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| First UK pit bull amnesty begins | First UK pit bull amnesty begins |
| (30 minutes later) | |
| The United Kingdom's first amnesty for pit bull terriers has begun in County Antrim. | The United Kingdom's first amnesty for pit bull terriers has begun in County Antrim. |
| Owners of the illegal breed of dogs who live in the Ballymena area have been given the month of January to hand in animals without fear of prosecution. | Owners of the illegal breed of dogs who live in the Ballymena area have been given the month of January to hand in animals without fear of prosecution. |
| On Monday, a five-year-old girl was mauled to death by a pit bull terrier type dog, on Merseyside. | On Monday, a five-year-old girl was mauled to death by a pit bull terrier type dog, on Merseyside. |
| Ballymena council dog warden Nigel Devine said two pit bull terriers had already been handed in. | |
| Both of the animals were put down, although Mr Devine stressed neither appeared vicious. | Both of the animals were put down, although Mr Devine stressed neither appeared vicious. |
| Nine owners have asked him in advance to check their pets in case they had unwittingly been sold pit bulls - none of those examined turned out to be the illegal breed. | Nine owners have asked him in advance to check their pets in case they had unwittingly been sold pit bulls - none of those examined turned out to be the illegal breed. |
| "Two pit bulls have been presented to us already," he said. | "Two pit bulls have been presented to us already," he said. |
| "One was left at our landfill site early in December and the other was just handed in to us at the council." | "One was left at our landfill site early in December and the other was just handed in to us at the council." |
| The idea for an amnesty followed a pit bull attack on a family in County Antrim in November. | The idea for an amnesty followed a pit bull attack on a family in County Antrim in November. |
| Deirdre Doherty said the family was very lucky | |
| Sean and Deirdre Doherty, their son Ben and a family friend escaped with only minor injuries after an horrific attack by a pitbull-type dog in Randalstown Forest Park. | |
| Recalling the incident, Mrs Doherty said someone would have been killed if the family's pet labrador, Troy, had not fought the dog off. | |
| Troy was killed in the attack. | |
| "(The dog) turned me on my back and was quite literally going to rip my face off when my husband got it from behind and pulled it off me," Mrs Doherty said. | |
| "The dog then broke free from my husband and went after the kids, it was just about to pull them down from behind when Ben's dog (Troy) dived into the side of the dog and pulled it away from Ben and down into the gully." | |
| David Wilson, of the Ulster Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, said the criminal trade in dangerous dogs must end. | |
| "There is a serious problem out there. We have seen evidence of that in the last 24 hours," Mr Wilson said. | |
| "We are not in the business of having family pets put down. But there is a significant hard core out there with these dogs that are using them for criminal activities." |