A DOG that injured its new owners while attacking a family cat will not be destroyed, thanks to a dog warden.

Tim Oxley, Swale Council's animal control officer, refused to allow the English bull terrier to be put down and instead found it a new home.

Mr Oxley said: "I thought it would be wrong to have this particular animal destroyed, there was no need for it.

"Unfortunately, even the calmest dog will chase a cat. This doesn't mean the dog is dangerous.

"He was very placid."

Sharon Monk and husband Brian, of Vincent Road, Sittingbourne, got the terrier from Jasmil Kennels and Cattery in Upchurch on April 11 as a companion for their eight-year-old dog Charlie.

On the way home, the couple stopped at the house of their son Chris, 30, and wife Debbie, 31, who own two cats.

Mrs Monk, an NVQ assessor, said: "We took the terrier through to the garden, then my son went into the kitchen and left the back door open.

"The dog got in and lunged for the cat, it went straight for its throat. We all piled in, trying to get the dog off the cat and we all got injured."

The family went to Sittingbourne's Memorial Hospital where retired Mr Monk senior, 64, was told he may have to have skin grafts to deep bites on his hands.

Mrs Monk said the cat, eight-year-old Missey, was traumatised.

She continued: "We had an horrific experience. I don't think the assessment of the dogs is rigorous enough.

"The terrier obviously didn't like other animals. I've spoken to its previous owner and she said she'd given that information to the kennels. We kept asking if it would be OK with cats but the staff didn't say anything."

Barry Shuttlewood, the owner of Jasmil, confirmed the dog had been returned less than two hours after it was picked up.

Mr Shuttlewood said: "The original owner said the dog didn't get on with her dog – that's why she couldn't keep it.

"She didn't say anything about cats but you can never tell how a dog is going to get on with cats.

"We would never expect anyone to keep a dog they're not happy with but we're quite happy with everything we've done. We do our absolute best for all the dogs."

Mr Oxley praised the work of the kennels, saying: "I can't see any blame attached to Jasmil. They did more than enough. When people take on a dog they need to take some personal responsibility. This dog didn't know the house it was going to. It saw a cat it didn't know and did what dogs do."

Mr Oxley said staff at Jasmil approached him saying they couldn't re-home a dog that had attacked humans, even accidentally, and they feared the only option was to put it down.

However, the dog warden found the mutt a new home where he wouldn't come into contact with other animals.

Read Tim Oxley's online blog at www.swale.gov.uk/dog-blog-by-the-dog-warden.