The incident happened at Westmill Recreation Ground in Buntingford on March 24.

A black Labrador, Olive, was viscously mauled by a tan pit bull belonging to Marcus Gibson. 

The dog, later seized by police, inflicted serious injuries on Olive, who required specialist surgery and nearly two months of recovery.

Gibson, 32, of The Tannery, Buntingford, appeared at Stevenage Magistrates’ Court on Thursday (July 9).  
It comes after he pleaded guilty to being in charge of a dangerously out-of-control dog.

He was sentenced to 200 hours of unpaid work and banned from owning or being in control of a dog for five years.

He was also ordered to pay £1,500 in compensation to Olive’s owners.

Olive's owners have now spoken out for the first time since the attack and Gibson's sentencing.   
In a statement, they said: "As a family, we would like to sincerely thank the two police officers from East Herts Police in Buntingford for their unwavering support and dedication following Olive’s attack.

"We are also incredibly grateful to Reed Vets for their immediate care, and to the wonderful team at Swayne & Partners in Bury St Edmunds for helping Olive recover from her life-threatening injuries over almost eight weeks.

"Thank you also to our family, friends, and the wider community for their overwhelming kindness and support.

"We hope Olive’s story reminds all dog owners of the importance of keeping dogs on leads and, where appropriate, muzzled if they are not well-socialised, to help prevent such devastating incidents from happening again."

Sgt David Miller from the Buntingford Neighbourhood Policing Team added: "Firstly, I want to express my best wishes to Olive and her family after what I can only imagine was a traumatic incident.

"Seeing Olive's recovery over the past few months has been a breath of fresh air and goes to show how strong she has been throughout.

"I am pleased to see a positive outcome in this case and hope it provides some reassurance to Olive's family after everything they have been through.  
"Everyone is entitled to feel safe when going about their daily business and dog owners have a responsibility to keep their pets under control.

"In this case, Gibson thought that did not apply to him.

"I would also like to thank the members of the public who reported the incident, as well as the officers and call handler involved in the response."

Following the attack, the pit bull was seized by police and handed over to the Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire Dog Unit.

The dog was later humanely euthanised.

Dog owner sentenced after Labrador seriously injured in vicious pit bull attack (Buntingford, UK on March 24, 2026)