Mystery as family dog attacked

A TOWNSVILLE family is searching for answers after their family dog was found with serious wounds and had to be euthanased yesterday morning.

Samantha White said her children Treize, 10, and James, 8, found their staffordshire terrier Buster lying in their Mount Louisa backyard covered in blood from puncture wounds to the throat and leg.

The outside of their 1.8m Colorbond fence and nearby concrete were covered in blood splatters.

“They ( children) noticed Buster was all bloody and when we opened up the gate, there was blood all over the latch and the cement was covered in blood too,” Ms White said. She believes an intruder had opened their gate.

“In the morning the gate was closed and Buster was in the yard and injured but our other dog Keely, a husky- cross, was gone,” she said.

“It looked like Buster had been stabbed, like he’s latched on and someone has stabbed him to get him to let go.”

Ms White said she was relieved Keely had been handed in to the RSPCA yesterday and was back home.

She said earlier this week thieves had attempted to break into their Buchanan St property about 3am – she heard a sound and saw a hand reach in to open the gate latch, but the dogs started barking and the would- be intruder had run off.

RSPCA regional inspector Frank Bebernitz said he met with police and Buster’s vet yesterday to try to identify if the wounds were inflicted by another dog or an instrument.

“The injuries themselves aren’t classically consistent with a stabbing so it is quite likely there is another explanation,” he said. “If further information comes to hand that needs animal cruelty to investigate, we will look into it.”