russ36 replied:

wild dogs can have mange which is contagious...perhaps you can ask the vet about it if he hasnt already thought about it. perhaps he needs a needle or something?

Mike Harding replied:

Visit the nearest gun shop and ask if they know anyone who would be prepared to shoot them for you. If that fails visit a local small arms target club or clay pigeon club and ask there.

In the meantime apply for a firearms licence yourself.

Mike Harding

Footloose replied:

You are not the problem, you are a victim. It shouldn't be up to you to supply a solution. Your council has the authority and resources to combat the problem. Get on their case. Don't take any bull from the office girls, go as far up the slippery pole as you can. Contact your local councillor and media if the response isn't what you need. (they love those stories).
You pay rates, now it's time for the council to justify them !

Gramps (NSW) replied:

Bware,

Go with Footy's advice. Your local council has a responsibility and the resources for feral animal control. You are obviously not a 'gun person' so that's out. By the way, the process for obtaining a gun license in NSW is a long and tedious journey.

Make enquiries through your local publican if all else fails. They generally have far more idea of what "services" are unofficially available in the community.

Wish I had the time available for a visit :))))

snowman replied:

I think the best advice anyone could give you is to "be part of the solution, not part of the problem". Your dog is no different to the wild dogs if you dont KEEP IT CHAINED UP.

Cheers Dave

Johnny boy replied:

Hi Bware
If all else fails you might want to contact the R.S.P.C.A or an organisation called WIRES as they may be able to set up traps that wont harm any domestic or wild animals and once captured they can deal with them appropriately that way you don't put any green's or tree huggers offside and the job is no hassle to you ??

Good luck and watch those children!!

Regards J,B.

Muzzgit [WA] replied:

What ever you do, if you obtain the services of someone with firearms and they are not a designated "feral animal terminator" be carefull. Some ppl who happen to own firearms are just blood thursty and may not be too intersested whether the animal is actually dead, as long as they "got a hit".

Your wife probably wouldn't like the idea anyway, but if that's the coarse you take, they should at least have the compassion to do the job properly.

Motherhen replied:

When we had a pair of 'town dogs' rip up all the sheep in one paddock, my husband got in two good shots, then got the shire ranger out. They then had to shoot the rest of the badly injured sheep. But you have to 'catch them in the act' and have the gun ready - not much help if you have to hire someone to wait in case they come again. The so called dog owners suddenly changed the colour of their missing dogs when the story got around. My children still remember being vegetarian for a year as the dogs destroyed a good year's worth of meat from the larder paddock.

In another town where we once lived, farmers were losing sheep at night from dog packs. The people across the street found their dog had gone missing overnight once (an our dog would NEVER roam family). Only believed it when they were shown the body by the ranger, as the farmer eventually had to stay up all night for several nights waiting to shoot the pack.

I sure hope Buddha gets well soon, and you can find someone to trace and shoot the perpetrators, who i would imagine are domestic dogs to come in to your yard like that. Does your shire ranger have dog traps?

ev700 replied:

The giveaway signs that a dog has been running with a pack at night and worrying other animals are that they are dirty, dishevelled and a bit wet (and still excitable, but tired) in the morning. It is not unusual for a pack of dogs to sort out hierarchy so one of them or more could take part in a fight at some time during the evening.

Hopefully Bware's dog was not out on a hunt, however it is not unusual for dogs that are on the loose of an evening to revert to pack behaviour.

I am a big bloke and some years ago I was bailed up by a large dog in my own unfenced backyard in a city suburb. I watering the tomatoes and he suddenly appeared growling. He was only deterred by a hardwood tomato stake. Never happened to me over many years spent out bush. I could imagine that in a pack he would attack a person or animal because he was totally unafraid.

I came from the country and have culled many dogs that attacked sheep and cows. Most dog attacks near towns are domestic dogs that were allowed to roam at night. All breeds did it, including smaller ones.

Bware, I would keep Buddha in an enclosure at night for protection against himself and others.

Member - Dunworkin (WA) replied:

Sorry to hear about Budhha, I know what you are saying about the bucket over the head, our Simba has just had an operation and the vet gave us a special collar to put around her neck to stop her from pulling on the bandage, however I couldn't stand listening to her in the dark banging on things to get it off so I took it off myself and slept on the floor with her for a couple of nights and trained her not to lick in that area. We are lucky with the bathing as Simba just lays on the floor while we bathe her wound and replace the bandage.

Hope your Budhha heals up quick. her wounds must have been fairly bad for you to need to bathe for 2-3 weeks.

Cheers

Member - Willie , Epping .Syd. replied:

Brian and Jen ,

I think I would buy a couple of baits and place them near the house at dusk . Put your dog inside for the night and in the morning , go out and collect the baits .

I would do that for a week and see if any baits were taken . If you do not get a dog you might still knock off a couple of foxes or feral cats .

I would put a note on the door each night to remind yourself to collect the baits before releasing your own dog .

Cheers ,

Willie .

666toy replied:

If you cannot find a local shooter (you might like to try the Sporting Shooters Accociation of Australia 02 96234900) although i am sure someone in your area would be able to help out . These pests do need culling . Once feral dogs become a problem they are hard to get rid of without shooting . Do not bait you most likely will get your own dog on a small property (or the neighbours) All sporting shooters that i have ever met believe in a clean humane kill the & rambo attitude is very far & few between. You are wasting your time with the local "authorities" as you most likely will get a "we will keep a eye on the situation" response & in the mean time you will have a huge vet bill or worse a injured family member or dead pet
Do yourself a favour ( & your neighbours) get a shooter in . Does you property border with a national park or large private property? Do the dogs come regally? Possibly keep your own dog indoor's or in a enclosure of a night until the problem is sorted. Try you local gun store someone will gladly help you out.
have you thought of getting a firearms licence yourself ? It is drawn out but it is a rewarding sport to be involved in plus you will have the ability to deal with the problem your self in the future if it ever happens again....hope this helps ...666toy

Trevor R (QLD) replied:

Sad news Brian, I hope Buddha recovers quickly.

If you want to do it humanely, can I suggest keeping Buddha securely inside over the next couple of weeks and put an electric fence temporarily around your back yard (on an overnight timer so the kids and Buddha can't be zapped during the day) and wait for the yelps. Dogs are very smart and it will only take a couple of hits and they won't come back. We used to do this when our bitches were on heat and even then the local wondering dogs wouldn't come too close even with all those smells pouring into their noses from our bitches.
You could always leave the electric fence erected and only plug it in if the mongrels return at a later date. You may get a few stray "locals" looking for plots down in the area you live in also, so you could be doing more favours than you anticipate LOL!!!

Cheers and good luck with whatever you end up doing.
Trevor.

Bware (Tweed Valley) replied:

Thankyou everyone for your replies.

If they are true ferals, their range could be huge in this area and it is the first sign of this type of activity we've come across in the 20 months we've been here. If they are long gone, shooting them seems a very slim chance. We will first try to establish the extent of the problem through locals and council and see where we go from there.

I see from some of the replies that the story needs some clarification:
Buddha is already kept indoors at night.
Although he is a 30kg dog he acts like a lap dog; he is inside when we are inside. If I go out to put rubbish in the bin he follows me out and back in.
He follows 5yo Cooper around like a 'lost puppy' and when Cooper is at day care, Buddha sits in the shade of the car port and waits for him to come home.
On the morning of the 'incident' he was outside with Jen while she was hanging out the washing.
We do have a chain outside but the only time it is needed is when we don't want Buddha to lick to death our visitors LOL

Cheers,

Brian

Member - John L G replied:

Not good Bware and I can understand your distress for Buddha and concerns for the family.

Perhaps you might like to invest in a mate for Buddha in the form of a Maremma Sheepdog.

dogbreedinfo.com/maremmasheepdog.htm

Absolutely the best breed of dog/companion around, fantastic with kids and I can gaurantee the wild dogs or any thing else threatening your family for that matter will no longer be a problem.

Regards
John G