Sarge the staffy to die after Moreton Bay Regional council reject appeal to save him
A teenage girl has been left heartbroken after an appeal to save her family dog from a council destruction order was rejected.
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AN APPEAL to save the life of a dog has been rejected by a local council, leaving his family heartbroken.
Sarge the American Staffordshire Terrier is scheduled to be euthanized at the end of February by Moreton Bay Regional Council officers.
The 7-year-old pet dog was seized from his Deception Bay home on January 2 after he bit a woman who came to the door before Christmas.
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He had been declared, or regulated, as dangerous in 2016 under the Animal Management Act of 2008 while living in a different home with a different family member.
Leonie, 18, who requested her surname not be used, started an ipetition titled Help save our Staffy Sarge, after finding out the staffy was scheduled to be destroyed January 22.
The date was pushed back pending the appeal application.
She said the appeal pointed out the current owners had not been informed of Sarge’s declared status in the two years they had cared for him and only found out after the council rangers seized the dog.
“The appeal came back, they aren’t changing their minds on the destruction order,” she said.
“He will be put down the end of this month.
“I’m absolutely heartbroken. There are no words for it.”
Leonie said Sargent bit a girl who looked about 17 after she knocked on the door on December 21 to try to sell a product.
The staffy then bit a council ranger as he was being seized from the home in January.
Leonie said she was told Sarge had been declared dangerous after biting a dog that entered his yard at his previous North Lakes home in 2016.
The teenager had hoped her dog would be given another chance and now that they were aware of his declared status, she said she was willing to follow all rules.
“He’s so scared at the pound,” she said.
“Honestly he’s the loveliest dog if you introduce yourself properly to him and I’ll 110 per cent comply with the laws if we get him home.”
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Leonie’s petition has gained 1329 signatures and 400 comments of support for the dog.
“Sargent is the most gentle dog you could ever meet. He is incredibly protective but a lovely dog to the people he knows,” she wrote on the petition.
“He’s a part of the family and has been for seven years now. We all adore him.”
“We’ll show we’ll do everything we can, we’ll follow all of the laws and I’ll even take him to obedience training to prove I’m doing everything I can,” she said.
Leonie said she contacted the owners of Hank the Neapolitan mastiff for advice on how to submit an appeal as soon as Sarge was seized.
Hank bit a then-7-year-old girl in the face in Rothwell in 2016 and was seized by Moreton Bay Regional Council rangers in July, 2017.
The girl was left with severe facial injuries and required reconstructive surgery.
The large dog, which was also given a destruction order, was permitted to return home after a long battle costing thousands of dollars with the Moreton Bay Regional Council throughout 2017 and 2018.
A Moreton Bay Regional Council spokesman said there were 120 dogs declared dangerous in the region, but only two were subject to destruction orders, including Sarge.
He was unable to identify the second dog or its owners.
“The declared dangerous animal that attacked a woman in December last year remains under a destruction order, after mauling her chest and thigh,” he said.
“This is a repeat offence by the animal, whose owners had already been instructed to keep their dangerous animal within the conditions of the Animal Management Act 2009.
“They contravened this direction, resulting in this preventable attack.”
The spokesman said an internal review of the council’s decision was carried out but the original destruction order was upheld in the interests of public safety.
“Council does not take the decision to euthanise an animal lightly and owners are given 14 days to appeal the decision,” he said.
Mayor Allan Sutherland said there were about 60,000 dogs registered in Moreton Bay.
“The vast majority of owners take their responsibility to properly house and train their animals seriously,” he said.
“The message is simple, irresponsible dog ownership will not be tolerated in Moreton Bay and this council will always place the safety of the community above the interests of dog owners who have failed in their most basic responsibilities.”
A council spokeswoman said the owners of regulated dogs were prohibited from keeping the animals within their home in order to prevent further problems from arising.
“The owners failed to meet these requirements, a failing which likely led to these unfortunate incidents taking place,” she said in January.
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