"Of course in these situations, it's always members of the public that help us with our inquiries, and without members of the public coming forward, in general, prosecutions aren't successful."
Ms Kerr said she was in the unique role of being both the Greymouth dog control officer and the welfare officer for the SPCA. It meant there was scope to thoroughly investigate every local animal welfare complaint which meant the likelihood of animal welfare prosecutions had never been higher in Greymouth, she said.
More local complaints were being received since Cobden man Hayden Growcott was sent to jail last year for five years and two months for cruelty to a cat, which seemed to reflect a lower public tolerance to cruelty to animals.
"People are more prepared to tell and, if I'm not told, I can't do anything. I do believe there are people out there in the community who know what happened to this dog."
Meanwhile, Hokitika police are investigating the slaughter of an 18-month-old pet kunekune pig on the driveway of a rural property close to the town last Friday.
Constable Rhys Martin said police had received a complaint from the owners relating both to the dead pet and the theft of another pig.
He was unable to confirm if the second pig was a kunekune or how far out of Hokitika the incident occurred.
However police were keen to receive any information about the incident and those who wished to report anonymously could do so via the 0800 Crimestoppers line, Mr Martin said.
Hokitika SPCA manager Louise Royal said this kind of incident was "totally unacceptable" but unusual for Westland.
"It wasn't just a pig in a paddock, it was a family pet raised up from a baby," she said. There was a similar incident in Pukekura last year when a pet deer was beheaded.
- Greymouth Star
