A pit bull owner and his family are traumatised after their beloved dog was stabbed to death by an intruder.
Ian Fillies, 25, says his four-year-old pooch, Misty, was viciously killed after catching the dief.
The father of one, from the The Leagues, Philippi, blames the murder of his pet on the lack of street lighting, which he says gives skelms free reign of the area.
Ian explains: “Around 10pm on Wednesday, the dog was barking towards a corner on our property, I asked my brother to check who was behind the wall and he spotted three guys who were trying to get over the wall.
"But when the gate went open, Misty gave chase and caught one on the corner in the street.
“Misty bit the guy and he stabbed her in the neck once, it was a very deep wound and my brother picked her up and brought her into the house, bleeding.
“We tried all we could to apply pressure to stop the bleeding but her heart stopped beating and we knew she was gone.”
An emotional Ian says the killer got away and they haven’t been able to sleep peacefully since their guard dog was killed.
“We have complained numerous times to the ward councillor about how dark it is here. Crime has spiked and it’s all very decent people who live here.”
Ian says two months ago Misty was also stabbed in the face while trying to protect his brother from a man he was fighting with.
“Unfortunately this time, she wasn’t that lucky.”