilliant companions’

The welfare charity, which is marking RSPCA Week, said despite the negative image of Staffies as “status dogs” they can make fantastic pets.

Anna White, who runs the RSPCA’s Southridge Animal Centre in Potters Bar, Hertfordshire, said: “Some people think staffies don’t make good pets but when in the right hands, well cared for and properly trained, they can make brilliant companions.”

The charity rehoused 363 staffies and 144 staffie crosses, but said the number may be higher as it was not possible to gather figures from all its centres and 170 branches.

It called for would-be owners looking for a pet to consider the breed.

There has been a sharp rise in the number of people bitten by police dogs in Derbyshire, figures show.

So far this year 17 incidents have been reported in the county compared to 12 for the whole of 2009.

All but one of the bites happened at a football match between Derby County and Nottingham Forest at Pride Park where dogs were used to control the crowd.

Dog bites can result in serious injuries but no serious injuries have been reported this year, said police.

In 2008 14 incidents were reported. Prior to 2008, three incidents were recorded in both 2005 and 2006, and four incidents were reported in 2007.

Supt Gary Parkin said the figures were nothing to worry about and the dogs were “very highly trained”.

Derbyshire Police have 20 German shepherd dogs for use in public order situations, where the dogs are said to be effective deterrents.

Police said the girl’s uncle was not at home at the time of the attack
An 18-month-old girl killed by a dog at her home in West Sussex on Saturday has been named by police as Zumer Ahmed.

She was in the kitchen with her grandmother, mother and sister when the dog – believed to be an American bulldog – attacked her in Crawley.

A post-mortem examination showed she died from haemorrhaging and a fractured skull from multiple dog bites.

Zumer’s uncle Urfan Ahmed, 32, has been bailed until July on suspicion of manslaughter pending further inquiries.

Sussex Police said it was trying to establish the circumstances which led up to the incident.

The dog picked up the child and attacked her in front of her family

Det Ch Insp Trevor Bowles
Officers were called to reports of a girl suffering head injuries in Cotton Walk, Broadfield, just after midday on Saturday.

She was taken to East Surrey Hospital but died shortly after arrival.

The dog is set to be destroyed.

Det Ch Insp Trevor Bowles said the dog picked up Zumer and mauled her in front of her family.

Two workmen at a nearby property heard screaming and ran to help. They distracted the dog which dropped the girl.

A spokesman for Sussex Police said officers believe the dog is an American bulldog but that was yet to be confirmed by experts.

American bulldogs are not a breed banned under the Dangerous Dogs Act.

Police said the girl’s uncle was not in the property at the time of the attack, but arrived shortly afterwards and was arrested.

Dog wardens in Staffordshire are appealing for witnesses after a puppy was abandoned at Keele services.

Wardens in Newcastle-under-Lyme said the whippet was left at 1425 BST on Wednesday by people who then drove off on the M6 towards Birmingham.

The dog, which is about six months old, was taken to a vet and received food and fluids, along with a course of antibiotics.

It has now been transferred to the City Dogs’ Home in Bucknall, Stoke-on-Trent.

Warden Darren Hawkesworth said: “It all happened very quickly – the gentleman who called us heard a car pull up and then discovered the dog, who was in a very bad state.

“By the time he got to the puppy there was no sign of the vehicle.”

He added: “More dogs have been dumped since the credit crunch began and our message is don’t take on a dog unless you can look after them properly.”

Dogs have been completely banned at 72 parks in a Nottinghamshire district.

The measures have been brought in by Newark and Sherwood District Council after some owners failed to clean up after their pets.

Dog walkers who flout the ban face £75 on-the-spot fines, which can rise to £1,000 if the matter goes to court.

Some owners have said the ban is unfair on people who do clean up dog waste and that it will force them to drive to sites where they can walk their pets.

The ban will be enforced by animal welfare officers, park rangers and police community support officers.

Other measures have been brought in for other parks and open spaces in the area, including a ban on walking more than six dogs at a time and a rule obliging owners to keep dogs on a lead at all times.

Dog walkers have expressed concern they will be breaking the measures unwittingly as signs are not yet in place in all areas.

I think this is really well overstepping things

Caroline Kisko, The Kennel Club
The council has not produced a list of where pet owners can exercise their animals.

Nottinghamshire resident Jane Jenkins said: “It’s ridiculous. Where do they think you’re going to take them? Up the village where the shops are? On the pavements?”

Caroline Kisko, from The Kennel Club, said: “I think this is really well overstepping things.”

She also believes that the ban could encourage dog owners to use their cars in order to get to different places to walk their pets.

Councillor Nora Armstrong said: “Dog fouling is rightly becoming a social taboo in today’s society.

“These powers, which also help us to control where dogs are taken and how many, should help us make sure more people enjoy a cleaner, greener and safer environment in Newark and Sherwood.”

The court heard some dogs were kept in almost total darkness

Inspectors found dogs kept on soiled bedding and kennels smelling of urine at Swansea’s greyhound stadium.

One animal had an open cut on its tail with blood smeared across its kennel wall, magistrates in the city heard.

Other dogs were roaming loose and there was an open bin bag and a block of frozen meat dumped on the floor.

Francis Short, 64, who lives at the track in Fforestfach run by his ex-wife, admitted one offence under the Animal Welfare Act and must pay £515.

Kelly Byrne, prosecuting on behalf of Swansea council, told the court environmental health officers visited the stadium on 5 March this year.

She said they found the greyhound kennels were of a “very poor standard”.

As well as the soiled bedding and general disrepair some dogs were kept in poor light “with some kennels in complete darkness”.

A vet who was called to look at the dog with the open wound thought it was at least a week old, said Ms Byrne.

Short told officers that he had been treating the dog but it must have “eaten the bandages”.

Stadium closing

He had pleaded guilty at an earlier hearing and was before the court for sentencing.

In mitigation Craig Davies said his client had been involved with racing dogs for 55 years and had never been in trouble before.

He said Short was in poor health which had made it difficult for him to care for the dogs kept at the track, although he did receive daily assistance from the Greyhound Trust.

Mr Davies argued that many of the problems “were cosmetic” and that Short had been treating the injured animal.

He said since the incident the kennels had been refurbished but Short’s ex-wife only had one year left on her lease for the site so the stadium would close within a year.

Short was fined £250, ordered to pay £250 towards prosecution costs and a £15 victim surcharge.