Australia: Deadly South African Boerboel that left a 10-year-old girl fighting for life in hospital with wounds to her head, neck and groin is put down after savage attack

AUSTRALIA -- A family's deadly dog which mauled a 10-year-old girl has been put down after a savage attack left the girl fighting for her life.

Two unregistered dogs were seized by council officers after the girl was left with shocking injuries from her own pet in the Melbourne suburb of Berwick on Sunday.

In a statement on Monday evening, the City of Casey Council confirmed a South African Boerboel had been 'destroyed' with the owner's permission.

The council said: 'The dog believed to be responsible for the attack has been identified as a South African Boerboel, while the second dog has been identified as a Bull Mastiff. Neither dogs were registered with the City of Casey.'

The council on Monday revealed they have previously issued four infringements to the dogs' owner.

Officers were called to the same home in December after the family's other dog, a Bull Mastiff, acted aggressively towards a passer-by.

But the incident wasn't considered severe enough to seize the dog from its owners, who were slapped with a fine.

The council said the previous infringements imposed on the family were for biting a person, the dog being 'at large' at night and failing to register two dogs.

Earlier, hero neighbors described the moment they saved the girl who was 'thrown around like a rag doll' as she was viciously mauled by her own dog.

 

 

 

Dr Liz Walker, Chief Executive of the RSPCA, described the attack as a 'tragic and devastating event', but urged the family to consider having the dog euthanized.

'This is a discussion for the family and the council. But It would have to be something they would seriously consider,' Dr Walker told the broadcaster.

The girl remains in hospital and is lucky to be alive, according to neighbors who helped saved her.

Jimmy Baird was at home watching television with his wife when they heard screaming from a nearby house.

'A young girl came out saying her sister was being attacked by the dog,' he said.

Mr Baird and another neighbor ran to the home where they found the terrified girl banging on a door trying to get away from the dog.

'We tried to get the door open. As I opened the door, this massive head was coming through the door frothing at the mouth. It was obviously going to go us,' Mr Baird told Nine Network on Monday.

The men went around to the side of the house and distracted the dog, allowing the girl to escape.

'I'm glad we were there because the young girl probably wouldn't have survived,' Mr Baird said.

Another neighbor told 3AW their mother and their mother's boyfriend were at the gym when the dog attacked.

The neighbors said the mother seemed more concerned about her pets than her daughters.

"Not once was there, 'Where's my daughter? How is she?' It was just... [about] the dogs", said one neighbor.

 

 

She was covered in dirt, leaves, blood, yeah, just in shock

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews said dog owners need to take responsibility for their animals.

'If you own an animal then it is your primary responsibility to make sure that you have control of that animal and that it doesn't pose a risk to others,' Andrews said.

Chief Commissioner Graham Ashton said the matter would be handled by the local council but added the incident served as a reminder for people to keep control of their dogs.

'Whether they're in your backyard or out on the street, it doesn't absolve your responsibility of keeping your animals under control,' Mr Ashton said.

Note: Neither of these Boerboels attacked the little girl, but
I'm posting so you get an idea how big these dogs are.

(Daily Mail - March 5, 2018)

Australia: Boy, 3, attacked by Great Dane has his ear surgically reattached

AUSTRALIA -- A three-year-old boy who was torn from his bike and dragged by a Great Dane almost double his size has had his ear surgically reattached.

Little Tom Higgins was riding his bike and collecting cans for recycling with his family in Newcastle on Tuesday evening when the dog escaped through an open gate, biting his neck and ear.

The young boy underwent surgery at John Hunter Children’s Hospital on Wednesday and police say the dog is likely to be destroyed following a council investigation. The child remains in hospital in a stable condition.

Tom was the third child in just four days to be savagely mauled by pet dogs in Australia — leading to calls for new guidelines for owners and bans on dangerous breeds.

The first attack came on Saturday. One-year-old Kamillah Jones was in a stroller in the NSW town of Inverell when a Rottweiler attacked her.

She was rushed to Inverell District Hospital in an ambulance, but her injuries were so severe she couldn’t be saved.

There was another attack on Sunday, this time in Melbourne, where a 10-year-old girl was seriously injured by her family's Bull Mastiff.

That attack happened while her parents were reportedly at the gym.

When speaking about the attack in Newcastle, NSW Police’s Detective Acting Inspector Jeffrey Little said the owners of any dog that attacks a person are liable.

DELUSIONAL DOG OWNERS
However, the Great Dane’s owners said the canine simply does not like bikes, the Seven Network reported.

The Great Dane will likely be euthanized, say police

(News AU - March 8, 2018)

Earlier:

• Australia: Boy, 3, riding bicycle is attacked by Great Dane; has part of his ear ripped off

Australia: Boy, 3, riding bicycle is attacked by Great Dane; has part of his ear ripped off

AUSTRALIA -- A three-year-old boy is undergoing surgery to reattach part of his ear after being attacked by a Great Dane while riding his bicycle in Newcastle.

In the third serious dog attack in under a week, the little boy was riding down Antill Street in the suburb of Mayfield with his mother and older sister shortly after 6.30pm yesterday when the large dog ran out of an open gate and lunged.

Detective Acting Inspector Jeffrey Little said it was fortunate the child wasn't more seriously injured.

"The child has sustained injuries to the back of his neck and to the right side of his ear and has actually undergone surgery this morning," he said at a press conference in Newcastle this morning.

The dog retreated to its property, while the boy was treated by paramedics at the scene before being taken to John Hunter Hospital.

Police have spoken to the boy's mother, who they say is "holding up quite well".

"Everybody is lucky in this circumstance that it hasn’t ended up worse," Detective Little said.

"This is traumatic for the family and probably for the dog owner as well."

Police and the local council are investigating the attack, and there was "every chance" the dog responsible would be destroyed.

It comes just days after a 12-month-old baby girl Kamillah was mauled to death by a Rottweiler at her grandmother’s house in the central NSW town of Inverell on Saturday.

The following day, a 10-year-old girl was viciously mauled by her family’s South African Boerboel (other reports called it a Bull Mastiff) while home alone with her younger sister in Melbourne.

The girl remains in hospital, while the dog responsible for the attack has been put down.

Detective Little said the spat of attacks should serve as a timely reminder to dog owners and parents alike to be vigilant when children are around unleashed dogs.

"It goes without saying, without telling parents how to do their job, just to be vigilant when they are outside with their kids. There is always a potential when there is a dog which is running loose," he said.

"Children are particularly vulnerable to attacks by dogs by their mere size, and certainly they can suffer serious physical and psychological injuries – and unfortunately, as we’ve seen in recent days, even death."

The Great Dane that attacked the little boy

He also urged anyone with concerns about a potentially dangerous dog to contact their local council.

"Dogs are an animal, and every dog has the potential - large or small - to attack."

In New South Wales, dog owners whose pets are involved in an attack face up to five years' imprisonment and fines of up to $77,000.

(9News - March 6, 2018)

Australia: Bull Mastiff's leg fractured after he's attacked by a Pit Bull

AUSTRALIA -- Guillermo Ángel Gómez posted on Facebook group page I Love My Bullmastiff, March 2, 2018

Guys my poor boy Bruno got attacked by a pit bull, he is in a lot of pain now, please send prayers. Im so sad 😭

Myfanwy Buchanan - Oh poor baby😢 why don't people keep their animals on a lead 😣

Guillermo Ángel Gómez - The pit bull was always on a leash according to his owner but escaped this time 😞

Maria-Luisa Rittinghaus Have you seen a vet? If he is in pain prayers will not help but a vet will. Sorry to be so direct. A speed recovery to your furbaby ❤

Guillermo Ángel Gómez - Yes he is already takin meds for the paín. But he still crying because he cant get up 😭

Alicia S Sc - Guillermo Ángel Gómez, gee how bad was he chewed? is he a young dog?

Guillermo Ángel Gómez - it's actually not that bad, it seems he has a fractured leg, he can't get up so he cry all the time and thats what breaks my heart :'(

Not that bad? He has a fractured leg...

Guillermo Ángel Gómez - he is 6 years old

Australia: Baby girl, 1, being pushed in a stroller by her mother dies after being attacked by Rottweiler

AUSTRALIA -- The little girl killed in a dog attack at Inverell, in northern NSW, yesterday is being remembered as a "loved and adored by so many."

One-year-old Kamillah Jones was being pushed down the street by her mother in her stroller, when it's understood a Rottweiler leaped over a fence and attacked her.

She was taken to hospital but died of her injuries on the way.

Her aunt Ida Boney took to Facebook yesterday to describe the tragedy.

"She was actually being walked by her mother in a pram on the way to her granny's house just one block away," she wrote.

"There are no words to describe a scene where a mother is fighting with every ounce of her being to save her baby girl.

"Our family have lost our baby girl who never got a chance to live her life," she said.

A GoFundMe page started on Saturday has so far raised $710 of its $6,000 goal to help the family in its time of need.

Emergency services were called to a home on Greaves St, Inverell, about 2.20pm yesterday following reports a Rottweiler attacked the baby.

Officers who arrived the scene found the child suffering critical injuries.

She was treated at the scene but died on the way to hospital, NSW Police said.

Reports yesterday suggested the Rottweiler dog belonged to the child's family — either immediate or extended — and was seized by Inverell Shire Council rangers from their backyard, but police today were still unable to confirm who the dog belonged to.

The family were reportedly new to the area, having only recently moved in.

One Greaves St resident, who witnessed the aftermath of the attack, said she was in front of her house when a paramedic walked out of the neighboring property with the young girl in his arms.

 

 

She said the ambulance then sped away from the street with lights and sirens as two distressed women watched on.

"I just saw a young girl in an ambulance officer's arms, which was dreadful to see," she said.

"I figured (she had died) when she came out the way she did. I didn't see any marks on her so I thought it must have been a pool incident … I didn't notice any movement.

The dog was removed from the family's backyard

"I didn't see much after that because I ran inside because it was a little too vivid to watch."

The woman said a man arrived at the house a short time after the incident and was also very distressed.

Initial sources said the attack happened during a family barbecue and that the dog was the family pet.

Neighbor Helen Bedford defended the family on social media and urged people not to jump to conclusions about the incident.

"These poor parents are beyond devastated and grieving," she wrote.

"I watched the ambos trying to help her ... I feel sick now. Please stop with the nasty comments, they don't need to see this at all."

Notice the neighbor didn't dispute that the dog belonged to the family.

An investigation is now underway by police from New England Police District and a report will be prepared for the coroner.

There were 1196 dog attacks reported to NSW local councils from July-September 2017, with 125 children attacked and 36 people hospitalised.

There were 1228 dog attacks during the same period last year, according to the Office of Local Government.

(NZ Herald - March 4, 2018)

Australia: "I don't want to breed shame," says woman who refuses to say it was a you-know-what that tore apart her Jack Russell.

AUSTRALIA -- Although this article is from August 2017, I just stumbled on the horrific photos of her poor Jack Russell Terrier. 

While searching through the article to see what kind of dog did this -- although by the photos I was fairly certain it was going to be a Pit Bull, I saw halfway down that the owner Vanessa Moore REFUSED TO SAY IT WAS A PIT BULL THAT NEARLY KILLED HER DOG. 

While asking for your money to pay the vet bill, Vanessa says she didn't want to "breed shame" so she refuses to disclose that it's a Pit Bull. 

How do I know it was a Pit Bull? Because only PIT BULL APOLOGISTS REFER TO 'BREED SHAMING', 'BREED RACISM', etc. 

After a German Shepherd or Husky attacks another animal, I've never seen anyone post about "breed shaming" or demanding we "blame the deed and not the breed" in reference to German Shepherds and Siberian Huskies. IT IS ONLY PIT BULL APOLOGISTS WHO SAY THIS CRAP.

*  *  *  *  *  *

Nightmares of almost losing her seven-year-old jack russell terrier in a dog attack are haunting a former Boyne Island woman.

Vanessa Moore's seven-year-old dog Bart was the victim of a dog attack which almost killed him.

His pectoral muscle was "ripped out", he had deep cuts under his front right leg and was covered with bite marks across his leg, shoulder and neck.

Still struggling with the emotional and financial turmoil caused by the attack, the Boyne Island resident of 24 years wants to raise awareness about responsible pet ownership.

The story is a reality for many Gladstone residents too, with 216 dog attacks reported to the Gladstone Regional Council in the 12 months to July 31, 2017.

REFUSES TO SAY IT WAS A PIT BULL

While the Brisbane resident did not want to "dog breed shame", she said her small pooch never stood a chance.

"I was walking him and his sister on a lead and the dog that attacked was stalking from behind," she said.

"It came up and sniffed him and within two to three seconds it was all over. Bart was on his back, he didn't stand a chance, he just went into shock.

"I could just hear him crying and yelping, I have been having nightmares about it, it was very, very traumatic."

Nearby residents ran to his rescue, kicking the attacking dog in the ribs to release his stranglehold on Bart.

Now 20 days since the attack, Ms Moore says she's lost count of the vet and animal hospital visits for his ongoing recovery, which has also cost more than $8000 so far.

Bart is in a cast, needs regular veterinary check ups and could require skin graft surgery.

She said doctors could not tell her how long his recovery would take.

"Through it all I am very thankful for Bart to still be here, it could have been a very different story," Ms Moore said. "It has traumatised us both."

Ms Moore said her family members, who still lived in Gladstone, were equally shattered by the attack.

A Go Fund Me page set up for the dog's recovery has raised more than $5000 and Ms Moore said if the donations were in excess of Bart's bills, the difference would be donated to Australian Animal Cancer Foundation.

She said as a full-time university student studying youth work she was ineligible for financial support.

(Gladstone Observer - August 10, 2017)

Australia: Alistair Morgan, 45, charged over sickening animal cruelty after dog shot through head with spear gun

AUSTRALIA -- Alistair Morgan, 45, has been charged over a shocking case of animal cruelty, accused of breaking into a neighbor’s home, beating and shooting her dog through the head with a spear gun on the NSW Central Coast.

Millie, a brown Labradoodle, has undergone surgery at a veterinary clinic in Sydney’s Homebush.

She’s now off life support and “doing quite well,” according to her owner Kim Lott, but they’ll “have to wait and see” as veterinarians slowly begin to wake the dog up.

Ms Lott says the sickening attack happened while she was at work, and was the result of a dispute with her 45-year-old neighbour of 15 years, a married father of four, over the dog barking.

Police allege the man forced entry into her Woy Woy home about midday yesterday, and beat Millie over the head.

Morgan broke into her home, tortured and tried to kill her dog

  He then allegedly dragged the yelping dog out of the house to his fenceline, then threw her over the fence into his yard, where she became stuck between a fence and the garage wall.  

Police say he then climbed on top of his storage shed, aimed and fired a spear gun at Millie, shooting her through the head.

 

Police say Morgan dragged Millie through the yard...

then threw her over the fence into his own yard

Ms Lott says she’s not holding up well in the wake of the attack.

“I’m just gutted,” she said.  “He’s been a neighbour for 15 years, I don’t know what to say.  I’m just gutted. She was a beautiful dog. My grandkids all loved her, she just loved the kids.

“I’m still in shock, I just can’t believe what’s happened. It’s such a beautiful dog – all because she was barking.”

Ms Lott said she took all steps to resolve the dispute with the neighbor, and never imagined her dog would be attacked.

 

 

“We’ve had talks about it, I’ve done everything I can, I’ve rung the ranger, I’ve guarded my house up so they don’t see the dog, because the dog does not like the man next door.”

She said she’s heard from neighbours the man has thrown things at the fence and “agitated” Millie in the past.

She said she also put up security cameras around her house to monitor how long the dog was barking, and that it amounted to about an hour per day, but that the cameras and surveillance equipment was stolen after the man entered her house.

 

 

Alistair Morgan, trying to hide his face from the press

Ms Lott also said the man pushed an outside barbeque against a doggie door, so the dog’s exit from the house was blocked.

Mille also suffered a collapsed lung, the result of what Ms Lott says was “a beating” at the hands of her neighbor.

“I just can’t believe it’s happened,” Ms Lott said.

She said she’d never had any problems with her neighbour before she got Millie.

“Only since I got my dog because it was barking,” she said.

Ms Lott said she no longer wants to live in her home knowing what her neighbor has allegedly done to her dog.

“I’m scared stiff now. I live by myself.  Millie was my protector, slept with me all the time. Just a beautiful dog,” she said.

“She’s the best thing, she’s such a character.”

Alistair Morgan's wife wouldn't speak to the press

Alistair Morgan, 45, was arrested and charged with committing an act of aggravated animal cruelty, firing a spear gun to injure a person or property and breaking and entering into a house to steal goods worth less than $60,000.

He will front Gosford Local Court today.

(TenPlay AU - January 23 2018)

Australia: Woman needs her jaw rebuilt after being mauled by neighbor's Great Dane / Pit Bull mix

AUSTRALIA -- An Adelaide woman has needed more than 200 stitches to put her face back together after a vicious dog attack on Boxing Day.

Ashley Bunn, 45, was walking home from her sister’s house in the city’s western suburbs of Adelaide when she was attacked in the street by her neighbor’s Great Dane / staffordshire Pit Bull terrier mix.

Surgeons used 200 stitches to reattach a large portion of her chin which had been torn off.

They also used skin and tendons from her forearm to repair the damage.

“When I looked in the mirror I just burst into tears, I didn’t know if I would ever look the same again,” Bunn told Channel Ten.

The woman’s jugular vein was also damaged in the attack, causing major blood loss.

She has spent the past fortnight in hospital receiving treatment. Despite being discharged from hospital it seems she will require a further 15 surgeries to repair the damage.

Bunn told Channel Ten the dog was playing in a yard near her home without a gate when it started running towards her.

The dog’s jaw latched onto her chin and ripped at it, causing significant damage.

“His teeth went underneath [my chin] ... and he gripped on with his upper jaw. I had 200 stitches in my face because I felt my own chin come down,” she told Ten.

Bunn posted on Facebook saying that the dog has since been put down.

The dog’s owner faces a $10,000 fine under strict South Australian dog attack laws, Channel Ten reported.

(News Limited - January 11, 2018)