By KATH GANNAWAY
THE owners of a baby alpaca they say was allegedly killed by marauding dogs are calling for an investigation into why the dogs were returned to the owner with no guarantee it wouldn’t happen again.
Yarra Ranges Council however has backed the decision, saying council had no legal cause to hold the dogs.
Annette Noyes, her former partner and daughter, keep four alpacas on their six-acre property on the outskirts of Warburton, including four-month old Tiran and his mother Cuddles.
The attack happened just before noon on Thursday 7 July.
Despite the best efforts of the neighbours who drove the dogs off, and a mercy dash to get Tiran to a vet, he had suffered terrible injuries and died in Ms Noyes’ car on the way.
They say they were not asking for the dogs to be put down, but cannot comprehend the rationale behind Yarra Ranges Council ranger returning the dogs to the owner.
“He had admitted to the ranger that he had the dogs with him working on his car at the front (of his house) and the dogs ran off, and that’s just not good enough,” Ms Noyes said.
She said that despite accounts of the dogs being in the paddock and acting aggressively, the decision hinged on the fact that no-one saw the actual attack on Tiran.
The ranger caught one of the dogs when it returned to the paddock, and later confirmed that the other dog was also back with the owner.
“I was told that even though Tiran was down on the ground, with blood everywhere, it was still not enough because no-one actually saw the alpaca in the dog’s mouth,” Ms Noyes told the Mail.
“When I asked had she checked the dog (for evidence of its involvement), I was told even if there was to be blood on it, it doesn’t mean anything.”
“She just said that a fox could have done that and the dogs could have come on it later.”
It’s a scenario that just doesn’t hold water, according to Ms Noyes and her former partner, and to witnesses who were first on the scene.
The Mail spoke with the two neighbours who, while asking not to be named, say they ran to investigate when they heard the dogs barking and the alpacas squealing, but didn’t see the dogs attacking Tiran.
As one of the neighbours phoned around for help, the other confronted the dogs who, she said, were barking and circling two of the alpacas as Cuddles stood guard over her baby.
She described the experience as traumatic and intimidating, saying what was particularly disturbing was that the dogs came back and were circling and chasing her.
In response to the Mail’s inquiries, Yarra Ranges Mayor Jason Callanan, said legally, the ranger who attended had no grounds to hold the dogs as there was no witness to the attack.
“The ranger was able to reunite one of the dogs with its owner. The other dog made its own way back to the owner’s property,” he said.
He said the ranger spoke to the dog owners about responsible pet ownership and the importance of keeping their animals secure and said enforcement action would be taken for any breeches of the Domestic Animal Act.
“Council has no legal cause to hold the dogs, when we can’t prove they were involved in a rush, non-serious or serious attack, as per the Domestic Animal Act,” he said.
Ms Noyes said the impact on the family, and the neighbours had been immense.
They bought Cuddles as a pregnant female as a birthday gift for their daughter and she gave birth to Tiran in February.
“The message we want to get across is for responsible dog ownership,” Ms Noyes said.
“If these dogs had been contained, this would not have happened.”
She said it was also about the council response.
“There may be that element of doubt, but you have to ask ‘what is fair and reasonable’ based on everything that happened.
“If the conclusion that it’s not fair and reasonable, it needs to be looked at further.”
Yarra Ranges Council recommends that anyone who witnesses animals being attacked by dogs should take a photograph and get an accurate description to the council which has ranger services available 24/7 on 1300 368 333.
