Free Bungle: Chow chow puppy returned to owners after being seized under Dangerous Dogs Act for ‘nibbling’ police officer’s hand

‘Bungle’s only a little puppy and he must have been frightened stiff as the police tried to take him away’

Bungle was seized by police after biting an officer (Facebook/Jules Graburn)

A chow chow puppy has been returned to its owners after it was detained under the Dangerous Dogs Act because it “nibbled” an officer while cornered and “frightened”.

Bungle was seized by Northamptonshire Police after biting an officer who spotted it loose on a busy road.

The force said the 16-week-old puppy was potentially endangering road users after it escaped from its owner’s house near Towcaster on 17 November.

The officer was bitten on the hand and arm but was not seriously hurt, it added.

On Thursday evening, Northamptonshire Police said a specialist dog handler had met with the family and the owners had agreed to a voluntary control order (VCO).

Chief Superintendent Chris Hillery defended police handling of the case, saying the decision to detain the dog had been taken "in the context of some very real and serious cases involving dog bites that have resulted in serious life-changing injuries and even death locally and nationally".

A Facebook group calling for the puppy’s release attracted more than 5,000 members.

The dog’s owners, David and Susan Hayes, had appointed lawyers to fight for Bungle’s release, according to The Sun. The puppy had followed Ms Hayes’s car through an electric gate outside the couple’s house before it closed. It was later found on an nearby A-road.

The couple told the newspaper: “We feel hugely comforted that it is not just us that feels the outcome of this accident is grossly draconian and disproportionate.”

They said they had been told that based on current case loads, it was unlikely they would see Bungle again until the new year and he could potentially be detained for up to nine months.

Mr Hillery said the decision to return the dog was not impacted by media coverage, but that the force had carried out a proportionate investigation and risk assessment.

He said: "We understand that the actions taken on this occasion have generated significant public opinion on the proportionality of the officers' actions.

"To be absolutely clear, I fully support the officers' actions in this case, the dog was unattended in a live carriageway and was aggressive to those present, resulting in the officer being bitten and receiving injuries that required hospital attention.

"The potential risk posed by the dog at that time is not diminished by its age or that it was frightened.

"Having already bitten the officer twice, causing puncture wounds and bruising, it would have been negligent to release a dog displaying such obvious aggression, regardless of the cause, without first ensuring both the dog's and the wider public's safety."

The force reminded Bungle's owners of their responsibility to ensure their pets are under control and do not present a danger to the wider public at any time.

Chow chows, which have been kept as pets in Britain since the 19th century, are a naturally protective breed and can be wary of strangers.

Additional reporting by agencies