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Friday, May 24, 2013
Rural Cowichan Bay residents warned of dogs running rampant
SD79 the cop shop solution?
Let’s make a deal? Could school board office be police station site to make all parties happy?
Killing spree: Goats, cats and chickens dead as a result of brutal dog attacks in the Cowichan Bay area
Ashley Degraaf
News Leader Pictorial
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Peter W. Rusland
News Leader Pictorial
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win-winwin for Cowichan’s school board, cops and ecology could surface if North Cowichan bites on a School District 79 proposal to turn its current board office site into a new police station location. The school district is interested in selling its sizable Beverly Street property to the municipality, then moving board offices, maintenance services, and the bus garage to under-utilzed district property elsewhere — for example, a recently closed school. Council would then work with RCMP brass on specs for building a new North Cowichan/ Duncan detachment to replace its damp, cramped facility on Canada Avenue. That site would be sold. Proceeds would help buy the school board’s property. Ecological benefits involve council ditching current plans to build the new cop shop on farmland bordering Somenos Marsh, only about 500 yards west of the current school-board site. more on A3
Andrew Leong
Fraser Dyke and classmate Danielle Doney make their way along Willow Street to Waterwheel Park during Chemainus Secondary School’s grad prom event on Friday, May 17.
sther Roberts and her family are doing their best to get word out to folks living in the Cowichan Bay area about recent brutal dog attacks. The attacks have resulted in the deaths of five goats, two cats and eight chickens. “They’re just roaming everywhere and they’re very dangerous,” warned Roberts, noting her sister-in-law has alerted authorities as well as residents in the surrounding area. Cowichan Valley Regional District’s Brian Duncan confirmed his crew is “hot on the trail.” Duncan, manager of inspections and enforcement, said the goat killings took place on Telegraph Road, between Koksilah and Cowichan Bay roads, Monday, May 13. And the two dogs described as Rottweiler-mixes came back for round two the following night, feasting on eight chickens, Duncan said. “We’re looking at setting a live trap and then we’d be looking at rehabilitating them,” he said. “Individually, they might be OK, but collectively they are in that pack mentality. “We’ve had several sightings and from the latest report one is said to be wearing a collar. That means somewhere in the recent past, this dog has either been allowed to run at
large or has been misplaced by its owner.” Roberts’ brother and sisterin-law have lost two cats as a result: one about a month or so ago and the other Saturday evening. They own a dairy farm on Parker Road. “One of the neighbours close to where the goats were killed said they ended up on their property as well, and were digging up their pet’s graves,” said Roberts. “He said their eyes were just so piercing. They looked so evil. But I guess they would look like that when they’ve been on a killing spree.” Demonic, is how Duncan described the dogs’ behavior. “Even Fifi the family poodle can turn into Dracula,” he said. “I think with these guys we’ve determined it’s the thrill of the kill, not just filling their tummies.” Folk over at Bench Elementary School were notified immediately, and Roberts and family have been spreading the word through email. Duncan suggested anyone who spots the dogs not try and rope them, but to call the SPCA or his bylaw department with an exact location and the time of the sighting. In the meantime, his crew’s trying to decide the best location to set their trap. Sightings can be reported to: Cowichan Valley Regional District bylaw enforcement at 250-746-2620 or the Cowichan SPCA at 250-7464646.
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