Cat killed by three dogs on Burton Woods estate, Spennymoor

Owners Leanne and Liss, who live on the Burton Woods estate in Spennymoor, are mourning the death of their cat Tobias after it was savagely attacked by three lurcher dogs in the outside alleyway of their house.

The incident, which happened at about 9.30pm on Saturday (February 17), saw Tobias accidentally get out of the property in Spennymoor and head to the back garden of the house. 

At the time, Leanne and Liss were getting ready for bed and were watching out for Tobias when they heard a commotion in the back garden, which started at the front of the house and then continued to the back of the property. 

Tobias the cat (Image: FAMILY)

After running down to the garden, the couple were greeted with the sight of several dogs standing over Tobias, who looked to not be moving. 

Despite Leanne picking up Tobias from the floor to take him inside, the attack from the dogs didn’t stop there – with the animals following the couple into the house to try and attack Tobias further. 

Speaking about the horrific ordeal, Liss said: “The dogs followed us inside and started jumping up – we also had a puppy, which was luckily in a crate – I don’t want to think about what would have happened if the puppy wasn’t in the crate.”

Luckily for the couple, a neighbour had raced over to help at this stage and managed to get the dogs out of the house – with no sign of the owners of the dogs around five to ten minutes after the attack.

After trying to find the owner of the dogs, a man, who is allegedly the owner of the dogs, appeared outside the couple’s property and was confronted by neighbours of Liss and Leanne. 

Tobias the cat was killed outside the couple’s house in Spennymoor (Image: FAMILY)

“He didn’t seem bothered in any shape or form that his dogs had killed our cat or that they were off the lead. He walked off without a care in the world,” said Liss. 

Leanne added: “It’s disgusting that our wee boy was taken from us on our own property where he should have been safe.

“This could have been avoided through responsible dog ownership and had them on leads in a residential area, especially when they are hunting dogs. We are scared of this and want this man caught. We don’t even feel safe walking our puppy now.”

The couple have reported the incident to the police – which saw an officer come over to the house in Spennymoor. 

But, according to the couple, they were told that the worst that would happen to the dog owner was that he’d have to pay damages to the couple because Tobias was their ‘property’ and it would go down as criminal damage. 

Liss added: “The lack of action from the police and them saying it would go down as criminal damage has angered us.

Recommended:

Grab our digital subscription for £5 for 5 months and stay connected with local happenings. Click here

“How can a member of the family being killed only count as criminal damage?”

As well as contacting the police, the couple have been in touch with MP Dehenna Davison, with the hope of meeting her and other politicians next week to discuss ‘out of control’ dogs and criminal measures for dog attacks.

In the meantime, Liss and Leanne are asking anyone who has information about this incident to contact the police on 101 and provide crime reference CRI00529838.

The man who is believed to be the owner is described as being late 30s/early 40s, average height, skinny with a gaunt face, and had a khaki green jacket on with three lurcher dogs.

Durham Police have confirmed details of the incident – and have appealed to the owner of the dogs to come forward. 

A spokesperson for the police force said: “We received a report of an incident in which a pet cat died after being bitten by dogs in Spennymoor.

“Officers are investigating an incident which happened at around 9.30pm on Friday, February 17 when lurchers chased the cat into the garden of property in Dunstanburgh Walk and then inside the house.

“A neighbour assisted the cat owner in getting the dogs out of the property, but sadly the cat died of its injuries.

“Police would like to speak to the owner of the dogs, who left the scene without leaving his details”.

“Anyone with information should ring PC Christopher Peacock, from Bishop Auckland response team, on 101 quoting incident 131 of February 18.”