CHILDREN COULD DIE Mum in fear after dogs maul pet
A MOTHER is fearful a toddler could be mauled to death by vicious dogs after her labrador was attacked last week.
Margot Power was at her Nome residence last Monday night when four ‘ pig dogs’ came on to her property.
Lucy, her four- year- old labrador, suffered multiple puncture wounds, cuts and bruises to her whole body.
Her wounds were contaminated with dirt and water as a result of being dragged into a nearby dam by the dogs. The family pooch is being treated at James Cook University vet, with the bill already exceeding $ 5000.
Townsville City Council seized three dogs that matched Ms Power’s description the following day. But Ms Power said it was seven days before council formally interviewed her.
“I’m frustrated with council as they’ve been downplaying the seriousness of it,” she said.
“Her wounds are horrendous.
“What they did to her in those few minutes was unbelievable.”
Ms Power tried contacting the owners of the offending dogs.
“I went to the boundary fence to tell them but they didn’t come and I haven’t heard from them since,” she said.
“If they ( the dogs) were on a child, they would be dead.
“I have children playing in the backyard all the time and I’m worried.”
Lucy’s attack joins 51 incidents recorded between July 1, 2016 and December 31, 2016.
Of these attacks, seven dogs have died or been euthanased.
For the same period in 2015, 73 dogs were attacked with 12 killed or euthanased.
There have been 40 attacks on humans causing injury since July 1, 2016.
Council health and d environment committee chair Ann- Maree Greaney said while the e number of attacks in thee last six months wass down from the previous s year, it was too many.
“The Nome attack k was particularly savage e and very distressing for the owner who was also seriously threatened during the incident,” she said.
“Within a couple of hours of receiving the initial report staff went to the complainants’ home and also to the place where the attacking dogs were believed to be kept. The dogs were not present then, but were seized the next day.”
Cr Greaney said since the seizure, staff had had a number of telephone conversations with the Powers.
JCU Vet business manager Hilary Jackson said it would take Lucy a long time to recover.
“The vets are very happy with her progress,” she said.
A Go Fund Me account has been set up for Lucy and can be visited at https:// www. gofundme. com/ lucy- the- labrador