By CAM LUCADOU-WELLS
GREATER Dandenong Council has not decided whether to recover legal costs from Springvale’s Vu Ho, whose sheep Baa died at home earlier this month.
Mr Ho had been in in a long legal stoush against the council to keep Baa in his suburban back yard.
His arguments were rebuffed by the Supreme Court, the Court of Appeal and the High Court, but Mr Ho still refused to move Baa from home.
She remained there up to the ripe age of 17 before her demise on 15 August.
A few days before, Mr Ho believes Baa bid him a final farewell.
“Before she was paralysed, she came around and stared at me. I got her food but she refused to eat anything and walked away.
“Then she came back and stared at me again. She didn’t say anything.
“I think she knew she was dying and came to look at me. Three days later she died.
“I sense the animal dying of natural causes at the same time realises my love for them. Maybe they did not realise it before.”
Mr Ho said his sheep died “peacefully” at home while he was changing her sesame paste dressing.
Over the past month Mr Ho had been using sesame paste to draw toxins out of a large inoperable tumour that had been growing on Baa’s shoulder.
Last year she had her right ear amputated because of a skin cancer and had another tumour removed in March.
“Death came slowly. I could not stop the dying process,” Mr Ho said.
After the legal battles, the council had recently written to Mr Ho several times requesting a meeting to “find an agreed position between us on where or how Baa can be kept”.
It had also wanted to discuss the council’s legal costs awarded against Mr Ho for his unsuccessful legal actions.
In return, Mr Ho has refused to meet, demanding the council show proof that they barred Baa from his yard due to a private complaint.
City planning, design and amenity director Jody Bosman said: “The matter of legal fee recovery is one for (the) council to consider and no decisions have been taken by (the) council at this stage.”
Mr Ho, an unemployed mechanic, said “he didn’t care” if the council pursued him for costs.
“They have nothing to seize. I sold my house to my children last year. I don’t have any money at all.”
In response to criticisms that ratepayers were forced to foot the bill, he said he pursued the cases in the “community interest”.
Baa’s body was cremated on Friday.
Mr Ho believes Baa’s astral body may still be “walking around” the property.
“I don’t think I’ll have another sheep. I’ll be very busy.”
