Aussie city and pub terrorised by boat-full of dogs

Everywhere Andrew Jepson and his boat full of German Shepherds go, chaos follows.

After months of driving his waterside neighbours barking mad, his dogs have unleashed terror on dry land in a new town.

While he sat at a pub, they escaped his parked car, and savagely mauled a woman.

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"I want him to be held accountable. His dogs have mauled my legs," Michele Davis told A Current Affair, tearfully.

"It's so scary to have to go through that. The last thing I was thinking when I was at work was (that) I was going to get attacked by an animal, let alone a pack of them."

At first, Andrew Jepson and his floating kennel caused chaos on the Gold Coast. Then, he anchored up in Brisbane, and the RSPCA still didn't step in.

Now Andrew's turned up in Cairns, leaving his seven German Shepherds inside his car parked in a pub car park.

And he'd gone in to gamble. Nothing wrong with having a bit of a tinker but leave your dogs at home," Michele told A Current Affair.

Michele was working at the pub, taking the bins out the back, when she saw the car.

"I remember seeing them as I was walking to the industrial bin with the rubbish trolley and I thought well, there's a lot of dogs in the car, you know, good lord," she recalled.

"Went about my duties and backtracked towards the kitchen and yeah, they've managed to press one of the windows on the buttons to wind the windows down."

What happened next can only be described as traumatic. Some of Michelle's injuries are too graphic to show.

"All I can remember is ripping my legs out of their teeth, their jaws, using the rubbish trolley I had on me," Michele said.

All seven dogs escaped, with four attacking Michele.

"So they've got me from both ankles, punctured the back of my left calf muscle and completely went through. The hole was at least a centimetre in diameter, and then they took a big chunk out of my calf muscle as well," Michele explained.

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Michele was hospitalised and underwent surgery. Now she's in a wheelchair and unable to work.

After the dogs let go of Michele, they ran wild through the streets of Cairns.

"They'd gone into the retirement village, roamed around there. Thank god they didn't get any elderly. We've got two schools within walking distance. The (pub) staff had to pretty much get out into the streets and scream to people to run," Michele told A Current Affair.

"One of my managers told me that he had to jump on a car to get away from them. Our bottlo workers had to jump in our courtesy buses and drive around with the horns honking and the lights flashing to deter the dogs."

Michele didn't receive any apology from Andrew. Instead, she says he threatened to leave bad feedback online for the workers.

"As he was leaving, he threatened my work colleagues with a bad Google review," Michele revealed.

A Current Affair called Andrew, and asked him about the behaviour of his dogs.

"Your dogs mauled a woman severely, are you going to apologise?" A Current Affair asked before he hung up the phone.

We're told Andrew drove around collecting the animals one by one before Cairns Regional Council stepped in.

"I've been told that the council has the dogs in their possession and they're investigating," Michele said.

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"Do you want the ones who attacked you to be put down?" A Current Affair asked.

"Once they get the taste of blood, that's it. Unfortunately, I think it's the only way," Michele responded.

"If the RSPCA had acted about him having so many on a boat, you wouldn't have been attacked, Michele," A Current Affair told her.

"Someone, unfortunately me, had to get severely injured for anything to get done. I've been told the police can't do anything, they can't arrest him, they can't charge him. I'd like him to be fined, to be accountable for what he's done, realise what he's done, and hopefully never own an animal again," she pleaded.

We don't know where Andrew's boat is, but he's bought an acreage 40 minutes north of Cairns.

"I don't think any of the Cairns' residents want him here anymore. He's a menace to society," Michele said.

Meanwhile, Michelle is immobilised, relying on Work Cover.

She's looking for a personal injury lawyer to hold Andrew accountable.

"I hate having to ask for help from people. I can't even cook dinner, I've got microwave meals, I can't wash my clothes because I can't get to the laundry," Michele told A Current Affair tearfully.

RSPCA Queensland told A Current Affair the management of dangerous dogs is primarily the responsibility of local councils, but it does investigate based upon the welfare of the animals.

RSPCA Queensland's statement in full:

Any incident involving a serious dog attack is deeply concerning, and we recognise the impact these events have on individuals, families, and the broader community.

RSPCA Queensland responds to animal welfare concerns, which are distinct from matters such as dog numbers, control, and attacks, which are governed by local government.

The management of dangerous dogs, including decisions relating to seizure following an attack, is a council responsibility.

RSPCA Queensland actively assesses all animal welfare reports based on the evidence available at the time and takes action where there are grounds to do so under animal welfare legislation. Where appropriate, this may include working with animal owners to improve welfare outcomes.

As this matter may be subject to investigation or potential legal proceedings, it would not be appropriate for us to comment further.

FULL CAIRNS REGIONAL COUNCIL STATEMENT

As this matter remains under active investigation, Council is unable to comment on specific details at this time, including the potential enforcement actions, or any penalties that may apply.

Any decisions regarding outcomes will be made in accordance with relevant legislation and based on the findings of the investigation.

Council considers this matter very serious and investigations are continuing to determine the appropriate legal process prior to taking further action.

We can confirm that in the interim, the dogs will be retained by Council to ensure there is no ongoing risk to public safety.

Council acknowledges the community's interest and concern and remains committed to public safety, while ensuring a thorough and fair process. Further information will be provided when appropriate.