LETTER TO THE EDITOR
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I was horrified to read in The Courier August 19, two small dogs recently found viciously killed in a Creswick backyard with high colorbond fencing.
The owner opened the gates and was confronted by a large dog.
She had no idea how it got in.
I was concerned reading the Hepburn Shire Council response was simply that we need to make sure fences and dogs are secure and a community response is necessary.
The community already knows this and is aware of the ongoing problem with unrestrained dogs.
There will always be careless dog owners who consistently fail to keep their animals properly restrained.
Stiff penalties and tall fences obviously are not enough.
The real penalty is paid not by the guilty but by those who lose their pets in and by children and adults who are attacked.
It is also paid by those dogs put down because their owners did not care enough to do what they should have.
The guilty are the owners and penalties need to match the enormous harm they do by their neglect or ignorance.
This is the responsibility of both the council and the legal system.
Referring to community responsibility is a cop out.
Rhonda Cotsell, Creswick