Surge in dog attacks in locked down Sydney

Dogs jumping on children, biting adults and attacking other dogs are among the rising number of aggressive incidents involving dogs on Sydney’s upper north shore.

A sharp rise in dog attacks on the upper north shore has been recorded during Sydney’s latest lockdown with incidents including dogs biting people and dogs mauling other animals.

Rising pet ownership and dogs missing out on valuable training are some of the factors believed to be behind a rise in aggressive dog behaviour in streets and parks across the region.

Figures from Ku-ring-gai Council have shown the number of incidents involving dogs attacking other dogs and people or displaying aggressive behaviour has topped 33 in the 10 weeks from June to August 6.

Dog attacks are on the rise on the north shore.

The figure is up from 25 from June to August 31 last year and council staff believe the number of incidents this year could reach 50 by the end of this month.

Among incidents in the last 10 weeks were five reported cases of dogs on leads biting people or dogs, four incidents of dogs attacking people or other animals while not on leads and in areas not permitted.

There were also four incidents of dogs jumping on and biting children and adults, or biting other dogs.

Approximately one third of the incidents resulted in the need for medical attention for either people or animals.

Dog ownership has increased during Covid.

Jodi Parry, who owns dog walking group Hounds on Heels, said rising pet ownership during the current and last lockdown could be a factor in the rising number of cases.

“With more people home during the day there are more owners taking their dogs to dog parks and sometimes these dogs are unsocialised with other dogs,” she said.

“A busy dog park environment can be quite intimidating for well socialised dogs as they aren’t used to the large numbers of dogs we are seeing in parks now.

“People also used the last lockdown to buy a puppy or to take on a rescue dog which can often come with a history that isn’t good – it could be neglect or poor socialisation.

A bulk of incidents have been recorded in Ku-ring-gai.

“All those dogs are now 12 to 18 months old and owners are exercising them more often during the day while at home.”

The incidents are not unique to Ku-ring-gai with latest figures from the Office of Local Government showing there were 1206 dog attacks across NSW from January to March this year resulting in 383 people injured, 517 animals injured, and 268 animal deaths.

Rising dog ownership has meanwhile been reflected in North Sydney Council figures, showing 797 dog registrations in the last financial year – more than triple the 225 in the previous year.

Ku-ring-gai Mayor Jennifer Anderson said another factor could be dogs displaying aggression as a way of being protective towards their owners.

“It seems because people are working from home, many dogs are not used to having their owners around so much and when out walking some are displaying overly-protective behaviour,” she said.

The RSPCA has encouraged owners to seek advice on looking after their pets and managing aggressive behaviour.

A spokesman said while incidents could not be attributed to any specific breed, socialisation, training and microchipping were all important ways to prevent attacks.

“Any dog of any size, breed or mix of breeds may be dangerous and therefore dogs should not be declared dangerous on the basis of breed or appearance.

“Everyone, including people who have dogs and people who may come across a dog in public, should view each dog as an individual and they should be assessed based on their behaviour.”

Ku-ring-gai Council provides dog owners with a free handbook published that gives advice on looking after pets and managing aggressive behaviour. For more information visit

krg.nsw.gov.au