Then they headed further down the back yard and proceeded to rip open the wire on most of the bird cages and the CEO lost a LOT of his precious birds, some of which were worth $50 each.
This is what they did to one side of the guinea pig cage. There were teeth marks everywhere.
Eventually they ripped off the slats on the other side and also pulled out the wire. The poor guinea pigs had no chance. On the other cage they chewed off the lock. My favourite guinea pig was in that cage. I had been hoping to show her to one of my granddaughters if they visited at Christmas as she really loved that little one and had named her.
The relevant authorities were called as these were quite dangerous dogs when roaming around together. We live in town and not out in the country so they weren't wild dogs. We also live near a school so it isn't safe to have them on the streets. After I discovered the damage I saw the three dogs coming out of our neighbour's yard that morning at around 7.30am and some children could have been walking to school around that time. The CEO went up the road to see where they went and the Lollypop Lady said they had split up and gone through back yards.
The largest of the three dogs had a collar on so it was someone's pet and probably the other two were as well. The owners need to be informed that they are getting out and are causing a lot of damage around the neighbourhood. Hopefully the authorities can find them as they need to be off the streets. It is an offence in our city to have dogs on the street unless they are on a leash.
Seeing feathers, hair and dismembered bird bodies everywhere I walked around the garden to try and find something nice to look at as I was quite upset especially when thinking about what had happened to my guinea pigs and I looked up and there was the Esmeralda rose that we had been given last year. It was just starting to open up so I picked it and put it in a vase to have something beautiful to see and to keep my mind off that sad morning.
Thank goodness for Esmeralda!
Oh, wow, what a horrible experience! I'm so sorry you lost your precious guinea pigs and birds. People need to be more responsible with their animals, that's for sure. Really, they should be paying your for damages.
ReplyDeleteYour rose is beautiful. I'm glad it was there to bring a bit of beauty to an ugly day.
Love,
Patti
Yes Patti, that rose is absolutely beautiful. Only two of the six rose plants we were given by a neighbour are flowering so I appreciate it when I can pick such a lovely rose.
DeleteOh no!! That is so sad and horrible! My heart goes out to you both. There is no question, those dogs need to be found and put down, and the owners need to be held accountable too! Like you say if the animals aren't caught, it could be a child next! Sadly it's happening all too often these days.
ReplyDeleteThanks Cheryl. To be honest I don't like going for walks these days in case dogs such as these are wandering around. So I do my walking in the lounge room to one of my Leslie Sansone DVDs :-)
DeleteOh, Chel. That's such an awful experience. I'm glad there was a beautiful rose there blooming to cheer you a little. It's so important that dogs are contained in a yard and walked on their leads so that this type of thing cannot happen. It is important too that the owners know and understand what's happened and the need for responsible dog ownership if one chooses to have a dog for a pet. Meg Xx
ReplyDeleteMeg, one of these dogs was a German Shepherd so I would have thought the owners would be extra careful about securing their yard to make sure it didn't get out at night. Obviously not though.
DeleteThat's terrible, Chel. I'm really sorry. I hope you discover the names of the dog owners and that they cover the costs, although nothing will compensate you for what's happened. Take care. XX
ReplyDeleteThanks Rhonda. I think the lady from the Council said she was going to go house to house looking for the dogs. Hopefully she can find the owners eventually.
DeleteThat's a shocking story, Nanna Chel! I'm so sorry for you. You were very lucky not to have been in the way of the dogs as the damage makes it look like it was a frenzied attack. There is something quite sinister in the idea that they are hunting in a pack.
ReplyDeleteYour Esmerelda is beautiful. Cyril and Esmerelda were the names of frilly goldfish my brother and I shared as kids - will always be for me the perfect pet names!
Yes, I was pleased I wasn't near the dogs when I saw them coming out of the neighbour's yard. A lady who was coming up the road on her morning walk stopped in her tracks when she saw them as she could tell they were bad news.
DeleteThat's just awful Chel, I really feel for you. I hope they are identified and caught before they harm any humans. Children are really vulnerable. Your rose is beautiful and I'm glad it helped under the circumstances. Take care xx
ReplyDeleteThanks Pauline. The Esmeralda rose bloomed just at the right time.
DeleteHugs! Those poor little guineas and birds...
ReplyDeleteLiz, I try not to think how terrified my little guinea pigs would have been.
DeleteGee whiz Chel. How dreadful. Guinea pigs are just the loveliest gentle little creatures (we lost one of ours to a neighbourhood dog too). I'll be thinking of you this weekend and I'm happy that Mother Nature has given you something beautiful to focus on.
ReplyDeleteFran, I won't get any more guinea pigs. We thought our cages were secure but obviously they couldn't withstand three aggressive dogs.
DeleteOh Chel I'm so sad for your little furred and feathered friends. I hope the council can sort those dogs out. Hugs to you and the CEO. XX
ReplyDeleteThanks Barb. We haven't heard back from the Council as yet.
DeleteI'm upset along with you, Chel. There's nothing worse than an irresponsible dog owner. They make all kinds of excuses for their animal's behaviour, rather than accept they have an enormous responsibility in containing a predator. Because that's what they are, to anything smaller than them.
ReplyDeleteRest assure, nature has an inbuilt system for smaller animals, to cope with such aggressive situations. Their bodies are flooded with such adrenalin, it numbs their senses. I do hope they find these dogs, and exercise the full arm of the law, on their owners. I'm glad you're safe too.
PS: I've had to confront a couple of stray dogs in our neighbourhood, the chickens alerted me to. I always take my large mattock, to chase them off. I treat them as a predator, that could equally turn on me. So until the dogs are found and dealt with, keep something sharp, with a long handle, near the back door.
ReplyDeleteChris, my hubby went down the back with a hammer the following night and found one of the dogs trying to get into a cage but he backed off a bit when he saw the size of the dog and he is not normally fearful of dogs.
DeleteOh my, again? This is not good news. Because they see your territory as their own, and get more aggressive protecting it. Start packing the heavy artillery - long handle with something sharp at the end of it. Stay safe, you two. I hope they find the owners soon. On the weekend however, no Council workers are working.
DeleteChris a few night before the attack the German Shepherd was in a yard just down the road and then was joined by the other two when they did the damage. If I get up during the night I look out the back window in case I hear dogs barking. Councul said to ring day or night so am not sure if that applies at the weekend. It was a special number.
DeleteIf they said to call after hours, with a special number, then it's probably an after hours service. Maybe the issue has to be serious enough (ie: a threat to public safety).
DeleteYes I would say that is the case, Chris. Seeing that we are not far from a school is a concern.
DeleteHugs Chel, what a terrible thing to happen. I can imagine how sad and upset you'll be feeling. Xx
ReplyDeleteThanks Nanette. I was thinking of your experience with that dog when this happened.
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