NSW Dog attack hot spots: calls for one-incident kill policy

A Sydney councillor is demanding a ‘zero tolerance’ policy, which would see dogs involved in vicious attacks put down after the first incident, as new data reveals the hot spots across NSW.

A Sydney councillor has called for a one-attack kill policy which would see dogs automatically put down if they are found to have instigated an attack — following a shoking incident in Sydney’s southwest —as close to 4500 attacks were reported in the last year.

New data revealed a total of 4489 dog attacks occurred across NSW in the last year, with the Central Coast identified as having the highest number of incidents with 271 reports.

Other local government areas included Blacktown with 235 incidents, Lake Macquarie with 226, Shoalhaven reporting 189 attacks, Northern Beaches with 183 recorded incidents, Wollongong with 149. Meanwhile 136 attacks were reported in Sutherland, 125 in Sydney City, 110 in Newcastle and 101 in Bayside.

Local government dog attack data also revealed American Staffordshire terriers were involved in the highest number of reported incidents, with a massive 723 attacks, followed by the Bull Terrier with 391. A total of 262 incidents were associated with the German Shepherd Dog.

A Punchbowl man on his morning run was rushed to hospital after being attacked by a large dog in Parry Park on September 5.

Mubarak Ali was terrified he would lose his hand during the savage attack, and needed emergency surgery to recover.

When he saw the large dog running towards him, he stopped straight away.

Pictured near his home at Punchbowl in Sydney is Mubarak Ali. Mubarak was on his regular morning jog at his local park when he was randomly attacked by a dog. He has had to undergo surgery on his arm as a result. Picture: Richard Dobson

“The dog looked at the owner, looked at me, then decided to jump on me,” Mr Ali said.

He tried to push the dog away, but he was quickly knocked on his back, the dog clamped its jaws around his arm and refusing to let go.

“I thought I was going to lose my hand,” Mr Ali said.

Covered in blood, the dog eventually released its grip from Mr Ali, after he hit it with his free hand. He begged the owner to call an ambulance, who said, “don’t worry brother, I will call”, Mr Ali said.

But the owner fled instead, leaving Mr Ali to seek help at the Wiley Park Metro service station across the road. Covered in blood, he waited 40 minutes for an ambulance.

Councillor Khodr 'Karl' Saleh.

Canterbury-Bankstown councillor Khodr ‘Karl’ Saleh has called for a zero-tolerance policy towards dangerous dogs in the LGA after visiting Mr Ali in hospital.

“Clearly there’s still work to be done to stop the dog attacks because there are a small number of irresponsible animal owners still failing to properly restrain and train their pets,” Cr Saleh said. “If it is a dangerous dog, we need to put it down — one human attack, and that’s the line drawn.

“In this situation, when the dog attacked Mubarak the owner took off without stopping to help him. It was a coward act, someone had been hurt.

“I’ve called for him to hand himself in to the police or council.

“I want everyone in our local community to be able to confidently walk down the street or local parks without ever fearing the risk of a dog attack.”

Clr Saleh said it was strange the owner of the dog did not stop to help Mr Ali.

“I am sure most dog owners do the right thing, but it’s the minority who disregard their responsibilities that cause a lifetime of trauma for dog attack victims.”

Mr Ali is in good spirits considering the traumatic attack, having had a successful surgery at Concord Hospital, and returned home.

“Really dogs are all right, I have no problem with them, but when you’re walking down the street with a big dog, you need a leash,” Mr Ali said.

“I’m lucky it was me running, it could have been a woman or a child.”

NSW has some of the strongest dog attack laws in the country. Picture: Supplied

A spokesman for Local Government Minister Wendy Tuckerman said the NSW Government has implemented some of the strongest dog laws in the country, “which contribute to keeping animal attacks down”.

“The Companion Animals Act empowers councils in NSW to classify certain dogs as restricted, dangerous or menacing,” he said. “Heavy penalties apply to owners of dangerous dogs who breach strict control measures in the Act.

“This includes on the spot fines of $1,760 and maximum penalties of up to $16,500 if controls are not followed.

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“A Court can order up to five years imprisonment and $77,000 in fines, with higher maximum penalties if a restricted breed is involved.”

Under the act, restricted or dangerous dogs must be desexed and kept in an approved childproof enclosure on the owner’s property. They must also wear a distinctive collar and be kept on a lead and muzzled when outside of their enclosure.

Last year, the act was updated to include further controls for dangerous and restricted dogs.

Restricted breeds in NSW include the American pit bull terrier or pit bull terrier, Japanese Tosa, dogo Argentino, fila Brasileiro, and Perro de Presa Canrio or Presa Canario.

Two vicious dog attacks on humans — including one on a small child — were recorded on the northern beaches in July where the owners of the dogs fled after the incidents.

A man ended up in hospital for plastic surgery after a German Shepherd Dog, off its leash, savaged his arm while he walked on Narrabeen Beach.

Meanwhile, Northern Beaches Council are investigating an attack on a young boy who was injured by a dog while he played on the beach at Mona Vale.

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The owners of the dogs in both attacks did not provide any details to the victims and left the area before authorities arrived.

Northern Beaches Police took a statement from Roger Shahani, who was set upon by two German Shepherd Dogs while he walked on Narrabeen Beach about 10.15am on Sunday, July 24.

Mr Shahani, who lives at Narrabeen, said he was walking on the sand close to where Wellington St meets the beach, when he saw the large dogs, who were not on a leash, running into the surf, chasing balls being thrown by a man.

Two german shepherds, with a man believed to their owner, which are alleged to attacked and bitten a man on Narrabeen Beach on July 24, 2022. Picture: Supplied

Roger Shahani, of Narrabeen says he was attacked by two german shepherds on Narrabeen Beach on July 24, 2022. He had to have surgery to repair the bite wounds on his right arm Picture: Roger Shahani

“This guy was playing with his two dogs and I said to him ‘what a beautiful day’ and laughed about the dogs having to go into the cold water in the middle of winter,” he said.

“There were no belligerent words with the owner, I was smiling, but maybe one of the dogs took offence at me talking to the guy.

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“Then one of the dogs — and they were big — grabbed and bit my right forearm.

“It let go and I looked down and saw a big gash.

“Then the two dogs started coming at me again.

“The one that bit me was barking, snarling and snapping.

“The guy then yelled at the dogs, he called them off.”

Mr Shahani said the dog owner did not say anything.

“Then he just walked off with his dogs, heading north up Narrabeen Beach.”

A member of the public took a photograph of the dogs, and their owner, just moments after the alleged attack and texted the image to Mr Shahani.

“By the time the guy had taken the photograph, the owner had put a leash on one of them,” he said. “There was a ragged puncture wound.

“I was looking at it and could see my exposed flesh. It wasn’t bleeding profusely, but I could feel myself going into shock.”

Mr Shahani said his partner was now too scared to go lie on the beach “with all the dogs that come up unrestrained”.

“It’s becoming a huge issue in the community.”

Council Rangers are still investigating reports of a dog attack on a young child at the south end of Mona Vale Beach on Sunday, July 17, at about 10am.

The Central Coast has the highest dog ownership rate, with more than 65,000 dogs recorded across households — however with this comes the highest number of dog attacks.

NRL star Jai Arrow’s American Staffordshire terrier Thor brutally killed a pet greyhound and injured its owner in Bateau Bay in July, just three months after attacking another smaller dog.

John Gowans was on a walk with his 11-year-old greyhound Ruby when Thor barged out of a home.

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Thor savagely attacked Ruby, leaving her with a punctured thorax, dislocated jaw and multiple deep cuts before she later died.

Arrow was interstate on State of Origin commitments at the time of the attack with Thor staying with a relative. The South Sydney Rabbitoh vowed to save Thor from being destroyed after he had been seized by Central Coast Council.

Titans player Jai Arrow with his dogs Koda (rottweiler) and Thor. Picture: Jerad Williams

However on August 19, the dog was put down with Arrow labelling the move a “disgrace” and his solicitor Paul McGirr slamming the council as “gutless”, acting before they had the chance to lodge an appeal.

“They terminate the dog on Friday and then at 4:45pm on Friday send me an email saying they would exercise their powers and they would terminate the dog – yet they had already done it,” he said.

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Waverley Council had already declared Thor a dangerous dog after it attacked a miniature schnauzer called Millie at Bronte Beach in April 2022.

On the morning of July 11, 2021, the Central Coast woke to the news of an unthinkable tragedy.

A newborn baby boy, just five weeks old, has been savagely mauled to death by the family’s American staffordshire terrier.

A 5-week-old baby was killed by the family dog believed to be an American Staffordshire Terrier at a house in Jeffs Close, Kariong on the Central Coast. Picture: David Swift

Police responded to the mother’s emergency call reporting the attack on the five-week-old baby at the family’s home in Jeffs Close, Kariong, about 2.20am.

Local police officers first on scene began CPR on the baby followed by a NSW Ambulance crew. However the boy, who sustained severe injuries, could not be revived and died at the scene.

The medium-sized registered dog, owned by the young couple for seven years, was removed by Central Coast Council rangers and later euthanised. Police confirmed the dog had killed a neighbour’s dog just weeks before.

The Kariong community rallied around the family and a memorial was created in memory of the baby boy with teddies, flowers and cards spread across a local tennis court fence.