A COURT has ordered the destruction of two guard dogs owned by property developer Johnny Ronan, after they attacked a woman who was walking on his estate near Enniskerry, Co Wicklow.
Honour Savage, of Kilgarron Hill, Enniskerry, told Bray District Court she was strolling along a woodland path widely used by walkers on September 9th, 2007, when five dogs surrounded her.
She said two large boxer dogs in the pack began to bite her legs and tried to pull her to the ground.
She said she had initially been unwilling to retreat because she had passed a woman with two small children a few minutes earlier and was terrified the dogs would see and attack them.
The resultant injuries required her admittance to Loughlinstown Hospital.
Ms Savage spent weeks going to the outpatients department for daily dressings, the court was told.
David Koenen, estate manager for the Ronans, said Ms Savage had strayed into an area of the estate that the family regarded as private, although he acknowledged there was no fence to prevent members of the public from doing this.
He said that he had installed a new security system a fortnight ago which meant the dogs would get an electric shock if they passed out of a garden area and he did not believe there would be a repeat of the incident.
He admitted, however, there had been no move to get rid of the boxers.
Jody Ronan, Mr Ronan's daughter, said the two dogs were pets and it was most unlike them to attack anybody.
But Ms Savage's barrister, Martin Tully, said: "It beggars belief that for seven months after this attack, these dogs were left marauding around an area where the public are known to walk on a regular basis."
Judge John Coughlan ordered that the animals be presented to the dog warden for destruction
He put a two-week stay on the order to destroy the dogs in case of an appeal.