Laika fatally attacked in Malvern Link after a prior incident involving the same dog, raising system failure concerns.
Richard’s mom, Jan, was walking Laika around 7 PM on January 7 by St Matthias Church when another dog ran toward them and attacked. Laika was badly injured, and vets had to put her to sleep. Jan tried saving Laika but was hurt and needed hospital care.
Richard said the police knew the attacking dog also attacked on October 17 at Worcester Road, Malvern Link Common. A small dog died after that attack, which involved two dogs.
Despite this prior incident, police gave the owner a caution and returned the dog. Richard was very upset by all this. He feels Laika’s death was preventable, and his mom’s injuries could have been avoided too.
Richard feels angry at the system, believing police failed to protect everyone. West Mercia Police confirmed the same dog attacked on both January 7 and October 17. Police stated the October 17 case wasn’t aggravated because the dog hurt no people or helper dogs.
Consequently, they issued a caution instead of pursuing court action. They could not ban the dog or keep him because the law didn’t allow for that at the time. They are investigating the January 7 attack, and the dog was put to sleep after this attack.