Holding a press conference yesterday on the slaying of 33
dogs at Wellsford, north of Auckland, are (from left) SPCA
chief executive Garth Halliday, executive director Bob
Kerridge, inspector Sascha Keltie and acting inspectorate
team leader Vicki Border. Photo / NZPA.
One of the men accused of shooting 33 dogs in a bloody
massacre runs a shop advertising pet care.
Russell Mendoza this week entered his neighbour Rowan
Hargreaves' Wellsford property with another man and killed 23
puppies and 10 adult dogs, adamant one or more of them had
mauled his fox terrier days before.
The small dog subsequently died.
SPCA investigators broke down yesterday as they described the
scenes they were faced with on Mr Hargreaves' 5ha of land
where he lives in an old truck.
The society has said charges under the Animal Cruelty Act are
likely.
Mr Hargreaves, who kept at least 40 dogs in a large steel
cage and old car wrecks, was still in shock yesterday, after
the incident on Monday.
"If you had your family shot, how would you feel?" he asked.
"Even though they were dogs, they were my family. Life goes
on but it's not the same."
He is keeping about eight surviving puppies, at his
mechanical workshop in Wellsford.
Mr Mendoza did not wish to speak to the media yesterday.
A friend at his home, Maree, said he was preparing a
statement, with his lawyer, to explain his side of the story.
However, the statement had not arrived late last night.
She said he had disconnected his phone because of malicious
calls from the public.
Mr Mendoza and his wife run Home and Garden Wellsford, which
advertises pet care.
Mr Hargreaves questioned his choice of occupation.
"He's supposedly an animal-lover.
He runs the local pet shop.
Where is the logic?"SPCA animal investigator Sascha Keltie,
who inspected Mr Hargreaves' property the day after the
deaths, said she was "confronted by a scene not unlike a
massacre".
"I was in shock at first but I knew I was there to do a job.
I had to get past the emotions," she said.
"It's not until I get home at night that it comes back to
haunt me."
Mr Hargreaves has said he found one of his dogs attacking a
sheep a day earlier.
He destroyed the dog and another with similar colouring.
Rodney District Council spokesman David Anderson said the
only complaint the council had received about a dog belonging
to Mr Hargreaves was in 2006.
None of the dogs was unregistered but the council would wait
for the result of the SPCA and police investigations before
considering fining Mr Hargreaves, he said.
SPCA executive director Bob Kerridge said charges "will
definitely be considered" and the police are also considering
firearms charges.
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