Shire loaded for dog
Northern Territory News, Page 11. Tuesday, 17 November 2009
A Territory shire has a most effective policy to deal with its dangerous dogs just shoot them.
Wagait Shire Council, on the Cox Peninsula, has been agonising over what to do with dangerous dogs in the shire.
Councillors have been recommended to stick with its present approach shooting the buggers under the provisions of its corporate firearms licence.
The council is also looking at other options, such as bylaws or asking police to deal with it.
But Shire chief executive Wally Lenyszyn has advised the council that adopting animal management bylaws would be costly.
“The major problem with a bylaw is that it would be necessary to have a pound,” he reported.
Mr Lenyszyn said relying on police to respond to an attack wouldn’t work either.
“The problem with the police is the response time in the event of an incident occurring.” The dog debate in Wagait has been hotting up recently. Nearly 50 residents have signed a petition asking the council to deal with vicious dogs after a spate of incidents. Petition organiser Lorna Manning had previously approached the council about dog attacks, saying she lived in fear.
“The distress to our pets and ourselves cannot be measured,” she told the council.
“We now genuinely live in fear of what these dogs will do.” And, about two months ago, a council worker reported that he shot a large dog dead after it entered a workshop yard and acted aggressively.
The man destroyed the dog with a council-owned .22 Magnum rifle.
The council is set to consider the raft of options in dealing with dangerous dogs at its meeting today. Mr Lenyszyn has recommended they continue dealing with the threat under the firearms licence, which allows for the humane destruction of feral or dangerous animals.
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