A Kelmscott family is outraged that ‘nothing has been done’ after a dog viciously attacked them on their regular evening walk around the neighbourhood.
Chris Bongers and his 14-year-old son Marco were out getting some fresh air with their Labrador, Paddy, after dinner on May 27.
The trio were almost home when a Rottweiler suddenly pelted towards them from the shadows.
“I was holding my Labrador back, expecting an owner to come running after it, but then it grabbed my dog around the neck and wouldn’t let go,” Chris said.
“I started punching the dog, thinking it was going to rip Paddy’s neck apart, and calling out for help.
“At some point the dog must have shifted its grip and then it clamped down again, on my hand this time.”
The pain was excruciating, but Chris was more worried about Paddy who he thought was going to be killed.
“A neighbour rushed outside to help – it took two men using their knees to hold this dog down to get it to release its grip,” he said.
A second Rottweiler was also on the loose, but wasn’t involved in the physical attack.
Chris was taken by his daughter, Kayla, to the ER.
“The wound was so deep they didn’t want to do stitching,” he said.
“They cleaned it out and it was so painful that I just vomited. They said it was probably nerve damage.”
Every few days for two weeks Chris had to visit the Royal Perth Plastic Surgery Trauma Clinic to monitor the damage that was done.
For weeks he was unable to move his thumb and fingers into a pincer grip and Chris was worried his pentathlon sporting career was over.
Thankfully, movement has finally returned to his hand, months after the attack. Though it will never be what it was.
Paddy too, has recovered from his deep puncture wounds.
But the family has been left reeling at the way the attack has been handled by the City of Armadale.
Within minutes following the attack, Chris’ wife Hester was on scene to attend to Paddy and wait for the police and ranger.
Hester said the police arrived but declined to take a statement.
“But the ranger never showed,” she said.
“It wasn’t until quite a few days later that the ranger came to visit and take our statement,” she said.
Hester said after waiting a while on scene she was eventually urged by her neighbour to return home to see to Paddy and his injuries.
City of Armadale CEO Joanne Abbiss has defended the ranger service confirming they did attend “within 30 minutes of receiving the call”.
“At 10pm, a City Ranger attended the location of the reported attack and met with police and a resident of the area,” she said.
“The ranger scanned the dog alleged to be responsible for the attack and documented the microchip details. The dog was then confined in the owner’s house.”
Ms Abbiss said the ranger failed to talk with the Bongers immediately after the incident because “the identity of the victim was unknown at that time”.
But Hester said the city’s response is not the correct version of events.
She has text messages to prove she was on scene until after 10pm, with no ranger in sight; she also gave her details to both the police and her neighbour who the ranger was reported to have spoken to.
And Hester said it was her neighbours and the police who secured the dogs.
After eventually speaking with the ranger, the Bongers say they were told there would be serious consequences.
“We were promised the dogs would be confiscated, charges laid, and the dog who attacked might be euthanised,” Hester said.
But three-and-a-half months later, the family is still waiting for action from the City of Armadale.
We asked why.
“We understand that the ranger did not state that the offending dogs would be confiscated or that charges would be laid,” Ms Abbiss said.
“However, we believe that the ranger may have been asked and responded to questions about the possible outcomes of an investigation where the complaints of the victim are substantiated.
“The report on the dog attack was completed on 23 July … the report has then been subject to internal review and the parties will be advised shortly of the outcome.”
She also said that “infringements were issued as a result of the incident”.
But the Bongers have heard nothing at all.
“The dogs are still there, and the owners are still not keeping them confined properly,” Chris said.
“We saw them recently out the front with their owners, not on a leash. We both just froze.
“This is not right that I am unable to walk my dog in my surrounding area and not feel safe.”
In the few brief self-initiated email exchanges between Chris Bongers and the ranger since the attack, the ranger has suggested the family consider ‘taking precautions’ like altering their walking route for ‘peace of mind’.
Marco has instead decided to stop his evening walks altogether out of fear.
“Before, I never thought of being attacked by dogs, but now every time I go outside, I can’t help thinking about it,” he said.
And Chris has taken to carrying a small block of wood around with him to use as a makeshift mouth gag for the dog if it were to try anything again.
The event has clearly affected both of them greatly.
According to the Dog Act 1976, a dog can be declared a dangerous dog if it has caused injury by an attack on a person, animal or vehicle.
But the City of Armadale has decided against this course of action.
“The dog involved in the attack was not declared as a dangerous dog as it did not meet the criteria under the Dog Act 1976 (the Act),” Ms Abbiss said.
“Does somebody need to die before they do something?” Chris said.
“We often see old guys walking their little dogs around – what if it had happened to one of them instead?”
“We live in a condensed living environment – sometimes you need to make choices that consider everyone’s safety,” Hester said.
“Either the council is weak, or they’re operating under weak state legislation.”
We asked whether the City of Armadale believes the Dog Act 1976 is adequate for protecting and providing justice for victims of dog attacks.
“The city does not have the ability to amend the Dog Act 1976 as it is state legislation and we have to deal with dog attacks within the boundaries set by the Act,” Ms Ab
