Attack dog still at large

Leanne Macleod with her injured dog Beau. Picture: ROB CAREW

By MELISSA MEEHAN

A DOG wanted for a violent attack on a poodle shih tzu cross is still at large.
Cardinia Shire Council officers were alerted to the dog attack in Emerald last Wednesday, but when they went to seize the dog they found that it was no longer in possession of the owner.
As the Gazette went to print on Tuesday, the whereabouts of the dog was still unknown although a council spokesperson said investigations were continuing.
Bandaged, bruised and still obviously shaken, Beau the poodle shih tzu cross is still recovering from his injuries after the violent attack.
Owner Leanne Macleod says when Beau was attacked by the dog of a neighbour in her backyard it was one of the most horrific things she had seen in her lifetime.
It is believed the wanted dog is a dark-coloured bulldog cross, but this has not been confirmed by the council.
“I heard Beau crying for help so I ran outside and saw this dog shaking him in their mouth, there was blood everywhere,” Ms Macleod said.
“My little dog was yelping.”
Wiping tears from her eyes as she replayed the nightmare that unfolded, Ms Macleod said she was still affected by what had happened.
“When I finally was able to free him from the other dog’s grip I raced inside and called a vet – he was bruised, had a broken jaw and needed more than two (sets of) stitches.
“I saw that dog run all the way back along the fenceline to its home.”
Ms Macleod said the owner of her dog was a registered dog trainer and always had a number of dogs on her property.
She said the same dog had also attacked her daughter’s dog just three weeks earlier.
When told by council officers that they couldn’t locate the dog, Ms Macleod said she was shocked.
“To find out that no-one knows where this dog is – it’s scary,” she said.
“What if a child goes up to it, imagine the damage it could do to a child.”
Cardinia Shire’s Co-ordinator Compliance Services Shannon Maynard said council officers attempted to follow standard procedure, including seizing the dog believed to be involved in the alleged attack.
But officers were unable to seize the dog in question at it was not on the property.