South Australia’s worst dog attack hot spots revealed: Search the list

Dog attacks surged more than 60 per cent in one part of Adelaide last year. See where incidents involving aggressive dogs occurred across SA over the past three years.

Dog attacks have surged across Adelaide’s southern suburbs, with a council blaming the Covid-19 lockdown for the increased numbers.

Exclusive figures released to the Messenger under the Freedom Of Information Act show the City of Onkaparinga council area reported 961 dog attacks over the past three years – almost 500 more than the next highest figure.

Across South Australia the number of total reports increased by 9 per cent, up from 2256 reported in 2017-2018, to 2453 in 2019-2020.

An Onkaparinga council spokesperson blamed the increase on the “Covid effect”, with more people out exercising and walking their dogs.

*Data based on financial year reporting.

Figures show a steady increase in attacks in Onkaparinga throughout 2020 – with a 60 per cent jump in attacks from the start of the year to the end.

Seventy-seven attacks were reported in the January-March quarter in 2020, just prior to strict Covid-19 stay at home orders.

One-hundred and seven attacks were reported in the April-June quarter, 115 in the July-September quarter, up to 126 for the October-December 2020.

The Playford council area reported 493 dog attacks in the past three years, followed by Charles Sturt (422) Tea Tree Gully (322), Port Adelaide Enfield (319) and West Torrens (230), the data from the South Australian Dog and Cat Management board reveals.

The RSPCA also said in October a 16 per cent increase in dog harassments and attacks reported over the past year could be linked to anxiety caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Onkaparinga has about 12 per cent of the state’s registered dog population and “dog attacks are proportionate with attack reports from other councils”, a council spokesman said.

The council’s number of registered dogs rose from 33,366 to 34,123 over the period.

A Playford Council spokeswoman said the district was home to more than 17,000 dogs, almost half of all households in the area.

“Unfortunately, we still receive reports and respond to dog attacks and harassments in the Playford area,” the spokeswoman said.

“The situations surrounding these incidents are varied and can be attributed from accidental to a lack of understanding of their own dog’s behaviour.”

However, Port Adelaide Enfield, Charles Sturt and Tea Tree Gully councils saw decreases in reports by nearly 60, 15 and 20 per cent respectively over the past three years.

Magill woman Claire Creighton lost her beloved Maltese Marty to a dog attack in 2017.

Magill woman Claire Creighton with a photo of her Maltese dog Marty, who was killed in a dog attack in 2017. Picture: 7NEWS

He was attacked outside of their house by two French mastiffs. Her husband, Ben, also suffered hand injuries.

“Once we took Marty to the vet, there was too much damage for him to survive,” Ms Creighton said.

“Ben had bite marks to his hand which were quite savage. He took about six weeks to recover.

“It was quite traumatic to lose Marty … especially like that. We lost a lot of trust in dogs.

“When we got our new dog it took us probably two years to go to the park.”

Ms Creighton said she would like to see stronger penalties against dog owners to make them accountable in the event of an attack.

A man was attacked by a pit bull in Magill in May this year.

The man was bitten on the arm.

PAE Mayor Claire Boan said her district was a state leader due to its size, an increased understanding of reporting incidents and high number of registered dogs, with that number rising to 17,243.

“Statistically this may lead to a higher proportion of incidents involving dogs,” Ms Boan said.

“We are always working to educate and increase understanding on responsible pet ownership through both structured campaigns as well as conversations in the community.

A Tea Tree Gully Council spokeswoman said owners had three dog parks and other designated off-leash areas – where animals must be under effective control – which helped keep attack numbers down.