Pet nightmare on beach visit

Aug 29 2002 By Helen Harper, Caernarfon And Denbigh Herald

A DISABLED man who saw his pedigree dog, a Cruft's champion, being brutally killed by a larger dog on Black Rock Sands is calling for the council to force dog owners to put muzzles on larger dogs when out in public.

Richard Oram, from Nasareth, was walking his two Tibetan Spaniels on Black Rock Sands, Morfa Bychan, when one of his dogs, which was 12 years old, was set upon by a greyhound.

Five hours after the attack, the dog died, and Mr Oram was so distressed that he collapsed and an ambulance had to be called.

Mr Oram continued: "The greyhound pounced as if my dog was a rabbit. I'm disabled, and I called for help; the men who came struggled to get my dog free, but when they did, the greyhound got it a second time.

"He died five hours later at the vets, and I passed out with the shock.

"It's made me very ill, I'm in a dreadful state. It's a nightmare to watch your dog being killed. As I am disabled I have to let my dogs run free, and I am trying to get the council to put a notice there that all large dogs must be muzzled."

He added: "I had the dogs out and had the new one on a long lead, and the other comes back instantly when I call. What happens when it is a child?"

Mr Oram lives alone, and as his wife, who has Alzheimer's disease, is in care, his dogs are his only company.

"I walk my dogs on the beach three or four times a week, and in the winter it's all right because we all know each other and the locals have enough sense to put them on a lead.

"But when people come here in the summer from town, they don'trealise that a dog can be very dangerous. The council must see sense that when this happens the only safe thing to do is to get them muzzled," he said.

Since Mr Oram's dog died, he has been sent another trained dog by the Tibetan Spaniel Association, but nothing can compensate for what happened, and the strain it has put him under.

A spokesman from Gwynedd Council said: "Between May 1 and September 30 each year, dogs are prohibited from the part of the beach between the two main vehicle entrances and there are signs notifying people of this restriction.

"We have signs up at both entrances to the beach, but in the past some have been stolen and graffiti is sometimes written on them by pro-dog campaigners - people who want to take their dogs everywhere.

"We will make sure that these signs are still up and that they are clean, and if they need to be replaced, we will do so at once.

"A number of our beach patrol staff have been trained in dog enforcement laws, and making sure that dogs are kept under control is now part of their responsibilities. There are also wardens working for the council.

"There are bins for people to put the dog foulings in at the entrances and we are constantly making people aware of the need to clear dog foulings."