A Queensland family whose dog was impounded has slammed the local council, claiming it feared he was stolen due to a lack of information.
However, Logan City Council says staff members’ actions were in line with its “zero-tolerance” safety policy on pets.
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Council animal management officers took Tammie Ward-Hawkins’ 10-month-old rottweiler, Matic, from her Flagstone home on Tuesday.
Ward-Hawkins concedes Matic was in an unfenced area of the property, having “chewed through” the backyard fence. But she claims he did not leave the bounds of the property during that time.
Coming home from work and noticing Matic was gone, Ward-Hawkins and her husband reviewed their security camera footage.
“At 2pm, you can see two people turn up in a white van, with no markings on it whatsoever, and they looked like courier drivers,” she told 7NEWS.com.au.
“They’ve come up to the house … he (Matic) goes across, they pat him and they put him straight into the van.
“There’s no note. There’s nothing to say who these people were.
“Both my husband and I were concerned that the people who took him were not going to give him back.
“He’s a super friendly dog and he’s gorgeous as well.
“We thought we just paid $2500 for a dog that some courier driver has decided they’re going to have.”
Ward-Hawkins appealed for information about the people who removed her dog.
She also started calling different pounds, before learning Matic had been taken to the council’s facility.
While the council has an online register of impounded animals, an entry for Matic had not yet been posted.
Then, Ward-Hawkins alleges, council staff gave her “no information” and would not “confirm or deny he was there”.
She says she was told to go to the pound.
Ongoing ordeal
“Yesterday morning, I took time off work and went to the pound, and they said ‘no, you can’t (take Matic) because we have to inspect the enclosure’,” she claimed.
“They didn’t tell me that on the phone. They are still insisting they have to come and take photos for themselves of the enclosure.
“I can’t find anything anywhere that says they are allowed to keep my dog until the enclosure is fixed.”
Council workers have scheduled an inspection of the fence on Friday, with Ward-Hawkins fearing she may not get her dog back for days.
She says much of her ordeal could have been avoided if the workers left a note saying Matic had been impounded.
Council response
But the Logan council has hit back, saying Matic was reported “straying” and there was a “large hole” in the fence.
It also said Matic’s chip was registered in the breeder’s name, not in the owner’s, and he was not wearing a council registration tag, making it impossible for Ward-Hawkins to be informed.
“Logan City Council promotes responsible pet ownership and has zero-tolerance for dogs being kept in a way that might compromise the safety of the community,” a council spokesperson told 7NEWS.com.au.
“This includes keeping pets in a manner that complies with council’s animal-keeping laws, including suitable fencing for dogs.”
The council also said it was “normal practice” for a dog not to be released without an enclosure inspection.
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