Wild dog warning

Kylie Triggell | 20th July 2009

AFTER a wild dog attack on cattle on the Sunshine Coast, the question 'could it ever happen in south-west Brisbane?' has been raised.

Wild dogs in the south-west are generally a hybrid of a dingo and domestic breed.

Photo: AAP

AFTER a wild dog attack on cattle on the Sunshine Coast, the question 'could it ever happen in south-west Brisbane?' has been raised.

Amid concerns children may become the next targets, a Brisbane City Council spokesperson said wild dogs that entered suburban areas were normally attracted by alternative food sources.

“Compost heaps, pet food and water left outside at night, road kill and knocked over rubbish bins (are what attract them),” the spokesperson said.

But the spokesperson encouraged residents not to worry about attacks occurring around the area, as wild dogs weren't usually found too far from areas bordering national parks, and rarely ventured further into suburbia.

“There has not been a dingo caught in Brisbane since 2005, and this was on the city's very outskirts,” they said.

But the spokesperson said there was a difference between dingoes and feral dogs, which make up the majority of captures and sightings.

This was reiterated by RSPCA south-west region inspector, Aubra Dearden.

Ms Dearden said it would be hard to find a purebred dingo on mainland Australia, and many wild dogs were in fact a hybrid of dingo and domestic breeds.

“They can look like a dingo, but they're not really,” she said.

She said the biggest difference between the two was their temperament. While purebred dingoes are commonly shy, wild dogs can be more aggressive and are prone to an unstable temperament.

Ms Dearden said it was important residents remembered wild dogs were very different from domesticated dogs, and she urged residents not to approach one.

“They are a wild animal and like any wild animal they'd prefer it if you didn't come near them,” she said.

Ms Dearden said it was important to secure pets overnight and to supervise young children, because a running young child could trigger off a predatory response in a wild dog.

Ms Dearden also warned residents not to attempt to capture or relocate a wild dog themselves, but rather contact council to do so.

Wild dogs can be reported by calling Brisbane City Council on 3403 8888.