Geraldton family rallies to save golden lab Dozer from being put down, questions dangerous dog declaration

A Geraldton family is desperate to save its beloved golden labrador Dozer from death row after rangers seized him and declared him a dangerous dog. Mother-of-five Jill Weller said two rangers informed her last Thursday morning that a woman walking her German shepherd past her house had complained to the council that Dozer had allegedly attacked her dog. She said the council had kept her in the dark about the circumstances surrounding the incident. “They didn’t tell us anything else, no details about what happened, no supporting evidence, nothing,” Ms Weller said. “They just said another ranger would follow up the investigation.” The following day, Dozer was seized from the family’s home while Ms Weller was out picking up her children from school. “The ranger never came to ask for our statement or our evidence. She just came onto our property and took Dozer away,” she said. “She even tried to say Dozer was biting her tyres when she came to seize him. We’ve never seen him do that.” The family spent the weekend missing Dozer and building a front fence to meet the council’s containment requirements, expecting to collect him on Monday. However, they were informed that Dozer had been classed as a dangerous dog and would be put to sleep on Wednesday. “We were absolutely devastated… no evidence has been provided, no further information about the alleged attack,” Ms Weller said. The papers served by the council also referenced previous incidents — an alleged attack in 2024 and a 2021 event where Dozer was impounded after a gate was left open at a previous address. “No ranger had ever told us that. No person has ever told us. It just says 2024 — no date, no time, no nothing. We’d never heard of our dog attacking anyone or anything else,” Ms Weller said. “It’s completely out of character for him. He’s always been friendly, great with babies and especially with children and other dogs.” Dozer has been with the Weller family since he was 18 months old. “He’s around seven. He’s basically part of the family. He sleeps inside most nights, plays with my kids in the yard, and people walking past the street will often pat him,” Ms Weller said. “He’s travelled with us caravanning, he’s grown up with the kids … everyone knows him.” The council informed the family that, in order to reclaim Dozer, they would need to meet strict containment requirements, including 1.8 metre high solid fencing, muzzles, dangerous dog collars, warning signs, and pay $250 for a dangerous dog inspection. With work commitments and an upcoming move, Ms Weller said it was impossible to satisfy the requirements in time. “I felt like we had no choice but to surrender him. I didn’t want him to be stuck in a cage indefinitely,” Ms Weller said. “We were beside ourselves all weekend, but still very hopeful we’d get him back. And then yesterday, that was just gut-wrenching.” She also explained frustration over the lack of communication from the council regarding the investigation. “The ranger assigned to the case never came to get my video footage, didn’t preserve any evidence, didn’t ask for a statement. She just served me with the declaration,” Ms Weller said. “I want to see the body camera footage. Unless they can prove it to me, it still doesn’t make him a dangerous dog. “I was told that I’ll get the fines in the mail, $400 for the dog attack. He said that they have reasonable evidence. They would never just willy nilly give a dangerous dog declaration unless they had evidence to take it to court. “And he said that they have evidence and that the fines are up to $10,000. It felt threatening to me.” ENCOURAGING DEVELOPMENT On Tuesday afternoon, Ms Weller received the promising news that an appeal she had made to the State Administrative Tribunal had been received by the City of Greater Geraldton. A hearing is scheduled for Friday. Dozer will be kept at the council facility until an outcome for the appeal is reached. City of Greater Geraldton CEO Ross McKim confirmed “the city has no intentions of euthanising the dog in question on Wednesday”. As the matter is an active and ongoing investigation, he said no comment could be made about the details of the incident. “We take community safety extremely seriously and when investigating dog attacks, the welfare of our community is paramount,” he said. “For owners to reclaim a dog that has been declared dangerous, they must meet all requirements of the Dangerous Dog Declaration.” Mr McKim said the city was continuing to work with the owners who had been given the declaration and all the provisions had been explained, including the right of appeal to both the city and the State Administrative Tribunal. “Proper processes need to be followed, and dog owners have a responsibility to ensure their dogs are in a properly secured yard and not left to wander. This is to protect not only people, but other animals,” he said. “We will continue to work with the dog’s owners to ensure provisions are made and their property is suitable to contain the dog.”