The 12-year-old was out with his family near the Wedderburn Reserve when his seven-month-old dachshund, Steven, was viciously attacked.
Boe’s mother Sharlene Norton-Doidge said the incident happened quickly.
“We took the kids out to go gold detecting,” she said. “We had our little sausage dog out with us and then the next minute these two big pit bulls came running down towards the car.
“I tried to pick Steven up and get him in the car, but they grabbed him and mauled him to death. We tried to hit them but they wouldn’t let go.”
The Wedderburn resident said her partner had got into the car and tried to run the two dogs over, but was unsuccessful.
She said the dogs then ran into bushland with their dog.
As the attack unfolded Miss Norton-Doidge managed to take a clear photo of the savage dogs with her mobile phone.
“At the time we called 000 and Wedderburn police came out,” she said. “I showed the police the pictures on my phone.
“The police told us they knew the owners of the dogs and said the dogs had been missing since Wednesday and that they already killed some sheep.”
Miss Norton-Doidge’s 14-year-old son Clayton described the scene as horrible.
“I saw Steven dying,” he said.
“The noise was horrible. I hope the dogs get caught. It’s terrible – they have been out all this time and no has done anything about it.”
Miss Norton-Doidge said she was disappointed that a park ranger was not called out to the scene to look for the dogs.
“As far as we knew pit bulls were not allowed in Wedderburn,” she said. “The dogs didn’t have any collars, so we are not sure if they are registered.
“That part of the bush backs on to the school. It could have been a little kid out there and not a dog.”
(Bendigo Advertiser - Aug 11, 2013)
