Killer wild dogs rip animals apart, terrorises family

‘I’LL never forget the little baby’s screams’: Killer pack of wild dogs targeting homes in Miles area in front of owners.

WARNING: Killer wild dogs roaming in Miles have been tearing livestock apart on a weekly basis. Pic: Mike Knott

GRISLY scenes have unfolded at a Miles property that sparked warnings from heartbroken resident Carol Watters about vicious wild dogs that is causing terror in the community.

Wild dogs have mauled Mrs Watters' animals and tore her baby goat apart in four attacks throughout the past two weeks at the property 9km west of the Warrego Highway.

Mrs Watters said behind the killings were two large black dogs that had stalked into her yard and killed vulnerable goats, those either pregnant or just months old.

"It's just getting to the stage where it's heartbreaking, these goats are our babies and yesterday, (Sunday) was the ultimate tipping point, it was just unbelievable," Mrs Watters said.

"It's something I will never forget, I'd never actually seen it happen before, I usually see the results of the attack, and it was terrifying, absolutely frightening.

"We have white maremma dogs here, and they bring the goats back when they're out and protect them, but there were two wild dogs trying to fight them - and these two dogs just didn't give up on the little baby they had, and they were literally tearing it apart, it was dreadful.

"We tried to chase them, scream at them, and everything else, and they took absolutely no notice of us whatsoever, so they're not scared of people."

Mrs Watters said she has experienced wild dog attacks in the area in the past, but nothing as frequent or brutal as the recent onslaught.

"We haven't had them for quite a while, and these ones were almost like a German Shepard sized dog" she said.

"These dogs have no fear, they are just coming in and doing what they want, and off they go.

"It seems to be happening at the same time every day, when they come it's between three and four in the afternoon.

"We have lost four (goats) so far, in two weeks, and they have been young ones not far from kidding, so they're a little bit slow, and the little one yesterday would have only been about two months old."

Mrs Watters said the community needed to be aware of what's been happening, fearing small children could also be targeted by the fearless dogs.

"You wouldn't like to have little kids around here, we don't have them here, but there are people around that do, and you wouldn't want them attacking them," she said.

"Keep an eye out because they are definitely around and they aren't mucking around, they are just getting in there and doing whatever they want to do, and there doesn't seem to be any way to stop them."

A Western Downs Regional spokeswoman said council is committed to pest management and works hard with landholders and organisations to combat wild dogs.

"Council take all reports of wild dog attacks seriously and appreciate the economic hardship and the distress these attacks cause," she said.

"Currently, council officers are working across the region assisting with the latest round of wild dog baiting, and we encourage all landholders to join the fight against these pests through baiting, trapping and exclusion fencing.

"Any landholder seeking advice on wild dogs or are interested in participating in wild dog control programs, should contact council's rural services team on 1300 COUNCIL."

Ms Watters said she's trapped between a rock and a hard place, not wanting to risk the safety of her dogs by putting traps or bait on her property.

"We have the problem where our dogs roam around, so we can't put traps on here or else we'll trap our dogs," she said.

"I don't want to see anything happen to my girls, they are really good dogs, but I don't want to see my goats hurt either, so we just don't know what to do."

In the meantime, Mrs Watters said her goats will have to stay penned up and hand fed.

"That's all we can do, I don't want to let them out and have something happen to them again."

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