Dangerous dog makes overtime for victim

BERLIN (Reuters) - A snarling Staffordshire terrier trapped a German railway worker at his post for hours and even bit through metal trying to elude capture.


At first the arriving shift change at a signalman's box in the western city of Essen tried to get past the cranky canine without success. The police were called, but when their efforts were unsuccessful they turned to an animal specialist.


"At the slightest approach the terrier gave vent to its displeasure by growling and snapping its jaws," police in the western city of Essen said in a statement on Wednesday.


Eventually the specialist caught the dog after several attempts, but even then the terrier's ferocity remained so intense that it bit through a metal restraining rod.


The dog was then taken to a home for animals and the railway signalman was free to apply for overtime.