Blimey, Another One....

[Pjrt]

LINK

A MAN beat two dogs with a piece of timber to save a husband and wife from an horrific attack at Somerton Park last night.

The couple were walking their pet schnauzers on the Esplanade when the unleashed Staffordshire terriers set upon them near the intersection of Phillipps St, about 5pm.

Glenelg Football Club great Fred Phillis, an Esplanade resident, witnessed the dogs running towards the couple who he believed to be aged about 40.

“These dogs started mauling the people with the schnauzers,” Mr Phillis said.

“They pushed her over and were all over her and she was screaming.

“I went inside (my property) and got a lump of tree branch I was keeping for intruders and I went over there and whacked their heads.”

Mr Phillis said he had to hit the dogs about four times each with the 1.5m piece of timber before they gave up the attack and ran away bleeding.

The owners of the terriers were nowhere to be seen as a crowd of about 12 people gathered to help the couple, Mr Phillis said.

“The lady was absolutely distraught,” Mr Phillis said.

“It was a traumatic.”

He said lady had injuries to her legs and was very shaken by the incident.

Mr Phillis said she left the scene in an ambulance but he was unsure if she was taken to hospital.

Mr Phillis, who has campaigned for tighter dog controls, said he regretted not killing the dogs and called for them to be put down.

“I also enforce my call for better and stronger management of dogs, and harsher penalties for owners not obeying the appropriate laws,” Mr Phillis said.

Fred Phillis is calling for stricter dog management after intervening in yesterday’s dog attack. Source: News Limited

“The dogs need to be on a leash.”

Holdfast Bay councillor Tim Looker said owners needed to be responsible for their pets.

“The council can have all the bylaws it likes but if owners are negligent or irresponsible, these laws don’t work,” Cr Looker said.

“I think any dangerous dog should be put down after an attack.”

Cr Looker had sent details of the incident to the council’s administration.

“I know from a legal point of view the council is doing all it can but ultimately it comes down to the owners,” Cr Looker said.

He encouraged anyone who had been attacked or felt threatened by a dog to report it to the council.

“It is worth reporting so we can get accurate details and build a better picture of what’s happening and act accordingly,” he said.

Holdfast Bay chief executive Justin Lynch said the dogs involved in the attack were known to the council.

“The council is taking this incident very seriously and we have immediately arranged meetings with all parties to investigate it thoroughly,” he said.

“It seems, from eyewitness accounts, that these dogs were not under effective control.

“We are still gathering information but the council is taking this matter up with the owners immediately and this situation will not be allowed to continue.

“Public safety depends on responsible owners and positive dog ownership, including appropriate socialisation, obedience training and control.”

For more information about dog management in Holdfast Bay visit holdfast.sa.gov.au or call 8229 9999

[Loving my Oldies]

"Known to the Council"!!

[melzawelza]

Bloody awful and totally unacceptable.

"Known to the Council"!!

Concerned me too, although to be fair, the dogs could have had a barking complaint or something like that - doesn't have to mean there's been a previous attack.

The fact that they were known at all though, even if it was for barking, suggests ongoing mismanagement from the owner.

[poochmad]

How freaking scary.

What about the dogs they were walking?

Edited June 27, 2014 by poochmad

[JulesP]

She would have been pretty well rugged up and it sounds like there were a lot of people there helping so the dogs probably didn't get much of a chance to do damage. The fact they have gone at a person on the ground is quite bad enough. And it took a fair bit of force to get them to stop.

[Christina]

The exact details don't really matter the fact is that 2 dogs that were not under control attacked for no reasonable cause & caused injury. It must have been extremely frightening & its lucky that there were other people around to help. It could have been so much worse if there were only the 2 of them with 2 dogs as well.

Glenelg is a high population area with many tourists & families using the beach & facilities so I would imagine they will come down hard on the dogs & owners.

ETA Realise it was at Somerton Park, still close & busy area

Edited June 28, 2014 by Christina

[Mrs Rusty Bucket]

The report is strange.

For starters - the victims were up on the esplanade footpath combo bike path - and dogs must be on lead there. They're only allowed off lead on the beach (and that was underwater - tide in, during the report).

State law requires dogs to be on lead on the footpaths and everywhere public - unless it's a "park" or otherwise sign posted - the sign about off lead / effective control - that the report showed - does not apply to the footpath which is right next to a busy ROAD.

The SBT should have been on lead where the victims were. And even if they were off lead - dogs are not allowed to harass or attack anyone or thing in public places - there might be an exception if they feel their owner was being attacked. But that usually applies to when they are on their home property.

And that particular beach from the Broadway near Glenelg down to the Brighton and Seacliff yacht club including Phillips St is my local beach and I often go there when I don't have time to Tennyson on the weekends.

I didn't go this morning because the weather was so shite. High winds, rain and hail.

The schnauzers look vaguely familiar. I haven't seen two grumpy staffies on the beach ever. The ones on the beach are usually super sweet grovelly dogs. Nobody can take a grumpy dog onto that beach because of all the in-your-face happy-tail-slappy slobber dogs.

[Staffyluv]

I was wondering afeter what I have seen and read on this story if it was an attack..

It is purely hypothetical but perhaps the dogs were very over excited, she got knocked to the ground and the dogs were just all over her in excitement.. It would explain the lack of bites. A massive staffy rumble, two very excited staffs, in the midst of two small dogs and two people, one on the ground, could easily look like an attack and to someone who doesn't really know staffs, it would probably even feel like one.

Two staffs with a victim on the ground, in an attack, they are unlikely to let go.

It is inappropriate for the dogs to be off lead and rush anyone, aggressively or not. I feel for the woman and others affected by the incident.

Hopefully the owners of the staffs will be fined accordingly and learn from this..

[megan_]

If she was rugged up in winter woollies then she could be attacked and not have a mark I. Her. This wouldn't be the first time a dog was off leash in an on leash environment - I don't see how that makes the report odd?

ETA: it isn't only grumpy dogs that attack. Sometimes dogs that are otherwise social attack. Are you saying you don't think it happened mrs rb because you haven't seen a grumpy staffy at this beach before?

Edited June 29, 2014 by megan_

[Staffyluv]

I think the reason some may think it odd is because it was 2 staffs, the woman was on the ground with both dogs on her 'attacking'.

Winter woolies would definitely make the attack less but dogs teeth are a decent length and would easily go through winter woolies. I would like a dollar for every time my dogs have picked up a tennis ball and popped it in half - clothing is no protection (unless it was something like a bite sleeve or suit).

I don't doubt for once second this poor lady was attacked by the dogs.

I did say what I think is a possibility as to why she doesn't have the injuries that would be 'expected' from an attack by 2 staffords.

[WreckitWhippet]

The dogs need to be on a leash.”

It doesn't get any more simple than that. On a leash in public, under effective control where permitted off leash and keep your bloody dogs in your own yard.

[Staffyluv]

True the dogs should be leashed in public.

I find it interesting that when we were kids, dogs were rarely leashed and rarely confined to our yard. They never rushed people walking past and they didn't attack people or other dogs..

Our street always had numerous kids and dogs roaming around - the kids were more feral than the dogs.

I often find myself wondering why it is so different now, compared to back then.

[Sabbath]

True the dogs should be leashed in public.

I find it interesting that when we were kids, dogs were rarely leashed and rarely confined to our yard. They never rushed people walking past and they didn't attack people or other dogs..

Our street always had numerous kids and dogs roaming around - the kids were more feral than the dogs.

I often find myself wondering why it is so different now, compared to back then.

I think the same thing all the time. We knew which dogs to avoid, but they were in the minority.

[Mrs Rusty Bucket]

If she was rugged up in winter woollies then she could be attacked and not have a mark I. Her. This wouldn't be the first time a dog was off leash in an on leash environment - I don't see how that makes the report odd?

ETA: it isn't only grumpy dogs that attack. Sometimes dogs that are otherwise social attack. Are you saying you don't think it happened mrs rb because you haven't seen a grumpy staffy at this beach before?

Nope, the SBT could be regulars - I don't know. They could have been having an off day. They might have been free because their owner tripped crossing the road and let go of them.

The tv report was strange because it suggested that it was an off lead place that the event happened. It wasn't.

Attack or not, injury or not - the SBT owner was in the wrong and has broken the multiple parts of the animal management act.

Some of the people "interviewed" said there need to be law - there are already several - that were broken. That's the trouble with Laws - they don't prevent bad things from happening - they just make it easier to assign blame and punishment.

As for "otherwise social dogs" - my definition of a grumpy dog is one that acts aggressively. Not all dogs are grumpy all the time or with everybody or every dog. But if they act aggressively - they're grumpy - that's how I define it. I don't see it as completely the same as "dog aggressive" or "human aggressve".

I didn't see this attack - and I don't know if the SBT were serious or not - except that the report and one person interviewed did say it was hard work getting them off the victim(s).

And given how well these things get followed up - we might never know.

[melzawelza]

True the dogs should be leashed in public.

I find it interesting that when we were kids, dogs were rarely leashed and rarely confined to our yard. They never rushed people walking past and they didn't attack people or other dogs..

Our street always had numerous kids and dogs roaming around - the kids were more feral than the dogs.

I often find myself wondering why it is so different now, compared to back then.

Back then by the very fact that dogs were out roaming practically from birth, they were extremely well socialised to coexisting with lots of other dogs and people. Now they're confined to a backyard most of the time, and are often not well socialised as youngsters either because of it.

Also, I'm sure it happened plenty but you wouldn't have heard about any except the very local incidents. Now because of the net and dog forums we are reading about attacks that have happened in another state to us.

Stats in the States show that dog attackd have massively reduced since the 70s onwards and I wouldn't be surprised if it's the same here.

[VizslaMomma]

Also, I'm sure it happened plenty but you wouldn't have heard about any except the very local incidents. Now because of the net and dog forums we are reading about attacks that have happened in another state to us.

Stats in the States show that dog attackd have massively reduced since the 70s onwards and I wouldn't be surprised if it's the same here.

A decrease in incidents is great. It is annoying when reports make headlines that are inaccurate. That's one of my gripes.

[Staffyluv]

True the dogs should be leashed in public.

I find it interesting that when we were kids, dogs were rarely leashed and rarely confined to our yard. They never rushed people walking past and they didn't attack people or other dogs..

Our street always had numerous kids and dogs roaming around - the kids were more feral than the dogs.

I often find myself wondering why it is so different now, compared to back then.

Back then by the very fact that dogs were out roaming practically from birth, they were extremely well socialised to coexisting with lots of other dogs and people. Now they're confined to a backyard most of the time, and are often not well socialised as youngsters either because of it.

Also, I'm sure it happened plenty but you wouldn't have heard about any except the very local incidents. Now because of the net and dog forums we are reading about attacks that have happened in another state to us.

Stats in the States show that dog attackd have massively reduced since the 70s onwards and I wouldn't be surprised if it's the same here.

That is very true - our dogs, growing up, were very well socialised with other dogs, kids and adults. In truth the kids were probably more feral than the dogs. We were tossed out after breakfast and told to be home before the street lights came on.. We got up to and into all manner of mischief and the dogs just followed us around.

I agree, with media coverage so broad these days, dog attacks are heard of more - so to some it would seem there are more, even when stats show there are less attacks.

[JulesP]

I can't remember dogs roaming around Our dogs certainly weren't. And I can't recall coming across many in the streets, unless they had escaped. I remember getting knocked over by a dog when I was quite young and getting bitten when a dog attacked my onlead dog, both incidents over 30 years ago. One in the UK and one here. Maybe it depended were you lived? Although I did live in the country in the UK.

[Mrs Rusty Bucket]

I remember packs of up to 20 dogs wandering suburban streets in early 1970s Adelaide.

Our dog used to routinely take itself for walks - and pick fights with any dog that had a curly tail over it's back. And the stories about it were not told with embarrassment or any sense of wrong.

A dog we had in the late 1970s used to escape and take itself from Adelaide City to Aldinga to visit its old pack mate. And we'd get phone calls from Marion to come get it. Eventually it rehomed itself with a family that lived about half way between our place and Marion - and were home all day.

I never remember it being seen as dreadfully wrong apart from the playing in traffic problem.

But unwanted puppies were routinely drowned and dogs that hurt people - didn't get to wander long. It was much more common for people to deal with this themselves than wait for council or police to deal with it.

PS I guess dogs had similar status as far as staying home - that cats do now.

Edited June 30, 2014 by Mrs Rusty Bucket

[Staffyluv]

I am talking about Lennox Head - that is where we grew up in the 1970s and 1980s.

Tourists to the area would bring their dogs and there were lots around, including ours.

It was unusual to see a dog on lead - that sort of came into 'fashion' in the late 80s.

We would walk down to our cousins house or to the beach and there were always dogs with us.

I guess it does depend on where you grew up.