Stray dog tale alarms rangers

Pilbara councils are euthanising stray dogs at more than triple the rate of their metropolitan counterparts.

In 2010-11, Port Hedland put down 60 per cent of the 865 dogs impounded by Town rangers, well above the 18.4 per cent destroyed by the City of Armadale, Rockingham (2.2 per cent of 1128 impounded) and Wanneroo (4.9 per cent of 1095).

The Shire of Roebourne destroyed 44 per cent of the 206 dogs it impounded while the Shire of East Pilbara put 79 dogs to death (40 per cent).

Port Hedland planning and development director Eber Butron said higher canine euthanasia rates existed in regional areas because animal welfare services were less prominent.

“The support services relating to dog adoption agencies and the great services offered by the RSPCA in taking in unwanted cats and dogs are often not readily available in regional areas.”

More alarmingly, Mr Butron said, some owners deliberately left their dogs to die at the Town’s pound facility in Wedgefield.

“Unfortunately there are always a percentage of owners who, knowing their dog has been impounded, fail to collect them.”

Under the Dog Act, dogs that are unidentifiable are only required to be held by Town rangers for a three-day period, while dogs with a collar are kept for a week. “However often dogs are kept longer than this so they can be reunited with their family,” Mr Butron said.

“With the Dog Act being revised all dogs will be required to be kept for seven days.”

Rangers from all three Pilbara shires contacted by the North West Telegraph reiterated the importance of responsible dog ownership, including the use of registration tags and micro-chipping.