Council sympathetic for dog attack

FEAR and uncertainty turned to relief and joy for two Hervey Bay families yesterday as the Fraser Coast council showed its compassionate side.

Dog owners Deborah Webb and Tara Sutton woke up yesterday afraid their beloved pets might not get back to their neighbouring Booral homes.

The dogs had been deemed dangerous and impounded and the families feared they could be destroyed after getting into a tangle with another neighbour's calf last Friday.

By the end of the day their fears had eased after a visit from a council officer.

The officer confirmed that Roxy and Chaser could come home today on payment of a nominal fine and a commitment to keep the dogs fenced in.

For Deborah the news came as an extra relief.

She is still grieving the cot death of her 10-week-old son just two weeks ago and the loss of Roxy would have compounded the pain.

Roxy, a black staffy, and Chaser, a bulldog cross, got into an altercation with the calf – uninjured – on Friday, prompting the calf's owner to contact the council.

The dogs were deemed dangerous by the compliance officer, leaving close friends Deborah and Tara facing a potentially hefty fine and the prospect of building a six-foot-high secure fence around their shared five-acre property.

“Both dogs somehow got out and ran into the paddock and started annoying the calf at around half-past seven,” Tara said.

“The people across the road didn't know what kind of people we were, so they rang the council.

“When we met them they were so sorry. They didn't want this to happen. They just wanted to get us to tie our dogs up.”

New neighbour Troy Hobart confirmed this was the case when he dropped by yesterday to share in the good news.

“I'll give you a hand building the fence,” he offered.

Troy and his family moved to the Fraser Coast from NSW last month and had not expected such a rigorous response to their call to the council.

However, a spate of recent dangerous dog attacks on the Fraser Coast has kept council compliance officers on their toes and taking immediate and affirmative action.

The council's executive manager of environmental health and regulation, Andy Gaze, said a woman in Shore Road East reported that two dogs had attacked her calf on Friday last week.

He said when a compliance officer visited he discussed the situation with both parties and impounded the dogs.

The women are looking forward to having their pets back home.

“We're missing him a hell of a lot. He's like our child,” Tara said of Chaser.

She described as “far-fetched” the idea of him being deemed dangerous, saying he played with wild cats and a neighbour's rooster.

Mr Gaze said the council had been waiting for more information from the owners before taking further action.

“All declared dangerous dogs have to be micro-chipped and desexed and registration fees rise to $270 a year,” he said. “All declared dangerous dogs that are taken home have conditions imposed on them to minimise the chances of further attacks and to protect other animals and people.”