Kate Wemyss and Merlin
A SEBASTOPOL resident who was attacked by two dogs in her neighbourhood has urged people to keep their pets on a leash while walking. Kate Wemyss was out walking her Australian silky terrier on Monday night when two large dogs ran out of a neighbouring house and tried to attack her and the family pet. “On Monday night, I was walking my little dog, Merlin, when two large dogs came sprinting towards me from the other side of the road,” Ms Wemyss said.“I picked Merlin up and held him high so the dogs couldn’t get to him.“The larger of the two dogs had his paws on my chest and was growling, jumping trying to reach Merlin.”The Ballarat High School teacher said she only escaped thanks to the help of her siblings and some neighbours down the street. “It is lucky I had my brother and sister with me to help protect my dog and me,” she said. “But they were struggling to get the other dog away from me. “Then a man and a lady from a nearby house came out to also help, and we restrained the animal.”Ms Wemyss said her brother took the dog towards what seemed to be its home and the owner came out. She said the owner put a leash on the dog and identified it as part pit bull terrier. “This makes me so mad that there are such irresponsible dog owners around,” Ms Wemyss said.“If I was on my own, I do not know what may have happened. “Or if young children were walking a dog, as I often see them doing, the outcome could have been so much worse.”She said the incident was not a one-off, as she had seen many dogs being walked off their leash around Sebastopol and Yarrowee Creek. A City of Ballarat spokesperson said the council investigated all reported incidents of dogs not secured to their premises and any dogs that acted in an aggressive or menacing way. “Under the Domestic Animals Act 1994, owners of dogs that are found roaming, or that attack or bite a person or animal, or that chase a person, may face a regulatory action ranging from a penalty infringement notice declaring an animal to be menacing or dangerous, or imposing restrictions on both the owner and the dog, or prosecution,” he said. “Anyone that is confronted with a roaming or aggressive dog should report it to the City of Ballarat on 5320?5500.”
