Drama in Upper Austria

Dog owner’s “victim role” not credible

A mourning flower at the scene of the tragedy in Naarn (Upper Austria).

(Bild: Einöder Horst)

The dog owner's statement on the tragedy in Naarn (Upper Austria) leaves no one cold. The woman from Mühlviertel (38), whose three American Staffordshire terriers had bitten a jogger to death in Naarn at the beginning of October last year, and who had been sentenced to 15 months imprisonment for this, had spoken out on Facebook.

In her post, the 38-year-old offers her sincere condolences to the bereaved, but then writes of an "accident", a "media witch hunt" and of having "gone through hell herself". However, the thoughts of many Krone readers are with the bereaved families of the dead athlete: "Unfortunately, society is such that the perpetrators get more sympathy than the victims. My sympathy goes out to the son and husband," writes Anna Leitner, for example.

More than 400 comments on "krone.at"
More than 400 comments were also posted on the internet following the "Krone" report on Friday. "It must be pure mockery for the bereaved!" "Hopefully this person will never be allowed to keep dogs like this again! The pity ploy doesn't work", or "You have to dare to do that. A person died a horrible death because of you and you're just publicly bathing in self-pity," are just some of the many critical comments on krone.at.

"A muzzle can save a lot of grief"
Apart from this, there was a bite attack in the Traunviertel region at the beginning of this week. The dog "Bella" was attacked by two other dogs while out for a walk and was so badly injured that she had to be operated on. It was only because "Bella's" owner had grabbed one of the attackers by the collar and dragged him away that the four-legged friend was still alive.

Here too, the owner is said to have been powerless to restrain his two dogs. On Facebook, "Bella's" owner writes "how dangerous it can be to keep dogs that you already can't control in everyday situations". She concludes: "It is only a small step to put a muzzle on your dog, but it can save a lot of suffering."