Two dog owners were fined $500 after their pets tore a cat apart in a vicious attack.

The dogs -- a Pitbull and another terrier -- devoured the cat which was "so badly mangled it died'', Magistrates' Court heard yesterday.

Defendants James Richardson and Joanne Simons, both from Smith's, admitted their dogs savaged the cat outside a Knapton Hill house last April.

Cat owner Tab Froud had said his two-year-old girl was playing outside at the time and could even have been the victim.

He also appealed in The Royal Gazette for a change in the dog laws.

But Richardson and Simons, both 34, were part of a group of nine dog owners called before the court yesterday as part of a clampdown by wardens.

The move -- to punish people for not registering their dogs or allowing them to stray -- follows several recent Royal Gazette stories highlighting Pitbull attacks.

Crown Counsel Leighton Rochester told the court Richardson's female Pitbull and Simons' terrier were "tearing the cat apart'' at around noon on April 12.

"The cat was badly mangled and died,'' he said. "The complainant put it in a bag.

"The dogs were checked and secured in a Government kennel.'' He said Richardson, a horticultural worker, was told to keep better care of his dog.

Senior Magistrate Will Francis said: "What concerns me is the way this dog is being kept.'' But Government dog warden Leonard (Shinah) Simons said authorities were now satisfied.

Meanwhile, Devonshire Pre-School headteacher Joanne Adams will face trial on August 25 after denying noise complaints about her two dogs.

Her neighbours in Southampton told dog wardens the canines had yelped out "annoying noises'' between last December and May.

Other defendants in court admitted registration offences or were given trial dates for allegations of allowing their pets to stray.

Environment Minister Harry Soares promised dog wardens and Police would crack down on cruelty and other related offences after The Royal Gazette revealed there were more than 600 unregistered Pitbulls in Bermuda.

The other defendants appearing in court on dog charges yesterday were: Roy Correia, Henry Talbot, Christina Lugo, Ralph Terceira and Trent Simmons, plus one man who failed to appear.

ANIMALS ALS