By Mitchell Clarke
There are renewed calls for dogs to be kept on a leash at all times, after a duck was said to have been killed and beheaded by a dog at Lakeside.
Lakeside resident Bill Lehne woke to the sounds of quacking ducks “running for their lives” after one bird was attacked by a dog, allegedly off-leash, he said.
Mr Lehne claims to have heard two people yelling at their dog before running from the scene, at about 6.30am on Saturday 4 July.
“I walked over and here’s this poor old duck and it’s head had been ripped off … it’s pretty disgusting,” he said.
Mr Lehne – who has lived in the area for over a decade – said the number of dogs off-leash had become a huge problem.
“This dog had no lead on, it had a collar but it didn’t have a lead and its owners definitely weren’t carrying a lead,” he said.
“You constantly see people here walking their dogs without a lead. It’s becoming a bit of a joke.”
A sign which read “this is what happens when you don’t keep your dog on a lead” was left by Mr Lehne next to the headless duck, in the hopes it would serve as a wake up call.
“I left it there for a reason, I wanted to show people that this is what happens … I wanted people to be disgusted and annoyed because it’s the truth,” he said.
“There’s not many of these particular ducks anymore, and I guarantee that bird had been here for about five years. I don’t think it was a young bird.”
Mr Lehne is concerned about the prospect of a rogue dog one day attacking a child.
“If your dog is uncontrollable you shouldn’t have it outside in a public place. I’ve seen so many unsociable dogs here having fights,” he said.
“This is a populated area with so many kids and families and one day I fear one of those dogs will attack a kid … If it can rip a duck’s head off, what can it do to a kid’s arm?”
Lakeside Residents Group president Wendy Andrews shares a similar fear and said Cardinia Shire Council should employ local law officers to patrol the area.
“Dogs need to be kept on a leash but people just don’t think … they think ‘my dog’s ok, it won’t hurt anything’ until it does,” she said.
Central Ward councillor Michael Schilling said the incident served as a timely reminder to respect wildlife.
“Our lake is the natural habitat for our bird life so while we’re using the lake, we need to remember this,” he said.
“It’s a great place to walk dogs and I walk my dog regularly around but we need to ensure they’re kept on a leash.
“The shire have a range of off leash areas, for all dog owners to use should they wish to take their dogs off leash.”
