Townsville dog attack: Beloved cat, chickens killed

A Townsville couple are calling for action from council after watching their beloved rescue cat, and chickens get “ripped to shreds” in their own backyard by neighbouring dogs. WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT

A Townsville couple are calling for action from council after watching their beloved rescue cat, and chickens get viciously “ripped to shreds” in their own backyard by neighbouring dogs.

Alice River resident Sandra Carter said all her husband could do was watch on in horror when their cat Skye was brutally set upon by two large dogs that entered their Kerrie Crt property on June 30.

“It was awful — very disturbing,” she said.

“Both dogs were pulling at her, ripped her to shreds, and when the council got here, they told me not to go down and look at what was left of her. It was that bad.

Rescue cat Skye was killed in a vicious dog attack.

“I dread to think what could happen next if these dogs aren’t dealt with properly. I mean, what if that had been a baby crawling on my veranda that the dogs got?

“Skye was a beautiful cat. She’s a rescue I’ve had since she was just three weeks old. She was dumped in a garden bed at the school where I worked.”

Mrs Carter said the dogs were from a neighbouring property and had also killed a dozen of their pet chickens on June 29-30.

The dogs also raided the couple’s chicken pen and killed a dozen chooks

A Townsville council spokesman said there was an ongoing investigation and “enforcement actions being undertaken in relation to the incident”.

“Currently, the dogs of concern are being held by council while compliance actions are underway,” he said.

Mrs Carter says she’s reluctant to get more chicken in case the dogs return.

All of their chickens were killed.

Mrs Carter said she believes the harrowing dog attacks have also highlighted certain animal regulations council abides by that “desperately need” change.

“What surprised me is that council told me they can’t take the dogs once they are back on their property, even after they had killed all my animals,” she said.

Alice River resident Sandra Carter.

“It’s a rule that needs to be changed, especially when it comes to dangerous animals who need to be removed immediately because they will attack again when they get a chance.”

Townsville council currently operates under the Animal Management (Cats and Dogs) Act 2008 and Local Laws 2 in relation to seizing animals from a property.

A council spokesman said they take the issue of animal attacks very seriously, and recently, Deputy Mayor Mark Molachino attended the first of four meetings to establish a statewide task force to look at what control measures can be put in place to lower animal attacks.

There have already been 333 dog attacks reported to Townsville council this year to date.

“The Townsville region is not alone in experiencing this issue, and representatives from other local councils, including the Scenic Rim Regional Council, Logan City Council and Fraser Coast Regional Council, were also present at the meeting,” the spokesman said.

“Representatives from the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, the office of the Minister for Agricultural Industry Development and Fisheries and Minister for Rural Communities Mark Furner and RSPCA also attended.”

Council encourages residents to report roaming dogs and animal attacks on 13 48 10.

Originally published as Townsville dog attack: Beloved cat, chickens killed