Lee Fleming’s great dane Charlie and her partner’s dog Buster had reportedly gotten loose and been involved in a incident with another dog. The ranger arrived on the 1st March and told the couple that he would have to take both dogs.
“I got my great dane Charlie and my partner got his dog Buster, and we put them on the back (of the ranger’s vehicle) in the cages,” she said.
“I was just an absolute mess, because my dogs are like my family.”
When the ranger got back to his depo, he had some problems unloading Charlie. So he did the only thing he could do when faced with a fractious and fearful pet.
He took out his rifle and shot the dog.
“I was sobbing on the phone”
“Did he die straight away, did he suffer? I don’t know that,” Lee said.
“It’s just not fair, not fair at all.”
Lee believes she should have been contacted before her dog was destroyed. It beggars belief that a she wasn’t consulted until after the dog had a bullet in his brain.
Buster, the other dog, was returned home after Lee submitted a letter of appeal to council. It took five weeks to get her pet home.
Another resident Julie Kilgour’s two dogs – one a deaf and blind dachshund – had escaped their yard when a house visitor left a gate open. The local ranger came to collect the dogs for impoundment;
“He (the ranger) walked into my yard, put my two dogs on leads and he led them out,” Julie said.
But later decided to return the dogs;
“He brought him back and he dropped him over the fence.”
Unfortunately, as anyone with any knowledge of animal handling knows, dropping a deaf, blind dachshund from any great height can have catastrophic consequences.
The dog damaged his spine so severely, that he had to be put down.
Gwydir Shire Council Council General Manager Max Eastcott has been overwhelmingly sensitive to the feelings of these grieving dog owners;
“I have two dogs myself but I have an (appropriate) fence and they don’t get out,” he said.
Because even as your ranger runs roughshod over your community, it’s good to take the opportunity to blame the bad owners.
Newsflash. Dogs DO get lost – that is why we have rangers. In both instances it appears the dogs were relatively quickly returned to their homes, but the ranger then chose to remove the dogs from the homes where they were, then injure them.
The Companion Animal Taskforce took the opportunity to push for breeder licences, pet registration changes and responsible pet ownership education programs. Unfortunately, in their efforts to target owners as the ‘problem’ in our animal management system, they failed to address in any way the kill-happy, uncompassionate and often downright sadistic behaviour of many local councils and their animal management staff.
Dysfunctional pounds, failing pets and their owners need to be addressed. Wailing about ‘overpopulation’ does little to help dogs like these two – who lost their lives not because their owners didn’t love and want them, but because the local council officer simply didn’t give the slightest value to their lives.
Something has to be done about these cowboys.. Only compassionate dog lovers should be hired to do this job.. Yes, not every owner is resposible, not every dog is managable, BUT way too many loved and cared for animals are killed for one mistake or misfortune.
I am shocked…throwing a blind dog over the fence causing such severe injury, is that not animal cruelty and shooting a dog in the head because he is difficult to unload is that not animal cruelty. Do Rangers get trained or are they just people who get a bit carried away with the power they have over peoples pets. if this Ranger is not sacked it says a lot about what happens in councils management of animals……
This “Human” is a disgrace.
Totally unacceptable and I think this “ranger” should be dismissed and he/she and the council charged with animal cruelty.
This will be publicised…
What the hell is wrong with people, GRRRR :'(
Shocking, this person should NEVER be a council ranger, should NEVER work with animals … what a piece of goods!
I think many council rangers and pound workers are there because they DO NOT know how to work or interact with humans (at least that’s how it seems at my local council pound) and therefore are placed in these facilities. The animals cannot file complaints and if (or when) the retaliate (through fear or instinct) to protect itself, they are deemed dangerous and euthanaised. I think many animal care facilities should be assessed by ‘mystery auditors’ to ensure these people are treating these dogs with respect and compassion.