Andrew Begg, from Andrew Begg and Co, pleaded guilty to not being in control of his animal on four separate occasions.

Crown Advocate Chris Baglin told the court how in September 2016, a man was walking his two cocker spaniels on the road at the western end of Grève de Lecq when one of Begg’s dogs ran up the stairs from the beach and clutched its jaws around the cocker spaniel’s neck and began shaking her.

The man responded by kicking Begg’s Samoyed-breed dog which then released the animal. Begg’s other dog also went for the man’s other cocker spaniel but it ‘retaliated’ and managed to fend it off.

Advocate Baglin also told the court that in Spring this year, a St Ouen’s Bay property owner awoke to find a dog pinning one of his chickens to the ground. Begg appeared a few minutes later where he was told that the chicken was too badly hurt and had to be put down.

A week later the property owner awoke to find the dogs standing over one his chickens and it also had to be put down because of its condition.

After both matters were reported to police, Begg was interviewed by officers, and said he was ‘mortified’ by what had happened, would put the dogs on a long-lead and walk them in a different area.

However, on 31 July 2018, at around 7.30 am, the dogs were again being walked in St Ouen’s Bay, when one of them ran up the steps to another property where it killed a cat, owned by an 89-year-old woman.

Advocate Christina Hall, said that the incidents were out of character for the breed of dog and her client was enrolling on a Good Citizen Dog Training Scheme.

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She also said that Begg realised that the animals should have been kept closer to him but they were big dogs and needed to be allowed to run around.

Advocate Hall also urged the court to take a commonsense approach to the case as they did not want to see a large influx of dog owners in court.

In sentencing, Relief Magistrate David Le Cornu fined Begg a total of £4,000 and ordered him to place his dogs on a leash and for them to be muzzled when out in public. A further court decision will be made at a later date to determine if the order is made permanent.