Moonee Creek dog attack on woman, staffie destroyed by Coffs council

Information from the public has helped find a dog responsible for a savage attack at a popular Coffs Harbour picnic spot. A woman was bitten as she frantically tried to protect a toddler.

The dog involved in a savage attack on a woman near a popular children’s play area has been found and destroyed.

The frightening incident took place at Moonee Creek Reserve near the children’s playground on Sunday, January 30.

Despite the dog being on a lead at the time, it bit the woman on the back of her thigh as she paddled with her sons in ankle-deep water.

It then lunged towards a toddler – and the woman who had been bitten bravely intervened by kicking at the animal only to be bitten again, this time on the hand.

Both bites required medical attention.

The dog was a brindle-coloured, crossbred, male American Staffordshire bull terrier.

Coffs Harbour council rangers issued a plea for information and as a result they were able to find the owners.

“Having spoken to them about the options and their own concerns for family and community safety, they chose to have the dog put down rather than opting for a strict control order,” a council spokesman said.

The spokesman confirmed the dog was a staffie cross.

There were 70 recorded dog attacks in Coffs Harbour between January 1 and December 30, 2021.

A number of beaches across the region have been described as dog attack hot spots in recent years with some beaches becoming unofficial off-leash areas.

Murray’s Beach at Sawtell is one such beach – it was the scene of an attack that left a family devastated at the loss of their much-loved 13-year-old silky cross foxie Bella.

Anyone who is ever attacked or witnesses a dog attack is encouraged to contact Council with as many details as possible. These could be:

• The time, place and date;
• Description of the dog, whether it has a collar and any name used;
• Description of owner, age, build, identifying features;
• Car description, registration; and
• Any photos.

“Even if the dog or owner can’t be identified from what you can provide after an incident, it’s worth reporting as we may get further information from other people that will help us take action,” team leader rangers/animal shelter Gordon Polkinghorne said.