[ London Times ]
This newspaper, most correctly known simply as The Times, began publication in 1785 and continues to this day.
The June 3, 1830 edition of The Times carried the following report of an attack by a ferocious Newfoundland:
Yesterday a Mr. Gibbs, who resides at Kennington, applied to the sitting magistrate, Mr. Swaney, for a summons against an individual residing in Devonshire-street, for keeping a ferocious dog.
The applicant stated, that on his way home, in passing Devonshire-street, a large dog, of the Newfoundland species, ran out of a house at him, and attempted to seize him by the leg. With great difficulty he, however, prevented the infuriated animal from biting him. On subsequently complaining of the gross impropriety of permitting such a dog to be at large at this season, and particularly when such accidents had recently occurred, the owner of it came out, abused the applicant instead of expressing regret at the circumstance, and actually called forth two other dogs belonging to him, and set the whole three of them on him. The applicant, finding himself beset by three dogs, immediately called out "Murder!" when a serjeant of the police came to his assistance, and rescued him by using his truncheon. The applicant added, that he was anxioius to know whether he should be justified in destroying the first dog that attacked him, as he had since ascertained that it was a very ferocious animal, and quite the dread of the whole neighbourhood; he was therefore desirous of having the magistrate's sanction before he proceeded to this extremity.
The magistrate explained that, as sympathetic as he was, the current laws of England did not allow him to authorize the killing of another person's dog. He added, however, that were such a dog to be shot by someone whom it had attacked, "under the present excited state of public feeling, there was little fear to be apprehended from the verdict of a jury under such circumstances."