A PET alpaca was left dead with its chest torn open after a vicious double dog attack in which two other pets were also savagely killed, a court heard today.
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The court was told a pet dog was also mauled to death, while a pet goat had to be put down after it suffered internal bleeding and a broken leg.
The two unregistered dogs responsible for the attack had escaped from the laundry of a Mount Helen home on February 25 this year, after a five-year-old child let them out.
Angie Lee Wickham of Mount Helen, who was the owner of the dogs which have since been destroyed, pleaded guilty in Ballarat Magistrates Court to multiple charges stemming from the attack including dog attack causing death, two counts of a dog not being confined, and two counts of having an unregistered dog.
A City of Ballarat prosecutor told the court that a 41-year-old man arrived home from work about 1pm on February 25 and heard screaming coming from the backyard.
The court heard that the man walked into his backyard to find the two dogs on a mauling his pets.
At one stage the two dogs turned on the man, who was forced to defend himself with bricks.
Magistrate Michelle Hodgson strongly condemned Wickham and said her actions surrounding the incident had been "grossly irresponsible."
"The animals should never have been in a position that a five-year-old could have released them," Ms Hodgson said.
She said it was an issue which had to be strongly denounced and referred to the case of a four-year-old Melbourne girl who was mauled to death by a dog in 2011.
"I cannot make light of this issue," Ms Hodgson said.
"It has caused me considerable difficulty to consider recording a conviction or not."
Wickham's defence lawyer Mike Wardell said his client had suffered grief from the incident and that she was very remorseful.
Wickham was fined $3500 and ordered to pay the victim $900 in compensation.
A conviction was not recorded.
