Darwin pound ‘oopsie’ kills man’s dog

From the NT News…

A man is devastated after his beloved pet dog was put down by Darwin council just four days after she escaped from his front yard.

Tony Rohl said he was overseas helping his friend’s sick child with medical treatment when both his dogs – a bull mastiff cross and sharpei cross – escaped through a suspected open gate at his Leanyer house recently.

He said friends had been housesitting the property and they had attempted to contact the council pound looking for the dogs while Mr Rohl was away, but were told the animals were not there.

But they were there. As evidenced by a post on the ‘Top End Lost and Found’ (now removed)…

Given the two dogs were travelling together, they should have shown up on a reasonable cross-check any pound’s lost and found list. The two were so distinctive in fact, a family friend recognised and identified the dogs just 15 minutes after they were listed…

These dogs were healthy, well-fed and clearly owned. However they weren’t registered.

Council reiterated the importance of registration in keeping them from ‘oopsie’ killing people’s pets;

A council spokeswoman said under City of Darwin bylaws all dogs impounded are held for four working days, after which time the pound manager may arrange for the destruction of the dog.

She said on this occasion it had been difficult to locate the owner as the dogs were not registered.

Council general manager community and cultural services John Banks said all steps were always made to relocate dogs with their owners.

… so as long as those steps don’t include them correctly matching pets with lost pet reports phoned in, or checking the area’s primary lost and found channel, obvs.

Now Tony is just trying to get some closure;

“I was told they did an assessment and my bull mastiff was placed with someone but Sally was deemed not placeable so they euthanased her,” Mr Rohl said.

“I am devastated – they killed my dog.”

Mr Rohl said he spent most of yesterday trying to retrieve his deceased dog from Council so he could give her a burial in his backyard.

“I just wanted to know she was not going to be taken to the tip. I want to bury her in my backyard.”