By EMMA SUN
After four dogs were poisoned, breeder entertains…
A MACCLESFIELD dog breeder has defended having 13 registered large dogs on his property after a neighbour expressed fears the dogs would wander the streets.
Dog breeder Marek, surname witheld, said he was worried for the safety of his dogs, after he claimed four of them were poisoned in the past two years, one of them a month ago.
The Mail reported last week the concerns of Michael, who lives near the breeder of a number of French mastiff dogs which, he said, frightened the people living in the neighbourhood.
Marek said his dogs were harmless creatures who only wanted to make friends with people and get a good pat.
The resident of more than 17 years said he had always been breeding dogs and had never encountered a problem before.
“My dogs are not trespassing, and they’re extremely friendly, they’re on the top of the list for dogs with the best temperament for people,” he said.
“This is my life.
“Some people complain about my dogs, that they’ve been on other people’s property, killing deer, but there’s no evidence. I had RSPCA at my place and they didn’t find anything wrong.”
He said it was frightening that his dogs were being poisoned.
“Last year, I lost two, a few months ago I lost another dog and about a month ago, another female was poisoned,” he said.
“I believe someone in the neighbourhood is poisoning my dogs, and it makes me very sad because I’m losing my friends.
“I’m keeping an eye out on my dogs now. I try not to let them out to the front because there could be something bad over there, and I’m thinking of putting surveillance cameras out the front.”
However, Rob and Thelma, who are cattle breeders and also live on the street, said the dogs needed to be properly fenced in and kept in boarding kennels after hours, and the number of dogs reduced.
Rob said they were terrified at the thought the dogs could wander the streets and onto other people’s property.
“He’s got to have adequate fencing around the property, as we do to keep in cattle, for his dogs, it’s got to be possible to contain them to a boarding kennel, which has got to be rigidly built,” he said.
“When they’re not in the kennels, they’ve got to have somewhere to run and be dogs for hours and hours and that involves proper fencing so that they cannot get out, maybe one that encloses five acres, which other people cannot inadvertently get into.”
Marek said he was in the process of installing ringlock fencing on his property, and urged any neighbours who might have concerns about his dogs to visit him to have a chat.
“I’m just very sad about this, why didn’t they come and talk to me about their concerns,” he said.
“I’d introduced them to my dogs and tell them they’re friendly and that they’re alright, I welcome them to have a chat to me and have a look at my dogs.”
