Council's dog fees a 'rip-off'

©iStockphoto.com/jclegg

A WOMAN who has to choose between freeing her dog from the pound to save it from destruction and feeding her children has slammed Bundaberg Regional Council’s “rip-off” dog fees.

Rochelle Napier is questioning why she has to pay registration fees of $70 a year when she said she gets nothing in return.

“If we pay that every year we should be getting our dog back for free,” she said.

The mother-of-three, with another baby due in six weeks, said she did not even receive a telephone call from officers after they picked up her pooch.

“I have to skip on groceries to get my dog out,” Ms Napier said.

“It’s my poor kids that miss out on food or miss out on their family pet.”

Time is ticking for Buddy, the golden staffie, who has less than a week to live unless Ms Napier can come up with the cash.

She begged the officers to take her $70 when she checked the council’s website and found out he was at pound last Thursday, but because this is the second time officers had picked up Buddy council would not budge on the $140 release fee.

They did waive the $15 a night “sustenance” fee — provided Ms Napier supplied some dry dog food — and gave the woman more time to come up with the money. Ms Napier said she was rushing to Bundaberg Hospital after some pregnancy complications on Wednesday and she forgot to secure the second lock on the bottom of her gate.

Burnett Heads resident Jennifer Spence has also encountered pound problems.

She recently had to pay $70 to release her registered dog from the pound after fireworks had been set off by council.

“She had scratched all the way up to the quick of her nails off. When we got her out of the car she went straight to her water bowl and wouldn’t stop drinking,” Mrs Spence said.

“For the $70 they charged me, I don’t think the service was adequate.”

The Bundaberg Regional Council websites lists the benefits of registration on its website.

On Friday afternoon the council’s health and regulatory services manager John Duffield told Ms Napier her dog could stay in the pound until Thursday afternoon. The NewsMail could not get in touch with Mr Duffield for further comment on Friday afternoon.