More information will emerge as to how and why this tragedy happened. The information from major news reports states the family were house sitting in Varsity Lakes on the Gold Coast.

The five-year-old child had been playing with the dog, a bull terrier crossbreed. Later, it savagely attacked him. His grandmother tried to pull the dog off the boy and was herself injured; apparently, a neighbour helped her restrain the dog. The boy suffered deep wounds around his neck and back. When the rescue team arrived, the boy may have had a cardiac arrest – he was given a blood transfusion and was revived. 

However, while undergoing surgery later, he died. The dog responsible, above, was taken by Council and destroyed. This is the fourth time in one year someone has died or been severely mauled.

Amanda Carmichael was mauled in June by three dogs at Maryborough and died from her injuries.

In July on the central coast of NSW, a five-week-old baby died after the family pet of six years attacked the baby.

Last September in NSW a mother and daughter were attacked by the family dog (owned by her son). They were air-lifted to the hospital with deep puncture wounds to their head, neck and torso. The neighbour who helped received minor bites. The son refused to co-operate with the police and refused to hand over security vision.

Councils only have two options: euthanase the dog, or have the owners have the dog declared dangerous. Neither is a solution that will prevent this increasingly common tragedy from happening over and over. The Gold Coast Council has asked Mark Furner - the Minister for Agriculture & Fisheries - for more powers after they received 547 dog attack complaints from January to October 2021; the complaints include dogs attacking someone's pet. Another issue raised is that 60,000 dogs are registered with the GCC, but they estimate there is around that number again that are not registered.

In NSW a database from all Councils recorded that 700 people have been attacked by dogs. https://www.olg.nsw.gov.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/NSW-Report-Dog-Attack-Incidents-4th-quarter-report-2020-21.pdf

Any dog can attack and bite someone, but statistics do indicate the Bull breeds are the most common attackers. Therefore, owners need to show they have the knowledge and skills to have this breed. The QLD Government Animal Management Act (for cats & dogs) 2008 is outdated, with a long list of 229 divisions and parts of impractical, complex bureaucratic babble. Just give Councils the power to approve dog ownership and to issue fines.

Pam Brandis, 
 Dip.Canine.Prac.