Posted January 12, 2018 By Diane McLean, The Dominion Post A woman was left devastated after her two-year-old dog was fatally attacked by a large chainsaw in a rural area of New South Wales.
The woman, who wished to remain anonymous, said her dog, Kari, had wandered into a field near her home in the northern suburbs of Newcastle.
“She was about two weeks old when we found her,” she said.
“I thought she had been playing in the field, but she wasn’t moving at all.
She was just dead on the spot.”
The woman had called animal control, who arrived and took the woman to the nearby local vet, where she was given an injection of adrenaline.
Her dog was then flown to a hospital for an autopsy.
But Ms McLean said she could not understand why the dog was attacked so suddenly.
Kari’s owner, a farmer in his late 40s, told the ABC he was a regular visitor to the fields where his dog spent her time.
He said he and his family had had the chain saw at least once before, but had never heard of it being used in this manner.
“They are always used to killing animals,” he said.
“[They] are just like any other animal.”
Mr O’Sullivan said he had never seen any similar attack before.
“It would have been nice if the owner had said they used it, but I guess they didn’t know about it,” he explained.
The farm is part of the National Rural Dog Park, which includes a number of farms in the Hunter Valley.
Animal protection officer Catherine O’Connor said the incident would raise questions about the use of chainsaws in rural areas.
“We know that the number of animals killed in NSW is on the rise, and we have seen that in the last couple of years,” she told the BBC.
“In rural areas there are very few places where people can access the power, and that’s a huge issue for people.”
Ms O’Neill said that in rural Queensland there were some cases of chainsaw injuries reported in relation to dogs but it was rare.
“This is an area that has seen an increase in the number and the severity of incidents,” she added.
“There are many questions that need to be answered and answers that we need to have to come to terms with this.”
Mr McLean is urging people to take a closer look at the safety of their own pets.
“Do you know the best way to use a chainsaw?” he asked.
“If you’re walking your dog in the morning, make sure that your dog has been properly trained.
Do you have any tips on how to keep your dog safe?”
Topics:animal-welfare,people,animal-behaviour,animal,dominion-6111,newcastle-2300,north-castle-6141,louisville-5341,dunedin-6121,tas