Jayden Hill still recalls the heartbreak of the day he discovered his family dog "Sissy" dead while on holiday in the Whitsundays.
Warning: This article contains details that some readers may find distressing.
Key points:
- There has been an increase in sightings and reports of wild dogs in the Whitsundays over the past 18 months
- Domestic pets have been "harassed and even killed" with small dogs and poultry especially at risk
- The Whitsunday Regional Council estimates there are between 5,000 and 9,000 wild dogs in the region
Mr Hill was staying at his family's property near Cannonvale in north Queensland, not far from the tourist hub of Airlie Beach.
It was the final day of his trip last year when he first realised his Cavalier King Charles Spaniel-cross had disappeared.
"I noticed my dog wasn't around the house, which she usually was," he said.
Mr Hill was initially puzzled but otherwise not too concerned until he drove down the driveway.
"I saw something on the ground, and I didn't really take any notice of it until I was right near it," he said.
"And it was my dog just on the side of the driveway, just in pieces.
"It was really tough seeing my dog of 10 years, just gone that quick."
Mr Hill said the family was clueless about what had happened.
"I wanted to know because she has been a massive part of my family's life, so not knowing what happened hurt," he said.
The family reached out through social media looking for answers.
"We posted on Facebook and a few people came back saying their dogs have had encounters with wild dogs," Mr Hill said.
"There are some pretty bad stories about the Whitsunday area and dogs getting mauled by the wild dogs around there."
The Whitsunday Regional Council estimates there are now between 5,000 and 9,000 wild dogs in the region.
Not an isolated experience
Long-term Whitsunday resident Jade Hobson said other families had been left traumatised by attacks on their pets.
"There are people moving to the area who don't realise we have a problem and they're leaving out their little fluffy pups and these things are taking them," she said.
"It's a big shock when they find out.
"It's usually that they've taken a dog to the vet because of them, or they've just lost their animal completely."
In the past 18 months, Ms Hobson has been dealing with a significant increase in wild dog activity.
It has been recorded on her property's trail cameras, which she installed to monitor the pests.
Ms Hobson had been seeing about two wild dogs a month but said that number had increased this year.
"Now we're seeing between seven and 10," she said.
Ms Hobson said it was not just impacting rural properties. She had observed wild dogs in the town of Cannonvale.
"I've actually seen one go across at the traffic lights," she said.
Landholders warned to protect pets
Scott Hardy, Whitsunday Regional Council's coordinator of natural resource management, said good seasonal conditions over recent years had driven an increase in the wild dog population.
He said this figure was drawn from observations made while conducting animal control programs and discussions with landholders.
"In the past two years, there's been an increase in the number of sightings," Mr Hardy said.
"Council has received reports of pets being harassed and even killed, and often found the dogs that have been destroyed by wild dogs are small pets like terriers."
He said it was a challenging problem to stay on top of.
"It's difficult to totally reduce the wild dog population," Mr Hardy said.
However, he said the council was involved in trapping wild dogs and carrying out 1080 and aerial baiting in nearby national parks.
Mr Hardy said residents could also play a part in mitigating the risk of an attack.
"Try to keep your dogs inside at night; try to have a fenced enclosure for your pet dogs that is dog-proof," he said.
Mr Hardy said the council would attempt to trap wild dogs if an attack was reported.
But Mr Hill called for more to be done to prevent future pet deaths.
"Steps [should be] put in place to try to figure out what happened and reduce the risk of it happening again because I don't wish what happened to me to happen to anybody else," he said.
"I've kept my dog's collar and I still look at it sometimes. I still remember what I saw that day and I'll remember that day for the rest of my life."