'Staffy' dog would not release Oakley until he was dead

On Wednesday 1 June just inside Richmond Park near Roehampton Gate at 2:45pm a local resident was walking alone with her two small Yorkshire Terriers when she says they were suddenly attacked by a big, grey dog which she believes to have been an Staffordshire Bull Terrier.

The owner told this website, "This was a senseless unprovoked attack from a strong, scary dog on two little ones that were half his size and, I should add, both on their leads (the Staffordshire Bull Terrier was not). Oakley, who was the smallest and only weighed 2 lbs, was savagely mauled to death in front of myself and other park users. The owner of this Staff and myself tried our hardest to free Oakley by punching, pulling and prying at the Staff's jaws, but once he locked them down on Oakley's back he did not let go until he was dead. This horrific scene took place over minutes and was truly unbelievable on a summer afternoon in Richmond Park. This incident was the first of its kind where a dog kills another dog in the park, and even the police were shocked".

The owner said the dog was out of control, not on a lead, and very, very dangerous and aggressive. "I would just like to make everyone in this area aware of the dog as the owners have refused to have it put down, so we will be pursuing it through the judicial system from here on in. However, we have been advised this is a slow process and can take up to six months to be resolved. BUT... this dog potentially could still be in Richmond Park as it just lives on the Roehampton Estate and probably goes in often".

We await a comment from the police.

June 12, 2017