Toowoomba pets in peril after baiting fears
TOOWOOMBA dog owners are on alert after multiple reports of baiting occurring around the city.
Mt Lofty woman Bella Rose found her golden retriever Lily carrying a balloon filled with mince on Tuesday night. She found it in the family’s backyard.
“It was just a normal night - Lily knocked on the back door when she wanted to come in, and then I saw she was carrying this balloon in her mouth,” Ms Rose said.
“I took it out of her mouth, and that’s when I found there was mince in it.
“It’s stressful and disappointing that someone would want to try and harm my dog; she’s a big part of my life.”
She said Lily hadn’t ingested much of the balloon’s contents and the family had been monitoring the dog since.
“We called Crime Stoppers and we are hanging on to the balloon until we hear back from police, in case they want to investigate,” she said.
She posted about the incident on the Toowoomba Pets - Lost and Found Facebook page yesterday, and the post was inundated with other residents reporting similar occurrences.
Another post in the Facebook group was from Toowoomba woman Suzie Huey, who had taken her dogs for a walk at Coronation Park.
“A council worker was at the park and informed us that they got reports of clumps of bread strategically placed around the park that were dog baited,” Ms Huey said.
Toowoomba Regional Council environment and community committee portfolio leader Cr Joe Ramia said the poisoning or attempted poisoning of dogs was a criminal offence.
“Toowoomba Regional Council receives reports of this nature from time to time,” Cr Ramia said.
“Members of the community who witness or suspect animals are being baited, or have other animal welfare concerns, are encouraged to report this to the RSPCA and police.’’