A WOMAN who breached a court order by walking her dog without a muzzle has been fined.
Centenier Joao Camara said Michelle Bernice Ahier (42) was seen by PC John Shatford walking her French bulldog, Bentley, on 1 June this year.
She admitted to a breach of the order to keep her dog under proper control at the Magistrate’s Court this week.
The court had previously decided that Bentley needed to be muzzled and held on two leads, including one attached directly to the belt.
Advocate Chris Baglin, defending, said that Bentley was not a threat to people. There was one incident when he had injured another dog. He had been neutered since then.
Ahier had only removed his muzzle because she was concerned about the dog’s breathing on a hot day – as French bulldogs have been bred to have a short snout, and many of them have problems breathing as a result.
“Ms Ahier felt that would be exacerbated,” he added.
Bentley was a rescue dog, he said, and she was concerned about his “quality of life”.
Relief Magistrate Rebecca Morley-Kirk told Ahier: “You need to realise that when the court imposes an order, it does not impose it with any ability for you not to comply with the order.
“There is no discretion on you to decide not to follow the order because it is a warm day or because you are concerned about Bentley’s ability to breathe properly.”
She fined Ahier £400 and told her that she could come back to the court to apply for a change in the order, for example if she found an alternative type of muzzle.
