Mum calls for more animal controls after girl, 10, hospitalised in Wulagi dog attack

A 10-year-old Darwin girl has been forced to spend two nights in hospital after a terrifying dog attack. Now, her mum wants answers about why the dog remains on the streets.

A mum is frustrated a dog was not seized by the council after her daughter was attacked in Wulagi. Picture: Supplied.

The mother of a girl attacked by a dog in Darwin’s north is calling for more to be done to control dangerous pets.

Kaidence Hewitt, 10, spent two nights in hospital undergoing surgery for bite wounds after a dog attacked while she was riding her bike down Jabiru St, Wulagi, on October 14.

Mother Imogene Briston was not there at the time but said it had scared everyone involved.

“She was riding with her cousins, so a whole heap of little kids and they were shocked,” she said.

“My sister-in-law had to take her to hospital … they were traumatised by what has happened, and so were the little kids.”

Ms Briston said the puncture wounds in Kaidence’s legs still had not healed a fortnight later.

She said the dog responsible was “a big, large hunting dog” that escaped while a man was backing his car out of a yard.

Police were called and the council notified, however Ms Briston was frustrated to hear the dog remained at the Wulagi property.

“They should have taken this dog immediately. Like, what is there to investigate?”

Ms Briston said Kaidence’s wounds had not healed two weeks later. Picture: Supplied.

Ms Briston was told to complete a statutory declaration, and said her attempts to ask council for updates were met with requests to repeat information and the case being passed between different staff.

Last week this publication reported three dogs had been seized in Bayview after attacking a teenage boy, who was lucky to escape with only minor injuries.

Ms Briston said she was confused why those dogs had been captured by the council when the one who attacked her daughter had not.

Darwin council confirmed only that the matter was under investigation.

“City of Darwin received an after hours call from a resident regarding a dog attack on 14 October in Jabiru St and the matter is currently being investigated,” a spokeswoman said.

Ms Briston said more needed to be done to protect Territorians from dogs.

“When we were in hospital Kaidence was the third dog victim there over that weekend, so that’s the third child having surgery because owners are not looking after locking their dogs up,” she said.