Hundreds of people have rallied behind a Helensburgh couple who have been fighting for the past three weeks to stop their dogs being put down due to a Wollongong City Council order.
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Ian and Robyn Wilson say their time is running out, with a stay on the dogs’ scheduled deaths due to expire at midday on Friday.
Wollongong council has engaged its legal counsel Jeff Reilly to communicate with the couple, who have set up a public Facebook page to air their distress about Talli and China – a kelpie and kelpie cross, according to Mr Wilson – being destroyed.
The page has been liked by more than 200 people.
According to letters to the Wilsons, the council says the dogs have been declared “menacing” by rangers and has detailed several “offences” which have taken place over a number of months.
Mr Wilson believes the council’s reasons for destroying his dogs are “arbitrary” and “flawed”, and says the seven and four-year-old animals are “very affectionate, not dangerous dogs”.
“We feel like people with their family on death row,” he said.
According to the council, the dogs were impounded on January 27, with the letters advising the Wilsons that “it is appropriate to euthanase your dog[s] in accordance with Section 58G (1B)(2) (b) of the [Companion Animals] Act.”
“The requirements that follow [a menacing] declaration have been breached on numerous occasions by the dogs,” a spokesman said.
“As the dog owners are now contemplating legal action about the declaration council can’t comment further until this legal action is complete.”
Mr Wilson said the couple had engaged a lawyer, but was not seeking anything from the council except to “get our dogs back”.