A devastated family is the mourning the loss of their cavoodle that was viscously mauled to death by a savage dog leaving them with a hefty vet bill.
Monday began like any other for Scott Pepper and the family’s beloved dog Lola, setting off on the same walk they’ve taken every day for the last five-and-a-half years around their Biggera Waters neighbourhood on the Gold Coast.
But their morning walk turned to horror when a grey-brown American pitbull terrier, pounced on Lola from behind wheelie bins.
Lola didn’t stand a chance during merciless attack and sadly died from her injuries a day later.
‘I picked up a bin and was whacking the dog, but it kept coming,’ Mr Pepper told the Gold Coast Bulletin.
Lola, a beloved Cavoodle belonging to a Gold Coast family was fatally savaged by another dog
‘A man in a car pulled over to help – then it came back and it was circling me.
‘If it wasn’t for the wheelie bin, she (Lola) would have been dead and I would have been in hospital.’
As he fended off the attacker Mr Pepper lost sight of his pet and was alarmed to find Lola has disappeared.
The gravely injured pet was found cowering under a vehicle’s wheel at a nearby service station by a member of the public, who rushed her to the vet.
Lola suffered multiple injuries, including six bite marks in her abdomen, broken ribs, ruptured lungs, a tear in her heart and needed to have the gall bladder removed.
She sadly succumbed to shock on Tuesday morning.
A ‘shocked’ Mr Pepper said it was like losing a human member of his family.
Adding insult to the staggering $17,000 vet bill is the fact that the dog responsible for the attack has yet not been seized and remains with its owner.
Mr Pepper claimed that he knocked on the suspected owner’s door but got no answer.
He’s now on a mission to ensure it doesn’t happen to anyone else.
‘I’ll spend the rest of my life making sure that dog doesn’t hurt anyone else if I have to,’ he said.
‘It could have been a child who was killed.’
Lola (pictured with Scott’s daughter Lacey) was considered a member of the family who now have been landed with a whopping vet bill from the unsuccessful attempts to save its life
Mr Pepper said that Gold Coast City Council officers then visited the property but claimed he was told they won’t be informed of the outcome.
The council has confirmed an investigation is underway but added that no dog has been seized.
Daily Mail Australia contacted the council for comment.
Pet owners cop a $774 fine if the have a vicious animal which attacks another person or animal causing injuries.
As a result of the savage attack, Lola suffered multiple injuries and eventually succumbed to shock
