By Oliver Lees
Four pet owners in the Macedon Ranges have joined forces after their five dogs went missing within a two week period last month.
Prue Mathieson’s staghound disappeared from her Lancefield property on the morning of May 6.
Ms Mathieson said she realised there were others in the area with missing dogs when she shared information about her staghound online.
“I thought it was unusual that they’d all gone missing within such a short period of time, so I reached out to the owners,” Ms Mathieson said.
“There hasn’t been any reported sightings among any of the four owners.
“To me it is unusual that they have all gone missing within a couple weeks, including Intact males with no reported sightings of any of them.”
The owners have shared flyers around the shire with details of each of the pets and contact information. There has been no response.
Not long before her husky went missing from her home last month, Michelle Balthazar felt she had just worked out a mechanism to keep him in the property.
“We had just put in a dog containment system with a perimeter fence,” she said.
“He disappeared on a Thursday in the half hour gap before the kids came home from school, since then no one has seen him at all.
“He is just coming of age and is a purebred and intact male. He is such a friendly husky that plays with anyone.”
Ms Balthazar has since reported her missing husky to the Macedon Ranges council and Lancefield police.
Two mini dachshunds were reported missing from a Clarkefield property on May 5 and a tricoloured border collie was reported missing from Hesket.
All of the dogs have been microchipped with ID tags.
Ms Balthazar said her family is desperate to get some answers regarding their beloved husky’s disappearance.
“If he has gotten out we take full responsibility, it would just be really nice to know one way or the other,” she said.
“I have a 14-year-old son and he was his best friend, so he’s absolutely devastated. We all are.”
Police were contacted for comment.
