Neighbour’s dogs allegedly responsible for brutally killing, eating Ipswich families dog

WARNING: Distressing content. After witnessing their dog being mauled to death and eaten, an Ipswich family has made a desperate plea following the traumatic event.

An Ipswich family is distraught after they were forced to shelter inside while a pack of dogs, killed and then ate their beloved pet border collie.

Eight-year-old border collie Rex was killed protecting his three pack members when they were attacked by roaming dogs in their own yard at Lower Mount Walker, south west of Ipswich.

On April 6, the Lower Mount Walker family woke in the dead of night to the heart-stopping screams of eight-year-old border collie Rex fighting for his life.

Mother-of-three Chloe said Rex died protecting his four and two-legged family members.

“I’m grateful because Rex basically sacrificed himself, he let us know we had these vicious dogs circling our house,” she said.

“I have a two-year-old granddaughter here — I was down at the duck pen that night thinking I was safe in the confines of our own fence.”

After nights of stalking around the property, at 1am the roaming dogs found a way into the outer fenced yard, ripping a hole through another dog proof fence before dragging Rex about 80m.

Chloe and her three boys quickly moved three remaining dogs to safety inside their home before grabbing torches and making loud noises to try and scare the dogs off.

“We could hear Rex and he was just fighting and fighting and fighting. Yelling and screaming,” she said.

“Then (my son) realised and said ‘there’s three dogs on top of Rex’.”

After getting a call back from police that there was nothing they could do and to take shelter inside, Chloe made a plea on social media for help from nearby neighbours.

“Mum, mum, they’re killing him,” Chloe’s 26-year-old son kept yelling.

Rex fought for his life for 20 minutes.

“The sound was just horrific. My 16-year-old son, he’s just traumatised,” Chloe said.

“He’s going to need counselling. The gurgling of a dog dying is just the most horrific sound.”

“My (23-year-old son) saw their silhouettes out the window doing whatever they liked to our boy. They destroyed him after he died.”

Chloe said after spending a sleepless night trapped inside, Rex was found by council staff early the next day.

He was missing his face and ears.

“The council went around to the neighbours - it was (allegedly) a pair of the neighbour’s dogs and they don’t have fencing,” she said.

Chloe said the council took two dogs, one with blood still on it, although if the owners can prove they have a secure area they will be returned during the investigation.

“If they went back I would have to take my dogs and go, they would be ripe for the picking,” she said.

“Dogs that will do this – you can’t tell me they’re not hunting dogs.

“If you have dogs that are capable of something like this please secure them.”

Rex’s ‘girlfriend’ Lyla hasn’t been the same since his death.

Chloe said Rex was “too dumb” to be the leader of the pack, but stepped up for two female collies and his dane mastiff cross girlfriend Lyla who hasn’t stopped crying since.

“He was one of those goofy dogs that had nothing behind his eyes and just a goofy smile on his face. He was just happy all the time and the most loveable dog” she said.

“It’s just heartbreaking he had to die like this, he didn’t deserve that.”

Lyla’s dad and Chloe’s eldest son who lives in his granny flat on the property with his partner and toddler said he doesn’t know if he’ll be able to live at the property following the attack.

“You think you’re safe then something like this happens and you have no control over it. And you start thinking ‘can I leave my granddaughter here, can she even play in the yard’?” Chloe said.

Ipswich City Council CEO Peter Tabulo said the killing was being investigated.

“While we are not able to provide specific comment on the investigation, our early inquiries suggest that domestic dogs were responsible for the attack,” Mr Tabulo said.

In just the beginning of 2022, 113 dog attacks were reported to council, compared to 439 in 2021.