The most recent widely publicized dog attack occurred in Lagedi, Harju County, where Tibetan mastiffs attacked a person on the street. A petition regarding the dog owner, launched by Lagedi residents, has already gathered over 2,700 signatures.

Videos shared by the owner Urve Arik show her participating in a dog show with her pet. Arik declined to appear on camera but stated that her dogs had not caused any issues at the shows. She also recounted an incident in which one of her dogs saved a neighbor's child who had fallen and was left hanging head-down from a tree.

Arik claimed that children had teased her dogs over the fence and that one of her dogs had been killed by a local resident wielding an axe. However, the police have no records of these incidents.

"We have not received any such reports from the owner or local residents. The dog owner has, however, informed us about reporters visiting the area near her property," said Inna Toater, head of the proceedings department at the East Harju Police Station.

Urve Arik believes that the local community is trying to ostracize her, with the media joining in.

The victim of the mid-October Lagedi dog attack, Urmas, also declined to appear on camera but provided a written statement that he was attacked by five to seven dogs on a pedestrian and bicycle path.

Urmas asserted that the dogs should be immediately taken into custody and the owner's capability and suitability to keep dogs should be assessed.

The victim's partner launched a petition on behalf of Lagedi residents' safety, addressed to the Police and Border Guard Board (PPA), the Agricultural and Food Board, other authorities and the chancellor of justice. The petition highlights previous incidents involving attacks by the same dogs on a local child and court rulings concerning the dog owner.

The petition demands a legal basis to revoke the owner's rights to keep animals and to confiscate the animals if they cause repeated physical and psychological trauma.

"If someone cannot raise their dogs in a way that does not harm community members, resulting in injuries, then at some point there may need to be a limit, and from a certain day on, it may no longer be possible to keep dogs," stated Mari Markson, the petition's initiator.

"We have statements from the victims, but the matter is still under investigation, so we cannot comment further at this time," added Toater.

Riigikogu members Raimond Kaljulaid and Tiit Maran initiated a draft bill authorizing municipalities to preemptively fine dog owners up to €6,400 when necessary.

"Local governments see this as a significant issue. They can communicate with the small number of dog owners who do not consider the impact of their dogs on others. However, they have no preventative measures. They can only react after an incident involving a person has occurred," said Maran.

Police receive around 300 reports of dog attacks in Estonia annually, most of which involve dogs fighting each other.

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