A woman from Glen Maye has been fined £25 by magistates for having a dog without a licence.

Nicola Julie Frances Wren-Kennish, of Sound Road, was also ordered to keep her dog under proper control.

She admitted the two offences, of having an unlicensed dog and failing to keep the dog under proper control and was also ordered to pay £50 prosecution costs.

Prosecutor Barry Swain told the court how, on October 1 at 3pm, police were notified of a dog at large in Sound Road.

When they arrived, they found the Alsation cross breed labrador, called Jeff, barking and highly agitated.

Police contacted Wren-Kennish and requested that she collect the dog and she did.

Mr Swain said that there had been ongoing issues with neighbours over 18 months and Wren-Kennish had received a caution in October last year for unlawfully having a dog at large.

She told police that she had left a window latch on and Jeff had escaped through the window.

She was also found to have no valid dog licence.

Defending Wren-Kennish in court, her advocate Stephen Wood said: ’It is clear in my submission that this is a lady who deeply loves her dog.

’She knows there is a problem with Jeff. He’s a gangly dog and is a bit of an escape artist. She has spent considerable sums of money on fencing so he can’t get out.

’One of the issues was when a neighbour cut back an area of shrubbery which was acting as part of the fence. They are quite entitled to do that.

’Some cable ties have been cut which have lowered the fence. There seems to be some animosity. She does now have a dog licence and has taken steps to ensure Jeff doesn’t get out of her garden.

’On this occasion she left the window latch off and Jeff, being the escape artist that he is, it resulted in him barking at a gate.

Clerk to the justices Stephen Tucker said that the failure to keep the dog under proper control was not a criminal offence and the magistrates could only make an order that the dog be kept under control in future.