The shire’s manager of environment and regulatory services Robert Gibson said rangers had received “call-outs at all hours” right across the region to deal with an increased amount of roaming canines in April.

In March, the shire had 12 instances of dogs at large – that number doubled to 24 in April.

There were also four dog attacks, resulting in the death of four sheep and injuring another. 

Two incidents happened in Caramut and two were in Koroit.

There were no dog attacks reported in March.

Mr Gibson said the attacks were not from wild dogs but from escaped pet dogs.

“We do tend to find a spike in dogs getting out of being involved in dog attacks as soon as the summer months are over,” he said.

“When the weather gets a bit cooler, the dogs get a bit more active.”

He said it was alarming that the number of dogs at large had doubled from March to April, but “the message is the same all year round”.

“If dogs are out, they can be involved in dog attacks or incidents at any time of year,” Mr Gibson said.

“Owners need to make a concerted effort to keep dogs secure because all dogs are capable of attacking people or other animals.

“Owning a dog is a responsibility. You need to keep them secure at all times, or keep them on a lead when you’re out and about.

“Owners will be held accountable for the actions of their dogs.”

Of the 24 call-outs for dogs at large, the most incidents occurred in Koroit (five call-outs), Mortlake (four), Port Fairy (three) and Killarney (three).

There were also two calls to Hawkesdale, Rosebrook, Peterborough and Caramut, and one to Grassmere.

Mr Gibson said he wasn’t aware of any dog attacks on people for some time, with “poor old sheep” being the usual victims.

The owners of dogs found wandering at nighttime can be fined $311, with a $233 fine for daytime wandering.

Moyne Shire rangers also received 20 call-outs for wandering stock in April, slightly down from 23 incidents the previous month.

The call-outs were spread across the region, with three in the Panmure area, and two in Woolsthorpe, Kolora, Curdievale, Ellerslie, and Mepunga West.

Cr Jordan Lockett raised the matter of stock on roads at the May ordinary council meeting, saying it was a major issue as he had known people who had died after colliding with cattle that had wandered onto the road.