A young family's fresh start in a West Australian town has been torn apart following the agonising death of their beloved pet dog from a suspected deliberate poisoning.
A Night of Horror in Kambalda
Emma Hinton and her partner were terrified when their 18-month-old dog, Winnie, a koolie-cross kelpie, ran howling into their Kambalda home at midnight on Saturday, 10 January 2026. The dog was in clear distress, suffering from violent seizures and vomiting for over 15 minutes before she passed away.
"It was like she was on fire. That's the only word I can use to describe it," a devastated Ms Hinton told the Kalgoorlie Miner. In Winnie's vomit, the couple discovered brown squares they strongly suspect were 1080 wild dog bait.
The family had only moved to Kambalda about a month prior, seeking a new beginning. "We moved here to start a new life, thinking, 'this is going to be great for us'," Ms Hinton said. Winnie had been in the backyard the entire day, and Ms Hinton is convinced someone intentionally threw the poison over the fence.
"Baiting is banned within 20km of Kambalda," she stated. "If it was dosage for a fox or for a rabbit, she should have survived because it's a lower dose... but she vomited five times trying to get it out, and it didn't work... it was a high dose." She dismissed suggestions a bird may have dropped the bait, saying local rangers confirmed that was not a possibility. "It was done purposely," she said.
Frustrating Search for Justice and a Pattern of Incidents
Ms Hinton reported the incident to Kambalda police, the Shire of Coolgardie, and RSPCA WA. However, she claims police did not create a formal report, citing a lack of direct evidence like camera footage. "They said that there's not much they can really do without cameras or evidence or something like that," she explained.
Alarmingly, police informed her that a similar incident had occurred at a neighbour's property 12 months earlier. Ms Hinton has also received messages via social media from other Kambalda residents claiming their dogs were also baited.
RSPCA WA confirmed it received the report but determined there was insufficient evidence for it to be substantiated. A spokesperson noted the organisation gets several reports a year about suspected baits being left in public areas or thrown into yards.
"Intentionally leaving baits for dogs could lead to a charge of animal cruelty which attracts a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $50,000 fine," the RSPCA spokesperson warned.
Calls for Change and Unbearable Grief
The traumatic experience has prompted Ms Hinton to start a petition on Change.org calling for a ban on 1080 poison in Australia. "It feels like Australia is really behind, considering other countries have banned it because it's unnecessary," she argued.
The RSPCA's policy on 1080 aligns with some of these concerns. While recognising the need to control introduced species, a spokesperson argued methods must be as humane as possible. "The available evidence on the effect of 1080 on affected species indicates that it is not a humane poison," they said, suggesting alternative baits.
For Ms Hinton, her partner, and their other dog, a dingo-cross kelpie, the emotional scars are deep. The sound of Winnie's final moments is haunting. "People will never understand the feeling of looking at your dog who's crying, and howling, and looking at you for help, and there's nothing that you can do," she said. "She doesn't understand what's going on, and I don't understand what's going on."
