Family shattered after pet sausage dog beaten and drowned
WARNING: DISTURBING CONTENT. A couple have said they can no longer call Townsville home after their dog was brutally bashed and drowned while they were out of town.
Scott McWilliams and Vernon McIlroy were in Sydney at the time of the alleged vicious attack of eight-year-old Paris.
It's believed the drowning happened during an attempted break-in at the couple's Hermit Park home last Sunday.
Their other dog, Astrid, was visibly shaken when she was found but survived the ordeal.
“We found claw marks in the pond so she’s obviously been held under,” Mr McWilliams told the Townsville Bulletin.
“She was found bloody and floating in the pond.”
A friend was house-sitting for the pair at the time and discovered Paris in the pond at about 6pm.
The couple say they're devastated by the attack and don't know how someone could do it to a helpless animal.
“Our dogs are very important to us. They were more than just dogs," Mr McWilliams said.
The couple have said they don't want to return to the home that has such tragic memories now.
Mundingburra police officer-in-charge Senior Sergeant Graeme Patterson said investigators believed the intruders jumped the fence.
“It is shocking,” Sen-Sgt Patterson said.
“Anybody with a pet who knows the attachment that a pet brings your family would find this disturbing, so if we have anybody out there who knows who is responsible for this, please call us.”
The couple own six properties in Townsville but will sell up and leave the city, describing it as a "beautiful place with beautiful people” that was being ruined by crime.
Mr McWilliams said he has caught people trying to break-in "two or three times" and the last straw was their dog's death.
Anyone who witnessed the incident or anything suspicious on Queens Road between 6am and 6pm on Sunday should phone Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
