An adorable baby girl with big brown eyes and a cheeky grin is dead after being mauled alive by a rottweiler.
A little boy’s ear had to be surgically re-attached after a Great Dane dragged him off his bike by the head.
And a 10-year-old Melbourne girl is fighting for life after being viciously mauled in her own street.
It has been a horror week for dog attacks across Australia – and figures show our littlest kids, those aged under five, are most at risk.
Statistics provided by the Royal Melbourne Children’s Hospital show 13,000 people present to hospital after dog attacks each year.
Mauled by a rottweiler: Kamillah Jones, aged one, died on the way to hospital after being attacked in her family’s new backyard in Inverell, northern New South Wales, on Sunday
Ear ripped off by a Great Dane: Tom Higgins, three, had to have his ear surgically re-attached after a dog escaped through an open gate near Newcastle and bit his neck and ear
This the Great Dane that bolted through an open gate and attacked three-year-old Tom Higgins
Figures collected from the Adelaide Dog Attack Register (ADAR.net.au) above
The recent spate of dog attacks began when Kamillah Jones was mauled by her family’s pet Rottweiler in Inverell, northern NSW, on Sunday.
The dog, which was later put down, attacked the one-year-old girl in her backyard as her family celebrated moving into their new home.
That same day, a 10-year-old Melbourne girl was attacked by her family’s pet, an African Boerboel.
The girl, Berwick, in the city’s west, was ‘thrown around like a ragdoll’, said her neighbours, who managed to save her from the attack.
The recent spate of dog attacks began when Kamillah Jones was mauled to death on Sunday
The family’s rottweiler (file photo) was destroyed after being seized by rangers
Meantime, little boy Tom Higgins’ ear had to be reattached following an attack
The third attack occurred in Newcastle on Tuesday, when a three-year-old boy was pulled off his bike by a great dane
The dog has been put down. It is believed the girl and her seven-year-old sister were home alone when the attack occurred.
The third incident occurred in Newcastle on Tuesday, when a three-year-old boy was pulled off his bike by a Great Dane.
The toddler was riding his bicycle when the dog launched at him from a nearby home and ‘retreated’ back to the house when paramedics arrived.
It has been a horror week for dog attacks across Australia – animal behaviourist Dionna Newton has tips on how to avoid being mauled
Dionna Newton, an animal behaviourist of more than ten year’s experience, said children should never be left alone with dogs – even if the pets are well-trained.
‘Any dog is dangerous given the right circumstances,’ she said.
‘Children can do odd things, if they are to do something to a dog and the dog reacts and bites the child there are consequences.
‘And it could lead to the dog being destroyed. It isn’t worth it,’ she said.
The worst thing you can do if dealing with an angry dog is to ‘run away or start screeching or screaming, she said.
‘A dog could become anxious if someone starts to scream, or their prey instincts could kick in if they see someone running,’ she said.
‘The best thing to do is to stay calm, try to back away and ask the dog’s owner to control their animal.’
And pet owners should be aware of what makes their dog anxious – as attacks are usually driven by anxiety or fear.
A 10-year-old girl was left fighting for life on Sunday, but was since reported to be in a stable condition
The girl, from Melbourne suburb Berwick, was ‘thrown around like a ragdoll’ according to her neighbours who eventually saved her from the attack
‘If you are aware what makes your dog feel this way you should get a behaviourist to help.’
Ms Newton believes in some cases dogs don’t have to be destroyed once they have attacked ‘depending on how hard the owner is willing to work to help in it’.
She is also passionate about making sure their pets are contained in their yard – to stop them from being a danger to themselves or to people outside.