Picture for illustrative purposes only. ARCHIVE

Three people were fined a total of Dh50,000 after their dog attacked an Emirati woman and her children at a Fujairah beach. The Fujairah Court of First Instance on Sunday (May 7) fined an Emirati man, his sister and his sister’s friend Dh10,000 each for breaking the UAE’s pet ownership law. The man’s sister and her friend were also fined an additional Dh10,000 each for endangering people’s lives after they took the dog out to the beach without a leash. The incident happened in Qidfa beach last December after the man’s sister and her friend took the dog out for a walk. The animal became aggressive and attacked 39-year-old Nadyah Ahmed, her 11-year-old daughter and six-year-old son. Luckily, the family’s nanny was able to get inside their car with Ahmed’s 14-month-old baby and escape an attack. Beachgoers were stunned as the animal attacked the family in a 15-minute struggle that saw the mother trying to rescue her children from being mauled by the animal. The mother and her two children sustained multiple bites in various parts of their body and were taken to Khor Fakkan Hospital for treatment. During interrogation, the owner of the dog told the public prosecution that he did not have a license to own the dog. His sister said that the dog had escaped from its leash and attacked the victims. The Ahmed family has reportedly filed an appeal in order to seek a harsher penalty for the trio. A new verdict is expected on May 10. The family will also file a civil lawsuit against the dog owner and his sister for moral damages. The court did not release details about the breed of the dog that attacked the family. Under UAE laws, there are 12 dog breeds banned in the emirates. These include pit bulls, wolf dogs, Argentinian mastiffs, rottweilers, American bully, Doberman pinschers, Perro de Presa Canario, boxers, American Staffordshire terriers, Brazilian mastiffs, Japanese tosa and crossbreeds of any of these types of dogs. ICA/Expat Media
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