Read what your local council has to say about dumping dead pets

Salisbury Council’s decision to throw a pet into landfill left its owners shattered – but it’s not the only place where this happens.

More examples of councils discarding beloved pets as landfill have emerged as the City of Salisbury faces backlash over a decision to dump German shepherd cross, Harry, at the tip.

But Salisbury is not the only council in the state where the remains of a beloved pet could end up as garbage.

Dionne Biddell, from Lost Dogs of Adelaide, said during her time with the rescue organisation she had experienced several similar instances.

Ms Biddell estimated one or two examples would occur each year and often included pet cats.

“Every time I hear a story like this it just makes my blood boil,” she said.

Harry was the beloved pet of co-owners Kerin Edwards (pictured) and Kimberley Hein. Picture: Supplied

“It’s disgraceful, it’s disgusting, it’s heartless.”

Ms Biddell described a situation last year where the organisation helped recover a lost cat called Tiger that had been dumped in a garbage bin.

She said, despite online posts and flyers placed around the neighbourhood, the cat was still thrown in the garbage.

Salisbury dog Harry’s owners Kimberley Hein and Kerin Edwards, both 35, were left shattered when told their beloved pet, who was microchipped, had been compacted at the local tip rather than stored by the council for collection.

It was a reality that residents of two major metropolitan council areas could face if their pet was unable to be identified.

An Onkaparinga Council spokesman said the council did not have a storage facility for deceased pets and that only animals with an identifiable microchip would be taken to the RSPCA.

He said if a microchip or collar could not be located a deceased dog would be disposed of at a nearby landfill facility.

Charles Sturt Council confirmed animals killed in the local government area could end up in landfill as a last resort.

The disposal as landfill would occur if other options including microchip scanning, posting on a Facebook lost pets site and holding the animal for “a period of time”.

Adelaide Hills Council said unidentified dead pets would be “disposed of in the most timely and safe manner”.

The Lost dogs of Adelaide page prides itself in reuniting lost dogs with their owners. Felicity Henderson of Modbury North with Bella a Maltese cross Shih-tzu, James Kuhn, 27, of South Plympton with dogs, Sasha and Maisie, and Jo Perry, 60, of Semaphore. Picture: AAP/ROY VANDERVEGT

Lost Dogs of Adelaide member Karon Allen started a petition about five years ago when she felt at her wit’s end as more and more examples of callous actions of councils came to light.

“Every time they do this they (council’s) come back with the excuse that ‘our policy wasn’t followed and we don’t know why’,” Ms Allen said.

“It happens at all different councils across SA.

“A little while ago we put up a big fight with one council who were going to bury a dog called Hank in a shallow grave – we ended up getting the body, taking it to the vet and finding the owner that night.

“It’s very rare we don’t find the owner.”

Her petition had garnered almost 1200 signatures with several new signings since Harry the dog’s treatment.

Other councils detailed their processes for dead animal disposal.

Most councils said they took deceased animals to the Animal Welfare League for them to be cremated though the time the animal was held before this occurred varied.

All councils attempted to scan for a microchip and contact the animal’s owners before either storing the animal or taking it to landfill.

One council took all dead animals – pets or otherwise – to a local vet for identification and disposal.

The Adelaide City, Marion, Gawler and Playford councils were also contacted, as was the Transport and Infrastructure Department.