Council recently received a call from a local vet to collect a dog found roaming in a Townsville suburb. This dog was listed as a declared dangerous dog and the dog’s owner was in breach of declared dangerous dog conditions. As per the process for management of declared dangerous dogs it has been secured for the safety of the community.
The dog’s owner had previously been prosecuted following an incident involving the dog in which one dog was killed and another grievously injured. These dogs were much loved members of a local family and the family are still devastated by the incident.
A witness to the attack provided a statement, which included the following information:
“…I saw the dogs from [address] in my property and my husband rang the owner to tell her that her dogs were out. The owner told him that she was 40 minutes away … I heard a dog screaming in pain. … When the screaming continued I told my husband that I had to find out what was wrong … I drove the car to [address] and I couldn’t see any dogs. I could still hear the dog screaming and then I realised it was coming from [neighbour’s] place at [address]… As we got to the back patio the two retrievers came down the steps and were covered in blood. I went up to the patio and found dog Dexter had been mauled and I thought he was dead and then saw his eyes moving. At that same time the other little dog Monster started screaming and they had hunted him down. The dogs got to him before I could get there. They were down an embankment and both retrievers were on to him, one on each side. I screamed at the mother dog Marley to stop but she didn’t and then I screamed at the male dog Huxley and he briefly stopped and that is when Monster got away. …The attacking dogs were chasing Monster to try to get him and then my husband reached over the fence and grabbed him and took him back to our house.”
Huxley’s owner was served with a complaint and summons to court, which included details of the dog attack. The first Court date was December 8 2022. The matter was adjourned to January 19 2023 at request of the owner, which Council agreed to. The owner did not attend court on 19 January, and the Court dealt with the matter in the owner’s absence. The Court found the owner guilty of failing to take reasonable steps to prevent the attack, and imposed a $2500 fine with no conviction recorded.
As an employer, Council is committed to providing a safe workplace for its employees. We are deeply disappointed to see a Council employee become a target as part of the owner’s campaign to return Huxley to her care. We condemn this behaviour and implore anyone engaging with this campaign to restrain from doxing any Council employees, as they are residents of our city who deserve to live and work safely.
