Story By: Koen Berghuis, Sub Editor: Joseph Golder, Agency: CEN
The drunk owner of a Rottweiler has been jailed for six months after the dog mauled a one-year-old boy while she was walking it on the street leaving the boy fatally injured.
Young Waris died in September last year at a hospital in the Austrian capital Vienna 17 days after he was mauled by the dangerous dog.
On the fateful evening, Waris’ grandparents were taking him for a walk around the borough of Donaustadt when they encountered a drunk 49-year-old woman walking her dog.
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According to local media, the three-year-old Rottweiler named Joey broke free from its owner when it spotted the baby and ran towards him, biting the boy’s head.
According to local police, the female dog owner, whose name has not been reported due to privacy laws, was inebriated when she was walking her dog.
The woman appeared at a Vienna court on charges of reckless endangerment and was sentenced to six months in jail with an additional 12 months suspended.
She will also serve a three-year probation period.
The female dog owner has also been ordered to pay 65,000 EUR (55,540 GBP) in damages to the parents.
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Besides being drunk, the court also blamed the woman for not muzzling her dog as required under law.
The woman said that she still tried to pull her dog away from Waris even though she was “in a state of horror”.
A female passerby witnessed the horrific attack and bravely intervened.
She testified in court: “I punched the dog five or six times.”
Meanwhile, Joey the Rottweiler has been put down as it had previously attacked another person.
Waris’ father Raman Chhabra warned other parents to be vigilant on the streets when dogs are approaching.
He said: “I’ve lost something I’ll never get back. The pain and suffering my family is going through is unbearable.
“An innocent soul was taken just because someone was too drunk to look after her own dog, which was walking without a muzzle.”
Mother Vinka added: “We want to tell all European governments that dog muzzles are a must. There should be strict rules in place for dogs on our streets.”
