By XAVIER SMERDON
THE OWNER of two dogs stolen from her backyard and thrown from a speeding car has said her three children have been traumatised by the event.
Melissa Orr told Star that one of the dogs that was killed, a maltese shih tzu, had been a beloved family pet for around 11 years.
“My youngest children are 11 and six-years-old, so they’ve never known life without their dog,” Ms Orr said.
“It’s been around for such a long time that it’s just really sad that something like this would happen.”
“The kids are absolutely traumatised. The youngest one cries herself to sleep because she’s got so many memories with the dogs.”
The other dog was a staffy that had been living with the family for around one year.
Ms Orr said it appeared that her rear fence had been marked with a piece of chalk so that the callous thieves would know that the Werribee property had dogs that could be stolen and later used in a dog fighting ring.
The dogs were found on Heaths Rd by a witness.
Ms Orr said she had been informed that the dogs were most likely baited out of the property and then given a sedative.
“They obviously overdosed them and then when they got them into the car they realised they didn’t have a heartbeat. That’s when they threw them out the window to get rid of them,” she said.
“I think that’s the hardest bit, hearing the end of the story and the fact that they were just thrown away like pieces of garbage.”
The family was still waiting on the results of an autopsy last week.
But in twist of community caring, Ms Orr said she had been touched by unknown people making donations so that the family could have their pets cremated.
Around $700 had been donated through a local facebook page.
“The support we’ve got from people has been overwhelming,” Ms Orr said.
“People are amazing.”
