It’s been nearly two years since Jane Canfield lost her beloved pet dog, Doble, to 1080 while on a camping trip, and her determination to see the poison outlawed has only grown in that time.
Jane and her partner, Creese Syred were setting up camp just off the road to White Cliffs near Wilcannia in New South Wales back in July, 2022, as their two Border Collies, Clare and Doble wandered close by.
“Doble, being a pup, ran around, chasing his toy and running up and down the dirt track, not roaming far from camp,” Jane said. “As dusk settled, he came back chewing something … it looked like an old tree root and Creese took it off him and burnt it in the fire.”
The two dogs were put to bed in the back of a Land Rover and, at 1.30am Jane says a loud screaming – ‘not a howling, a screaming’ – came from the car.
Jane's beloved dog, Doble (pictured with Creese) on the night he died. PIC: Jane Canfield
“That began a horror scene that will never leave us,” she said. “Doble looked like he had been electrocuted … spinning, convulsing, and then leaping up again and trying to run, banging his head against the trailer, screaming, foaming at the mouth, urinating, and defecating.”
Jane says Doble eventually died after a tortured 30 minutes, which she says is fast compared to some.
As they soon learnt, the cause of the dog’s death was a 1080 bait, scientifically known as Sodium Monofluoroacetate. Jane says the offending bait was on unfenced land, near a major road, and there were no signs warning it was being used in the area.
The couple say they are now part of a growing movement of angry voices seeking to have what they call an outdated, inhumane poison banned.
And Jane, an artist and wildlife carer, says Doble is far from the only dog killed by 1080 while on a camping trip.
“There is so much misinformation out there,” she said. “Common excuses for continuing its use are that the poison occurs naturally in some native plants in arid areas of Australia … however, the chemical has been altered in a lab and turned into something lethal, with no antidote.”
The WA Government says 1080 use in Australia is closely regulated by Commonwealth (Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority) and State (Department of Health) government agencies.
It says there are currently no alternative broad-scale methods for effectively reducing the numbers and impact of vertebrate pests across Australia.
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We do mostly bush camping, we have a dog.
We’re very aware of 1080 baits, that’s why we keep our dog on a leash.
It’s better for the wildlife too.
1080 baits are a necessary thing to control foxes etc.
1080 is not the answer. Please, what is ‘etc’…feral cats? Cats are extremely adept at avoiding 1080 baits. ‘Wild dogs’? DNA results show these ‘wild dogs’ are actually the native dingo. It is an archaic useless strategy whereby it’s use is strongly advocated by the Ag industry.
I live in an area that was heavily 1080 baited..1080 kills wildlife…My area is now loose 1080 free for this reason….
How else do we contain wild dogs. There is almost always a sign coming into or going out of a town telling travelers when they are going to lay baits around the area.
Wild dogs’? DNA results show these ‘wild dogs’ are actually the native dingo. It is an archaic useless strategy whereby it’s use is strongly advocated by the Ag industry.
There are no Wild Dogs.. We have Dingoes..AUSTRALIAN NATIVE DINGOES
You probably need to go out to the Western Darling Downs if you think that there are no wild dogs.
That comment is incorrect. We lost a 3yr old bitch, within 100m of her bed, on our Mining lease, WA desert……No signage, No written notice from the Parstrolist and When told, NO CARE FACTOR….also No Stock…..just what are they trying to save ???
Check your facts….No such thing as a “Wild Dog”……Domesticated Canines”Dogs”…..would not be able to survive in the Wild and Dingoes take a Mate for Life.
There are better ways to look after Stock.
I’m sorry for the loss of the dog, but people are well aware of the risks and yet they still let dogs run around unsupervised? We’re about to head West again with two dogs, and they do not come off the lead, especially going across the Nullarbor.
The issue here is the continued use of 1080 baits. Australia is one of only a few countries that continue to spread this toxin over much of its environment.
Being on lead will Not save your dog..I live in an area that was heavily 1080 baited.. 12 Dogs over 5 years 1080 baited while they were home in their own yards
This is a caravan forum, not a ban 1080 forum. The issue is that people touring in RV’s should supervise their dogs at all times and then they will not be poised, bitten by a snake, infected by ticks, or run over by a trail bike or P plater doing 100 through camps – they will also have to clean up the dog crap instead of leaving it for some to step in. I don’t agree with 1080, however I’m not a farmer trying to stop wild dogs (yes, plenty out there) or dingos from killing my precious stock.
1080 poison used in baits for animals should be banned in Australia. This includes Fox Off Baits impregnated with 1080 poisons. New Zealand and a some of the States in the USA have banned the use of 1080 poison. It is a cruel poison and causes extreme pain and suffering in Animals for lengthy periods before death. Its is used widely in Pastoral & Farming Country. If you are told it breaks down after being rained on, do not believe this. I know of domestic working dogs picking up dried baits that were thrown about 2 yrs before. My advice to travellers do not let your pets wander when stopping on roadsides or parking areas along highways. Nobody really Polices the use of 1080 baits here in Australia so they can be dropped around willy nilly in remote & country areas. There are other ways to control Feral Animals but again its all talk and no action by Government run Departments. It amazes me here in Australia there are so many rules and regulations on Minor matters , but something as dangerous as 1080 poison is overlooked. If you want to see what occurs to a wild dog when they are baited just check the nose area and you can see how the skin is all wrinkled from the pain before death. They usually die a distance from where they took the bait. I hope I am not disputed on the above remarks as I have spent years in remote areas of our pastoral & farming areas and witnessed the suffering first hand, I have photographs to prove my concerns. Therefore I call upon our regulators to ban the 1080 poison all together in Australia.
please sign this petition to ban 1080
1080 is dropped by air all through NZ , its used to control feral animals , deer pigs , possums rats mice , but also kills native wild life , the bush goes silent after a 1080 drop, it also finds its way into the food chain , wild deer harvested for export was found to contain 1080 residue, animals that die then washed down rivers then scavanged on will kill a dog , its not that uncommon.
Those that have wittnessed a 1080 posion death say its the cruelist death .