A DANGEROUS dog found roaming freely in Enniskillen by the local council’s dog warden earlier this year is to be put down after its owner could not be traced, Fermanagh Magistrates Court has heard.

Deputy district judge, Neil Rafferty, granted the Destruction Order for the Pit Bull Terrier type dog known as ‘Patch’ on Monday afternoon, but described it as a “sad and tragic” case.

A representative from Fermanagh and Omagh District Council had earlier told the court that, in early January, the local authority’s dog warden had received complaints about a dog roaming freely at Carran Mews in the Drumbawn area of Enniskillen. The dog warden observed a “Pit Bull type” dog and seized the animal.

A gentleman then approached the council official and claimed that the dog was not a Pit Bull, but refused to give any more details.

Photographs were taken and a subsequent examination confirmed that it was a Pit Bull Terrier type dog, the court heard.

The dog warden had regularly attended the area where the dog had been seized in the intervening months, but the owner could not be traced.

The council representative told the court that the local authority was seeking the destruction order now as the dog was in heat and they were concerned that it could breed.

After listening to the evidence and viewing the photographs, deputy district judge Mr Rafferty observed that it was “quite clear” that the seized animal qualified as a dangerous dog.

The judge said that the owner of the animal could no longer be located and, as a dangerous dog, it could not be re-homed.

Describing it as a “sad and tragic” case, Mr Rafferty said that the animal was a “perfectly good dog” who appeared to be well looked-after.

However, the judge added that, as dangerous dogs couldn’t be re-homed, he was left with no other option but to order its destruction.

After the hearing, a spokesperson for Fermanagh and Omagh District Council said: “The application was for a Destruction Order under Article 25c (3) of the Dogs (Northern Ireland ) Order 1983, as amended by the Dogs ( Amendment) Act (Northern Ireland) 2011 in respect of a dog to which Article 25c (1) applied. No person has been, or is to be prosecuted, for an offence in respect of the dog as the owner has not come forward nor can they be found.”