MARAUDING dogs have torn apart a family’s cat, its owners now wondering just how many other pets had been killed by the vicious pair.
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Nine-year-old Boots was attacked on the doorstep of his Wodonga home, the dogs chasing him into a corner.
Leonie Staein yesterday fought back tears recalling the events of last Saturday.
She found the family pet in a bloody mess after scaring the dogs off.
But the roadside cafe worker said unless she could find the dogs or the owners, the pair were likely to continue to roam the streets.
“He was our pet, a big cat but timid, scared of people — he never went far from the house,” she said.
“But on Saturday morning I heard a sound like a cat fight and Boots banging at the front door trying to get in.
“He must have tried to run to the side fence to jump into the backyard to get away from two dogs which pinned him down.
“I went out to break up this cat fight only to see a dog run out of the bushes.
“He was a long-legged Jack Russell type of dog, tan and white and then another dog a tan Staffy-looking dog appeared, I think it did most of the damage.
“Our poor cat had no chance — he was badly injured.
“I rang a friend who came to help us and the police who did not hesitate to come to our aide.
“My friend drove my son and the cat to the vets but he was too badly hurt to be saved.”
Mrs Staein, who also has two pet dogs, said she thinks she had seen the killer pair near her McFarland Road home before.
“It is possible the dogs’ owner doesn’t even know they are getting out, that they are killing,” she said.
“The family is devastated, my 15-year-old daughter is still too upset to talk about it.
“How many other pets have these dogs killed.
“The ranger says unless we can trap the dogs in our backyard or identify the owners he is powerless.
“I would hope that someone knows who owns these dogs and reports them to the ranger — something needs to be done.”