Animal control officers have described their hair-raising efforts to seize a dangerous dog from a Koonawarra home, against a barrage of abuse and violence.
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The animal – a beloved family pet – lost consciousness and wet itself at the height of the confrontation, which was witnessed by four police officers and resulted in multiple criminal charges.
On Friday a woman fronted Wollongong Local Court, accused of common assault and willfully obstructing the officers as they attempted to carry out their duty. But the woman denies laying hands on the rangers, instead claiming it was her teenage daughter – the dog’s owner, since dealt with in the children’s court - who “escalated” the response to one of abuse and violence.
Accompanied by police, officers Megan Demirov and Ashlee Hodson went to seize the dog, Crusher*, in December, 2015. The teen ran from the house with Crusher on a lead when the animal handlers arrived. According to police, she became aggressive towards the officers, telling them “you’re not f—king taking my dog. You f--king b--ch … f—k off b--ch”.
In evidence on Friday, Ms Hodson said she and Ms Demirov were forced to pursue the dog into a narrow space down the side of the property, where they placed the “quite aggressive” animal on their catch poles.
The court heard Crusher, whose own crimes were deemed irrelevant to the court case, grew agitated in the commotion.
She said both handlers had their hands full when she saw the accused woman come from behind her colleague with her closed fist raised. “I could hear lots of yelling from behind me,” Ms Hodson said. “Because the dog was very big and strong, we were trying to control him.”
“As we were edging toward the vehicle with the dog on the pole, I received a punch to the back of the head. I don’t know who it was from because it was from behind. The dog had lost consciousness, which is quite common. There was a lot of emotion.”
The teenager was charged after she smashed the tail light to the handler’s car. Ms Hodson said she and Ms Demirov then parked a short distance away.
“Megan got out of her vehicle and was extremely distressed,” she said. “She was crying … I was distressed as well. we comforted each other for a very short time then we proceeded to go to the RSPCA.”
Some police officers described seeing both the woman and her daughter hitting Ms Demirov. The matter returns to court on Friday.
*The dog’s name has been changed for legal reasons. As a minor, the teenager cannot be identified, therefore neither can her mother or her dog.