AUSTRALIA -- One dog has been euthanised and another declared dangerous after they attacked a young woman at Cattle Bay last week.
An Eden woman, aged 18, suffered lacerations and bruising to her legs after the two dogs, both American Pit Bull Terriers, attacked her during a walk on Wednesday morning, October 24 at 10.30am.
A second woman who came to her aid also suffered bites to her legs.
The American Pit Bull is a restricted breed in New South Wales and as such has strict control methods with hefty fines and jail terms for owners if breaches occur.
The dog’s owner, a 38-year-old Eden man was issued with two infringement notices from Police totalling $1000 and a further $716 from Bega Valley Shire Council rangers.
One animal was euthanised the following day.
The surviving animal was declared a dangerous dog and the owner must now adhere to strict conditions or risk more fines or even imprisonment.
Police and Bega Valley Shire Council rangers had been looking for the dogs since Friday morning when they were reported roaming at Snug Cove “in an aggressive manner”.
Council ranger John Flanagan said an investigation into an alleged biting attack in West Street was also underway.
He has warned dog owners to control their dogs, particularly following complaints from Cocora Street, Eden Cove and Moorhead Street.
“The legislation has been really beefed up and courts are taking a really dim view of unrestrained dogs,” he said.
“A dog doesn’t have to bite anymore, it just has to chase, rush or harass a person for that owner to get a $550 fine.”
In 2010-11, pit bull terriers were responsible for 87 reported attacks according to the Division of Local Government.
The five pure breeds that had the highest rates of attack in that time were the Tibetan mastiff, pit bull terrier, Chesapeake Bay retriever, Central Asian shepherd dog and mastiff.
It is an offence to sell, acquire or breed pit bull terriers.
If a restricted dog attacks, harasses or chases a person or animal, an owner can be fined a maximum of $33,000.
If the dog attacks or bites a person due to failure to comply with control measures, an owner can face two years in jail and the dog can be put down immediately.
The maximum fine is $55,000.
(Eden Magnet - Nov 1, 2012)
