The death of a dog from the disease parvovirus at the Wellington Council Pound on the weekend was regrettable and is being further investigated by Wellington Council, the Manager of Environmental services Damien Rindfleish said.
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A white female mastiff cross was deposited at the Wellington Pound at some time prior to 7am Saturday morning and on discovery by staff visiting at 7.05am was fed and watered, he said.
“Preliminary investigations reveal the dog had been dumped in a surrender cage at the pound in a poor condition and subsequently died between 10am and 4pm Sunday, April 14.
The cause of death, parvovirus, was confirmed by a post mortem undertaken by a local veterinarian on Monday,’’ he said.
The dog’s death generated an outpouring of grief, with more than 400 likes and 200 comments placed on a photo posted by a reader to the Daily Liberal’s facebook page.
Wellington Council Environmental Services Manager Damien Rindfleish said this incident was regrettable and that parvovirus was a significant issue in the Wellington community and people needed to be aware of the danger and have their pets vaccinated if possible.
Wellington Council general manager Michael Tolhurst said:
“Wellington Council takes its responsibilities in this area seriously and had identified in its Draft 2013/14 Budget the requirement for additional funds to improve the amenity of the Wellington Council Pound facility.
“The RSPCA is assisting Council with advice on the development of these improvements.
“The council is also reviewing the outcomes of the NSW Companion Animals Taskforce Report and will welcome guidance from the state government on these matters.
“The recommendations of the NSW Companion Animals Taskforce Report relating to a community-wide socially responsible pet ownership education campaign should be welcomed by people in the community as it will help reduce the circumstances arising that lead to such animal deaths,” he said.
