Pet dog cut in half then thrown over fence

The theft and gruesome mutilation of an Australian family's pet dog which was found chopped in half is too violent to be an act of stupidity or the work of youths, police say. Six-year-old Rascal, a small brown Pomeranian, is believed to have been stolen from his owners' property in the small western Victorian town of Nhill. The owner of the dog was mowing the lawn when he stumbled on the rear half of his mutilated pet, which had been thrown back over the fence. Senior Constable David Flannery said police had no idea who, or how many people, committed the cruel attack that has shaken the small community.

He said there had been no other acts of animal cruelty in the area. "I find it very hard to believe it could be young kids being idiots because it's going past the realms of what young kids would normally do ... it's a lot more violent then a normal stupidity attack," said Sen Const Flannery. "It's concerning and it'd be concerning for anyone to know that the security of people's pets on their own property is being jeopardised by cowardly attacks. Obviously (the family are) not feeling very secure, nor are most of the community really, they're all feeling a bit under pressure from it all."



He said the family had two small children - a toddler and a baby - and it was lucky the father had found the dog before his young daughter saw it. Only the rear half of the dog's body has been found. A local woman, who did not wish to be named, said the shocking attack was the talk of the town and had put fear into locals. "For somebody to be able to do that to a dog, it just sends general fear that we have somebody in the community that could do that," the woman said. "It's absolutely disgraceful that it could happen in a community like ours. To find it happening in your own backyard, it's frightening."

The dog was stolen at some time last Friday night and its remains were found on Saturday morning. RSPCA Victoria chief inspector Greg Boland said the culprit could face a $25,000 fine and a two-year jail term. He said the attack was at the high end of animal cruelty and he had never heard of a similar case in Australia. "It beggars belief that somebody could do that sort of thing and if they could do that to a defenceless animal, who knows what they are capable of."

With news video.