A two-year-old blond Labrador from Roxburgh Park became the centre of an elaborate hoax last weekend.
The pup, named Jax, was in the backyard when his owner, Onur, answered a knock at the front door from a man dressed in a uniform resembling those of the Hume council’s local laws team.
Onur said the man told him he was from Hume council and was there to take away his dog because of numerous complaints. The 29-year-old dog lover, who did not want to reveal his surname, said he was immediately suspicious of the man, who had rotting teeth and a tattoo on his neck.
“I could tell straight away that they had fake council uniforms on,” he said of the man standing at his front door and his accomplice in a white van sitting outside his house.
Onur asked the men whether they had a warrant to enter his property. They said they didn’t but would be back with one from the police next week.
“I told them to get the hell off my property,” Onur said.
The tradesman, who has been living in Roxburgh Park for about three years, said he was unsure how the men knew he owned a dog.
He described his neighbours as “very friendly” and said that Jax was not the sort of dog to bark throughout the day.
“It’s very weird,” he said.
He has created a Facebook fan page for Jax, called “Jax the stupid Labrador,” which has more than 200 “likes”.
He described the men as aged in their 30s with fair skin and blond hair.
Hume council acting infrastructure director David Fricke urged residents to be wary of two men posing as council officers.
“Every time a council officer knocks on a door, they will provide the resident with ID and give details on why they have attended,” he said.
The incident was reported to Victoria Police. Anyone with information about the offenders can call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
