A 61-year-old man has appeared in court after his pet Rottweilers left two walkers injured, with one needing hospital attention.

Bruce Grimley, of Ramsey Road, St Ives, pleaded guilty to two counts of being in charge of a dog “dangerously out of control and causing injury.

The defendant, who owns two Rottweilers, was walking one of them in Hill Rise on September 8 last year when it jumped up at a fellow dog walker who was out with her Shih Tzu.

“She [the complainant] had come across them on a previous occasion and said they were large dogs and that hers was small,” Delia Matthews, prosecuting, told Cambridge Magistrates Court on January 17.

“She had seen them having a go at her dog and shouted at Mr Grimley to keep them under control. Neither she nor her dog had been injured, but then September comes around.

“At about 12.30pm, she said his dog was out and not on a lead. She picked her dog up and felt the Rottweiler jumping up behind her with both paws on her shoulders.”

Grimley told the woman to put her dog down, but the Rottweiler continued to jump up before biting the smaller dog and leaving its owner with scratches.

Ms Matthews also said that Grimley told the woman: “Don’t be so ridiculous, he didn’t bite, you’re just making it up and it’s people like you who give this dog a bad name.”

The victim took pictures of her injuries before coming into contact with another walker who said he too had been injured by Grimley’s dogs on November 2.

Ms Matthews told the bench that the larger Rottweiler had started to bark at his small dog before attacking the dog’s leg.

She said: “He tried to pick her up but the harness slipped. He said he shouted at Mr Grimley and picked his dog up above his head and saw a gated play area so went over there for safety.”

The dogs then continued to jump up before the man climbed over the fence and reported the attack to police.

The court heard he attended Hinchingbrooke Hospital for bites to his nipple, chest and scratches on his hip and thigh.

His dog was also seen by an emergency vet, needing wounds flushed, injections and antibiotics after a puncture wound to her right thigh and a graze.

“He said he found it very difficult to cope and that it had affected his personal well-being and home life,” Ms Matthews said, adding the victim had to take three weeks off operational duty in his line of work.

She also told the bench that he had started taking sleeping tablets, suffers from nightmares and cold sweats, and that his dog has been acting unusually ever since.

In mitigation, Judi Kemish said a report was due from an animal behaviourist about the dogs, who are currently being held with police, as well as a character reference for Mr Grimley.

The case has since been adjourned for sentencing until February 10.