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Reg Price $109 98ea Sale Price $49 98ea NOW $39 98ea save $70 on reg price save from $270on reg price ntnews.com.au l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l NEWS Lost ute mystery solved By ZACH HOPE ALL’S well that ends well — especially in the curious case of the missing ute, flog- ged in broad daylight from a Darwin city street with the aid of a tow truck. Dan Melbourne had ow- ned his broken-down and immobile Ford Falcon XR8 ute for just a month when he noticed it had mysteriously disappeared from out the front of his unit on Smith St last week. The vehicle had been mar- ked for removal the follow- ing day — but calls to coun- cil and the tow truck company revealed they were not responsible for its re- moval. Mr Melbourne was scratching his head while a bloke named Shaun, who had just acquired the ve- hicle, choked on his coffee as he pored over the NT News on Saturday. ‘‘I read the story and I thought, ‘well this has gone pear-shaped’,’’ Shaun, who asked for his last name not to be published, said. As it happens, the 46-year- old boiler-maker had se- cured the services of a tow truck to take the car, after spotting the council’s warn- ing ticket, because he thought it was abandoned. He told the NT News he had planned to advertise the fact he had the ute and if there were no legitimate ta- kers he would fix it up. ‘‘I’d seen it sitting there day after day, neglected, covered in bat sh*t,’’ he said. ‘‘I thought the owner had gone away down south or got into some strife and had to leave. The only thing I’ve stolen was a chocolate bar when I was seven — at my age the last thing I need is an auto vehicle theft hanging over my head.’’ He said he spoke to police before hiring the tow truck, but got a ‘‘grey’’ response. He has been in contact with Mr Melbourne, who didn’t want to press charges. ‘‘I’m glad I’ll have it back,’’ Mr Melbourne said. ‘‘It seems like he had inno- cent intentions.’’ Dr Stephen Cutter has given his chihuahua Pox a vaccination to prevent the current out- break of parvovirus, which is killing puppies. It’s the worst outbreak in the Darwin region for years and 95 per cent of cases for dogs are fatal Picture: DANIEL HARTLEY-ALLEN Pup killer runs wild in Darwin By ALISON BEVEGE This is the worst I’ve seen it A PUPPY killer is stalking the Territory. It’s called parvovirus and it’s deadly. Right now vets in the Dar- win region are reporting the worst outbreak for years. Ark Animal Hospital chief veterinarian Stephen Cutter said there was a bit of an in- crease in cases every build- up as that is when many pup- pies are born. ‘‘But this is the worst I’ve seen it,’’ he said. ‘‘Our iso- lation ward hasn’t been empty for three months.’’ Dr Cutter said he usually saw one or two cases each month but now he was get- ting two each day. Most are euthanised as it costs several thousand dol- lars to nurse the animals back to health as they need round-the-clock care. Even then they often don’t survive. Vaccination costs around $60 by comparison. Australian Vet Associ- ation NT president Alex Bur- leigh said the disease kills 95 per cent of dogs infected. He described it as like can- ine ebola. The dogs die after an agonising bout of bloody diarrhoea and vomiting. It is highly contagious as once an infected dog lets loose outside the virus can remain in the soil for up to seven months. A dog owner can then walk through the infected area and pick up the virus on their shoes, bringing it home to their beloved pup. ‘‘It is a horrible disease,’’ he said, urging owners to have their pets vaccinated. Safety message for boaties BOATIES have been urged to exercise caution on the water over the holidays. Minister for Transport, Peter Styles, said Territor- ians should be responsible when in boats. ‘‘Over the Christmas period, I expect there will be a rise in those heading out on our waterways and with the increase in numbers and boats, it’s important to stay vigilant at all times to en- sure your safety and that of other boaties,’’ he said. He urged all boaties to check they have the mandated safety equipment, observe weather forecasts and to remember excess al- cohol and boating don’t mix.