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Thursday, 28 April, 2016
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Dog day afternoon A BLIND Bight man’s shotgun rampage left local residents terrified, drawing a police helicopter to the sleepy seaside town. At issue was a long-standing neighbourhood dispute involving the welfare of more than 20 chained and hidden dogs, swarming with fleas, off Wild Duck Way. A Blind Bight man in his thirties allegedly shot at nearby property facades after discovering police, RSPCA and a Casey council by-laws officer had searched the family farm on Friday 15 April. Founder of Oscar’s Law, Debra Tranter was tipped off by an anonymous source close to six weeks ago and notified the RSPCA on Thursday 14 April. Ms Tranter and her team of two entered the property up to eight times in March and planted hidden cameras, capturing images of the dogs. “I want the dogs out of there, it’s absolutely barbaric for someone to chain up dogs and accept that it’s their way of life,” Ms Tranter said. “All day they just scratch at their skin until it bleeds - they are all suffering from skin infections.” The RSPCA did not seize any of the dogs on the day but have issued notices to comply, which require the animal owner to rectify welfare concerns. However later that evening the owner took his frustrations out on neighbours. An onlooker described the hourlong incident as “highly stressful”. “Someone could have died, a young lady with a baby is traumatised. “He has absolutely terrorised everyone, some residents have said they saw four helicopters circling the home and he was shooting at trees and onto roofs of houses,” they said. The resident - who wishes to remain anonymous - said the male farmer “went berserk with a shotgun”.
Founder of Oscar’s Law, Debra Tranter said footage she gained from hidden cameras showed the owner topping up water once a day and dry food being thrown on the ground. 153460 Picture: CONTRIBUTED
Ms Tranter said the secluded spot would take the owner 15 minutes to walk to from the Picture: CONTRIBUTED farmhouse. 153460
“He was yelling out foul language and threatening everyone.” Narre Warren Acting Sergeant, Anthony Sanders was called to the tense situation around 6pm. “We were there for hours,” Sgt Sanders said. “I spoke with the man’s father who clarified that people had been on his property without consent or knowledge, we had one helicopter circling above to keep observations.” Sgt Sanders said reports had come
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through that there was a “mad man with a gun, and shotgun pellets were raining down on roofs and garages.” Police cordoned off nearby streets and arrested the man at the scene, who assisted police. The man has since been released, pending further investigations. The local eyewitness said police, council and the RSPCA cut locks to gain entry to the rural property. “The dogs are kept in poor state, on very short chains in kennels on
the ground, recently he moved them among the trees at the far end of the property near the sewage pond,” the local said. Ms Tranter confirmed the dogs of a mixture of breeds including American bulldog, pitbull and Staffordshire bull terrier were chained to trees and poles on two-metre leads. It’s believed noise and constant barking, coming from the Blind Bight farm, is an ongoing source of angst for residents in adjacent estates.
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RSPCA inspectors are continuing to investigate and communicate with the owner about compliance with their notice, but Ms Tranter is taking the matter further. She said she would use the case to highlight much-needed legislative amendments around the chaining of dogs and write to the Minister for Agriculture, Jaala Pulford. “Unfortunately it’s not illegal to chain dogs, so just chaining a dog is not a violation of the law,” she said.
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