A COLLIE man who believes his dog was killed by a poisoned bait has warned fellow residents to be on the lookout for suspicious objects in their yards.
Aaron Giles said his family could do nothing but watch as their beloved Rex ran into fences and walls, suffered fits and explosive diarrhoea for an agonising 20 minutes before he died on the night of April 2.
"My wife Aimee woke me about 9pm saying the dog was yelping and banging into things," he said.
"I found Rex hiding under the trailer, between the axles, at the side of my house.
"He was screaming. Frantic. His eyes were massive.
"When I finally caught him he was having a seizure."
Mr Giles said the dog's symptoms were identical to those of a dog he had previously seen die after eating a 1080 fox bait.
So traumatic was the ordeal Mr Giles stayed home from work the following day to comfort his young family, and such was his fear the dog had been poisoned that he began searching his yard for baits.
The day after that he noticed an unusual object near a gate which he placed into a ziplock bag and kept in a safe at his home.
Meanwhile he contacted the police and the Department of Agriculture and Food.A departmental inspector visited Mr Giles' Mary Street home on Wednesday to assess the object and confirmed it was a 1080 bait.
"The department regards any report of domestic animal baiting with worry, especially in a residential area," a department spokesperson said.
"The department is assisting police with their enquiries.
"Commercial 1080 meat baits are available only to rural landholders via application and are subject to a strict risk assessment and approval process.
"1080 baits are used under stringent guidelines by landholders in the South West to reduce feral fox numbers and are not permitted for use close to a residential area."
Mr Giles described 18-month-old Rex as a "tennis ball addict" who had boundless energy and loved running around the backyard.His family was devastated by the dog's death.
"My wife has been having trouble sleeping, worried about noises outside," he said.
"And our young bloke is upset and not sleeping in his bed either."
Mr Giles was unaware of any of his neighbours having a problem with the dog, and he did not for a minute suspect them of any wrongdoing.
He wanted to speak out in an effort to stop another family having to go through what his had.
As tragic as the incident was, Mr Giles said, it could have been worse.
"Just imagine if my daughter had picked it up," he said.
The bait's origin would be part of the investigation, meanwhile, the department of agriculture has advised anyone who found a suspected bait not to touch it with their bare hands, rather, to place it in a plastic bag, secure it and call the police.
