This is Liz Miller’s post from Fresh Start Rescue Inc explaining Bosses story. This petition is to get the council to hand Boss over to Fresh Start. 

On Thursday 18/03/21, I was contacted by a FCRC Adoption Centre volunteer, asking if Fresh Start Rescue Inc would take on a 2 year old male maremma. I agreed we would. Fresh Start Rescue is an all breeds dog and cat rescue , however we specialise in rehoming livestock guardian dogs, and in particular, Maremmas. The volunteer indicated to me that the dog had already been desexed by the council contracted veterinarian. This of course informs me that the dogs temperament was indeed suitable for rehoming as I know council would not waste money on completing castration on a dog only to destroy the dog.

Fresh Start Rescue was not aware the dog already had a name , ‘Boss’, and so we had given him the name of Fraser , in order to find a foster carer for him. Boss is one of many dogs we have had released into Fresh Start Rescues care from FCRC over the years.

I arranged for Boss to be sent to Brisbane via a transport company on Friday 26/03/21 to be delivered to his foster carer.
A FCRC volunteer was to collect Boss from the Hervey Bay pound and meet the transport company to take delivery of him.

Upon arriving at the pound on that Friday to collect Boss, the volunteer witnessed a council officer take Boss out of his pen and remove the elizabethan collar (cone) he’d been wearing since he was castrated 9 days prior.

Boss immediately showed immense aggravation, licking and chewing his scrotal region. On further investigation to the surgery site, it was discovered that the scrotum had turned black with bruising, and had swollen to the size of a tennis ball and was rock hard. Poor Boss was obviously suffering unimaginable pain.

It was decided that Boss could not go on transport in such a state, and was instead taken to the council contracted veterinary surgery for examination. It was deemed that Boss would need a full scrotal ablation, and this surgery was booked in for today , Monday 29/03/21, 12 days post castration surgery.

I am concerned that this suggests to me that the surgery site on Boss received little to no wound management while in councils care.

I arranged for a Fresh Start Rescue volunteer to transport Boss from the council contracted vet surgery to his foster carer this afternoon, Monday 29/03/21, so that Boss did not have to return to the pound after having had such major surgery.

Until a FCRC volunteer contacted me this morning asking me to call off our groups transport volunteer. As Boss had ‘had a go’ at one of the council staff on Saturday.
Which is of no surprise, given the amount of pain the poor dog was in. And had been in for nearly two weeks by now, whilst in council care.

It was bought to my attention at this time too, that a FCRC volunteer had raised concerns about Boss’ surgery site breaking down and becoming infected , swollen and painful on Wednesday 24/03/21 to a council staffer, however his increasingly deteriorating condition was completely ignored, he was not even allowed a soft blanket to lie on.

I have called council this morning and spoken to a council staffer and also the council pound manager , whom told me that Boss was no longer available to rescue and that he would undergo further ‘assessment’.

Surely you must consider this incredibly unfair, to put a dog through a behaviour assessment when he is so uncomfortable and in immense pain and needing immediate surgery ? Surgery which was canceled.

Please, I implore you. If Boss has not already been executed ( as pound staff are refusing to advise me of outcome), please release Boss to the care of Fresh Start Rescue immediately. I will travel up and collect him myself , and we will sign any indemnity or waiver that may be required from you.

We will treat Boss ourselves , we will have in presented to the 24 hour emergency clinic for the surgery he urgently needs, further absolving your rate payers of any additional veterinary costs.