Dog owner sentenced after Cowley toddler attacked
A woman whose dog attacked a toddler in an Oxfordshire park has told a court she never wants to keep dogs again.
Victoria Betnay's two Staffordshire cross terriers attacked the 21-month-old boy in a park in Cowley in March.
Ms Betnay, 42, of Benouville Close, previously pleaded guilty to allowing dogs to be dangerously out of control and possessing fighting dogs.
Oxford magistrates ordered her to pay £500 compensation and carry out six months of community service.
On the day of the attack, the dogs had escaped from the family home before running to a nearby park.
They jumped up at a mother and one of the dogs bit the child in the leg, drawing blood. The boy later underwent plastic surgery.
Magistrates had previously told Ms Betnay she could face prison.
During Wednesday's hearing she was told she would not be banned from keeping dogs.
They described her as a "fit and proper person" and said the fact that she had her dogs destroyed soon after the attack showed she was a responsible dog owner.