Pit bull that killed terrier belonged to prison boss

The owner of the pit bull that savaged a family’s dog in front of a young girl has expressed his deep regret and sorrow.

Commissioner of Corrections Eddie Lamb described the attack as a “very sad incident” and said both families were working together to get through the unfortunate ordeal.

He told the Bermuda Sun that he had left his dogs secured in their locked kennel inside a fenced yard when he and his family left their home in Texas Road, St David’s, on Sunday.

But he said that he made the decision to take his dog to the vet to have it put down after the shocking attack.

Mr Lamb added: “This is a very sad incident which has greatly upset both families involved.

“We have expressed our sincere regret to the owners of the dog, with whom we are well acquainted.

“My family and I were not at home at the time of the incident, having left our dogs well secured in their locked kennel, and inside an entirely fenced-off yard.

“I personally took my dog to the vet and had it put down following this incident.

“Both of our families are deeply upset and working together to get through this traumatic experience.”

The Bermuda Sun understands that the female owner of the small terrier that was killed has not made an official complaint. The dog responsible for the attack was a licensed pit bull.

A decision over whether a dog owner will face criminal charges for an incident such as this will only be made by the Department of Public Prosecutions after it has received a report from the Dog Warden.

The vicious attack on Sunday afternoon left residents living in Texas Road, St David’s, deeply shocked and saddened.

One local resident said: “I heard the lady screaming and crying ‘Help me, help me’ from my house and I rushed out to the street.

“I was really scared when I came out. I saw the pit had the smaller dog in its mouth but I did not know what to do.

“The woman was shouting at her daughter to go home and get help.

“I had a piece of pole in my hand. I screamed at the dog and got ready to hit it but it just ran off.

“It was pretty horrendous and gruesome to witness.

“I just told the lady she had to call the police.”

The neighbour added: “There are lots of pit bulls in the neighbourhood and people are scared of them because they have a bad name.

“Something like this really does not help that.”

Another concerned neighbour said: “I’m sad to hear that he had to put his dog down, but this isn’t a breed of dog that we can have terrorizing our neighborhoods.

“No matter how much of a loving home they are in, they seem to still be capable of terrible acts.

“How many more stories like this have to be in the paper before something changes?”

The Bermuda Sun contacted the Department of Environment for an update on the Government’s position on banned breeds and whether it would be reviewed in light of this latest attack, but we did not receive a response as of press time.