Mum of four who had her face ripped off by a dog in court battle to let ‘dangerous’ Pit bulls live with her kids
Roberta Jackson, 34, wins fight for permission to have pair of pooches exempted from Dangerous Dogs Act
A MUM-OF-FOUR who had half her face ripped off by a dog has triumphed in a court battle to allow a pair of ‘dangerous’ Pit bulls to live with her and her kids.
Roberta Jackson, 34, took on the authorities to adopt Mimi, three, and two-year-old Tia after they were seized by police as dangerous dogs and faced the risk of being put down.
As a one-year-old the full-time mum, from Halifax, West Yorks, needed a five-hour operation and was scarred for life when she was savaged by a Rottweiler belonging to a family friend.
But Roberta insists her pooches – who are two of only a handful of dogs in the UK to be exempted from the Dangerous Dogs Act – are the perfect family pets.
Roberta, who is mum to Dion-Lee, seven, five-year-old Tiana-Love, Katira-Italia, four, and two-year-old Giovanna-Mia, said: "I had to prove to the courts I was a capable owner and was willing to take the risk of bringing these supposedly dangerous dogs into my home to live with my children.
"Because I had four young kids, you could say that made it more of a danger.
"But any dog can be a danger – as a one-year-old a family dog who had been around kids his whole life savaged me for no reason and took half my face off when I wasn't even near him.
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"It has never made me scared of dogs, but I understand exactly how dangerous dogs can be."
Section one of the Dangerous Dogs Act (DDA), breed-specific legislation (BSL), bans four dog breeds deemed by their shape to be bred for fighting – making it illegal to own any dog which looks like a pit bull terrier.
In February this year Roberta was driving home from a children's birthday party in the Boothtown area of Halifax when two-year-old stray Tia ran in front of her car.
The mum took the dog home to find her owner but when she attempted to have Tia's microchip checked she was seized by the police as a dangerous pit bull and put in a pound.
Roberta embarked on a mission to have Tia returned to her care and in the meantime found Mimi, a three-year-old stray pit bull seized in Manchester who was also due to be put down, via Facebook.
Determined to adopt both dogs, Roberta fought two court battles against Greater Manchester Police and West Yorkshire Police to prove the pooches did not pose a danger to the public.
This meant the mum-of-four also had to prove to the court she was a fit and proper owner by undergoing stringent home, family and criminal record checks.
Roberta was successful and was granted Contingent Destruction Orders for Mimi at Preston Magistrates Court in March and for Tia at Wakefield Magistrates Court in August.
The court order meant the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) were required to grant exemption certificates excluding both dogs from the Dangerous Dogs Act (DDA).
Fundraisers helped Roberta pay the £3,000 in court fees, DEFRA certificates, vets costs and training.
And now both dogs, who also underwent behaviour assessments, live in her family home but had to be microchipped, insured and neutered and must be muzzled and kept on a lead in public.
And Roberta insists her children are perfectly safe around the "couch potato" pooches – who she said like nothing more than a cuddle and stroke.
Roberta said: "When I decided to fight for the dogs I had barely met Tia and didn't know anything about Mimi so obviously I was nervous, because I didn't know what the situation would be at home.
"But luckily they are really brilliant and loving. You couldn't ask for better dogs and they are so gentle with the kids, and the kids know to have boundaries with them too.
"It is like they are both so grateful to have this new life. They are part of our family.
"Before this I was oblivious to the law around pit bulls, but there was no way I would have let either of them be put to sleep.
"I didn't even think about having to go through the courts.
"I just wanted to help them whatever the costs and do everything I could to make sure they were happy, as otherwise they would have died."
A DEFRA spokesman said: "Dog attacks can have horrific consequences for victims and families.
"The DDA ensures tough prison sentences for owners who do not control their dogs, and gives police and local authorities the power to intervene early.
"Prohibiting certain types of dog under the DDA is crucial to help deal with the heightened risk they pose."
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