By DANE LILLINGSTONE
A MAN has been left almost $100 out of pocket after being attacked by stray dogs and the council will do nothing to help him.
Warwick retiree Craig Rowley had just left the Warwick library and was walking near the church on Grafton Street with his hearing dog Hank last month when they were attacked by two stray huskies.
“I was minding my own business and these dogs just shot out from nowhere. They sniffed around Hank, who was on a lead, then attacked. Knocked me to the ground and latched onto Hank,” Mr Rowley said.
Mr Rowley was knocked to the ground in the attack when one of the huskies attacked his leg, aggravating a lower back injury.
“We were both in shock. It was awful. I’ll never forget it,” he said.
People noticed what was happening and helped the pair.
“They would have killed him, but some people saw and surrounded us and helped.”
Luckily it did not break the skin but the dog still had to be taken to the vet who charged $95, and Mr Rowley thought that he would be entitled to some type of reimbursement. He contacted the council who reviewed his case and declared that it was not liable for what happened.
“I was nearly killed by those bloody huskies. Imagine if it were a child they attacked?” he said.
“I think I’m entitled to get that money somewhere. I just want the dog owner’s name.”
A letter from the council’s Contracts Administrator Maryanne Kelly advised him that his request for reimbursement had been denied and that “this is a civil matter between yourself and the dog owners.”
However, the council has said that under privacy laws they could not reveal the name of the dog owners, leaving Mr Rowley almost $100 out of pocket with no way of getting it back.
A response from the council reported that the two huskies were immediately rounded up by Animal Control staff after the incident and taken to the pound where they were then rehomed outside the Southern Downs region.
Mr Rowley said he was already struggling to pay his bills and had no faith in the local council after the recent announcement of the 4 per cent rate rise. The elderly are expected to be the hardest hit, expected to fork out almost an extra $400 a year under the new rate rises.
