Buster (dog)
Encyclopedia
Roy Hattersley
Roy Sydney George Hattersley, Baron Hattersley is a British Labour politician, author and journalist from Sheffield. He served as Deputy Leader of the Labour Party from 1983 to 1992.-Early life:...
, a British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
and former Deputy Leader of the Labour Party
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
. Buster was a mixed-breed dog
Mixed-breed dog
A mixed-breed dog, also known as a mutt or mongrel, is a dog whose ancestry is generally unknown and that has characteristics of two or more types of breeds. A mixed-breed may be a cross-breed dog, a random-bred dog, or a descendant of feral or pariah dog populations...
, as his father was a German Shepherd, and his mother a Staffordshire Bull Terrier
Staffordshire Bull Terrier
The Staffordshire Bull Terrier is a medium-sized, short-coated, old-time breed of dog. It is an English dog, where it is the 5th most popular breed, and related to the bull terrier...
. He was a former rescue dog adopted by Hattersley from Brent Animal Shelter, in 1995.
In 1996, Buster attacked and killed a goose in St James's Park, London. On 6 April, Hattersley was stopped and questioned by the police while returning home after walking Buster in the park. Buster was suspected of killing the goose, while not under Hattersley's control, and a quick check revealed blood around his muzzle. As the goose was located in a Royal Park
Royal Parks of London
The Royal Parks of London are lands originally owned by the monarchy of the United Kingdom for the recreation of the royal family...
, it was the property of The Queen. The Royal connection, coupled with Hattersley's prominent public position, led to national media coverage of the incident. He was charged with contravening Regulation 3(5)(b) of the Royal and Other Parks and Gardens Regulations 1977. On 20 November 1996, Hattersley pleaded guilty by letter, and was fined £25 for letting Buster off the lead (although he claimed that Buster had pulled the lead out of his hand), and £50 for letting him kill the goose.
The incident has been referred to in the media many times, both by Hattersley himself and by others, including his political opponents. Hattersley wrote a piece in The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
, sympathising with The Princess Royal
Anne, Princess Royal
Princess Anne, Princess Royal , is the only daughter of Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh...
after one of her dogs had allegedly attacked a woman in Windsor
Windsor, Berkshire
Windsor is an affluent suburban town and unparished area in the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead in Berkshire, England. It is widely known as the site of Windsor Castle, one of the official residences of the British Royal Family....
, and Jeremy Paxman
Jeremy Paxman
Jeremy Dickson Paxman is a British journalist, author and television presenter. He has worked for the BBC since 1977. He is noted for a forthright and abrasive interviewing style, particularly when interrogating politicians...
mentioned the incident in a piece in The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
which he wrote in response to comments Hattersley had made about the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
.
In 1998, Hattersley published Buster's Diaries (as told to Roy Hattersley) which were purportedly the dog's own thoughts on his life and relationship with his owner, and in which Buster was characterised as having acted in self-defense.
Buster has also appeared on television numerous times, which includes a 2001 profiling on Star Pets.
Buster died in October 2009. Following his death, Private Eye
Private Eye
Private Eye is a fortnightly British satirical and current affairs magazine, edited by Ian Hislop.Since its first publication in 1961, Private Eye has been a prominent critic and lampooner of public figures and entities that it deemed guilty of any of the sins of incompetence, inefficiency,...
s E.J. Thribb wrote a memorial poem for Buster.