Hair of the Dog Newtown: Rosie the cavoodle killed in fatal dog attack

A family have been left devastated after their much-loved cavoodle, Rosie, was fatally injured in a dog attack at a grooming salon in Enmore.

A family was left devastated when a much-loved cavoodle was fatally injured in a dog attack at a grooming salon in Enmore.

Newtown couple Nicole Tighe and Jane Davidson took their cavoodle, Rosie, to Hair of the Dog Newtown, a grooming salon on Enmore Rd, last June.

“We’d gone prior and never had any issues,” Ms Tighe said.

She said when she went to pick up Rosie, the attack took place as the dogs roamed.

“When I got there to pick Rosie up, her and another two dogs were just wandering around the salon,” Ms Tighe said.

“A Staffy (Staffordshire bull terrier) was following Rosie about and it was all fine, but they then went behind a rack outside the front of the salon.

“I heard a yelp from out front and the Staffy had her mouth around Rosie’s neck. I had to actually put my hand in the other dog’s mouth, and he eventually released Rosie.”

Rosie, a cavoodle, succumbed to fatal injuries and was put down. Picture: Supplied

Ms Tighe described the chaotic scenes and a lot of people in distress.

“It all happened very suddenly,” she said.

“We were all in shock.”

Ms Tighe said there were no puncture wounds so the severity of the attack wasn’t realised.

“But when I got home I realised that she wasn’t well so I took her straight to the vet,” she said.

Rosie was taken to the animal hospital at the University of Sydney and was discharged that night, before her condition deteriorated again.

The bite had punctured her intestine, which leaked into her stomach and she went septic.

“We took her back the next day. She had bruises across her stomach and swelling,” Ms Tighe said.

“Rosie couldn’t be operated on because she wasn’t stable enough and she had to be put down that night.”

As a social worker Ms Tighe said she was unsure of the correct process to then take – but with three distraught kids she sought advice from Inner West Council before deciding to instigate a formal process into the attack.

The dog was much loved by the entire family.

An investigation was launched, with Inner West Council “unsuccessful in seeking authority for it to undertake action under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act”, a spokeswoman said.

The matter was referred to the RSPCA who investigated the incident. At the time of publication the RSPCA had not provided the findings of the investigation.

The NSW Animal Welfare Code of Practice for animals in grooming salons states the manager of a pet-grooming establishment is “responsible for the protection of animals from other animals”.

When contacted for comment a Hair of the Dog Newtown spokeswoman said the death was a tragedy, and that the company had paid a fine issued by the council. The spokeswoman said the business had co-operated fully with the investigation.

Ms Tighe said she wished that the dogs were separated at the time of the incident, rather than being allowed to interact.

“Rosie was part of our family,” she said.

“Everyone who met her said she was such a beautiful and friendly dog – she was such a happy dog.

“And it was so hard to have to put her down.”