A WAR has erupted after a family dog was allegedly shot dead in front of the children who loved it most.
Neville and Danni Little’s three children, aged 10, 12 and 13, were trying to catch their pet rabbit on Sunday, October 11, after the animal hopped over to a neighbouring property in Gumly.
Rosie, the family’s staffie-cross, followed the children across the paddock but when they were told to leave, the dog didn’t follow them home.
The dog was allegedly running around neighbour Ian Henry’s property when he shot her dead.
However, Mr Henry argues the dog was not shot in front of the children and he was just trying to protect his sheep.
“The kids had climbed the fence and were heading down the property line, they didn’t see it get shot,” he said.
Over the last three years Mr Henry alleges dogs owned by the Littles have killed more than 18 of his sheep.
But Mr Little believes Rosie was a harmless, loving family pet who used to sleep in bed with his children.
“There is no way known she would attack sheep,” Mr Little said.
“We’ve had her for three years after we rescued her as a pup.
“She was a truck dog, she went everywhere with me in the truck.”
Mr Henry admitted he did not want to shoot the dog, but seeing Rosie on his property was the final straw after a long-running string of dog attacks on his livestock – the most recent killing four ewes and four lambs.
Over the years, the attacks have cost Mr Henry thousands of dollars in vet bills.
“I haven’t tried to get any money out of them for the bills,” Mr Henry said.
“I don’t know when these dogs are going to attack but when they do it’s horrible and there are dead sheep everywhere.”
A police investigation into the incident found Mr Henry was within his rights to shoot the dog which was on his property in order to protect his livestock.
According to police there have been ongoing issues between the two neighbours since 2013 relating to dogs with over a dozen sheep kills reported to them.
