Dog attacks on livestock and humans across the Mid-Western Region are already up 150 per cent on the previous year according to a local ranger.
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The ugly statistic comes after Gulgong farmer John Hetherington became the latest dog attack victim yesterday, having eight sheep mauled and killed on his property.
Mid-Western Regional Council ranger, Chris Burns, said he has dealt with 12 dog attacks in 10 days, spread across the region from Mudgee to Gulgong and at places such as Bocoble and Wollar.
“Since January 5 there have been 12 dog attacks with 38 sheep killed, one young child bitten on the back and several ducks and a cat killed,” Mr Burns said.
One message Mr Burns wants to get across is attacks are not always from wild or pig dogs.
“More often than not attacks are coming from pets,” he said.
“I don’t want to name names but one dog had nail polish on its paws so obviously it was a pet. Sure enough it was micro-chipped and we could identify the owner. It killed 21 sheep.”
He said dogs who were not kept in their backyards or properties had the potential to cause a lot of damage.
“Dogs will often hunt in groups of two or more but it is difficult for farmers to manage, they can potentially lose a lot of income,” Mr Burns said.
Mr Hetherington said yesterday he had lost about $1000 in livestock after the attack.
“At about 3am I heard our little dog yapping. Sometimes he only yaps at a possum but I heard a wire fence being rustled and thought maybe a horse had been caught tangled. When I got into the ute and drove around sure enough there were the dogs standing on top of the dam,” he said.
Mr Hetherington immediately called the police who attended and helped search for the culprits. Later Mr Burns did find one dog likely to be responsible for the attack but it was not micro-chipped.
The ranger has warned all residents that the law states each dog must be micro-chipped unless a working dog with a primary producer.
He also said there were “hefty” penalties for dog owners found guilty of an attack.
“It is $550 per dog,” Mr Burns said.
“Your dog can also be declared dangerous and if that is the case it must be immediately desexed, micro-chipped and be contained in a specially built unit with signage at the property explaining a dangerous dog is being kept on site. Break any of these conditions and it can be a $1320 fine or I can seize the dog.”
Mr Burns explained if your dog is caught in an attack there is an option to put it down through Council’s services.
