DOG?attacks in the Wingecarribee rose by 83 per cent last year.
There were 75 reported attacks with a third occurring in the last quarter of 2009.
Wingecarribee also had the highest number of animals attacked out of 152 councils between October and December with 39 victims.
Four adults and one child were attacked in the last quarter, while 23 animals were killed, including 18 chickens. In one Hill Top attack 10 chickens were slain while seven were killed in another attack at Bowral.
A third of the 25 attacks last quarter occurred in Moss Vale, followed by four in Burradoo and three in Colo Vale.
There were 793 dog attacks reported in NSW during the last quarter with Wingecarribee ranking sixth out of the 107 councils that reported them.
Gosford had the most attacks (60) followed by Blacktown (55) and Shoalhaven (36). Neighbouring Wollondilly recorded 18 incidents.
Staffordshire bull terriers, German Shepherds and Jack Russells were the breeds most commonly involved.
The Department of Local Government’s (DLG) dog attack register showed event numbers fell by 30 from the third to the fourth quarter, but Wingecarribee attacks more than doubled in the same period from 11 to 25.
Wingecarribee Council senior ranger Mark Rich said discrepancies between figures published on the DLG dog attack register and figures obtained by the News from Council were different because some attacks were reported as long as two months after they happened.
He also cited technical problems with the internet resulting in delayed reporting. Council must register attacks with the DLG within 24 hours of an incident being reported.
“Council urges the public to report all dog attacks immediately after an incident,” Mr Rich said.
The figures paint Wingecarribee as a hotbed of canine aggression but with 46 councils failing to report any dog attacks at all it is unclear if there were more attacks or just more reported.
Over the last six years Wingecarribee averaged 66 dog attacks a year with a spike of 86 in 2007. There were only 41 attacks in 2008.
Mr Rich said poor fencing was responsible for 60 per cent of all dog complaints.
He said not keeping dogs on leads saw a five per cent increase in off-lead attacks between 2008-09.
The increase in animal attacks was due to several animals being set upon in one incident ,such as the 10 chickens killed at Hill Top, according to Mr Rich.
Eleven dogs were attacked with only four injured, while two ducks, a rabbit and a cat were killed last quarter.
But Wingecarribee’s animal attacks last quarter were more than the total for the previous three quarters combined, and represented 60 per cent of all animal attacks in 2009.
Walking more than one dog at a time also increased the chances of attack.
“We recommend you walk one dog per person,” Mr Rich said. “We think you just can’t control that many dogs [2-4] at one time.”
Wingecarribee has only 13,000 dogs microchipped compared to councils like Gosford (34,000) and Blacktown (49,000) but made up three per cent of all dog attacks last quarter.
Of the 793 attacks statewide, 355 adults, 115, children, 343 dogs and 57 cats were victims.
Local Government Minister Barbara Perry said dog owners were responsible for their pets.
“Any dog is capable of attack and dog owners need to be careful with their pets, especially when out in public,” she said.
“The dog attack register provides detailed analysis of dog attacks and councils’ responses to them.”
There were 108 attacking dogs destroyed in NSW last quarter with 100 dangerous dog declarations.
Ms Perry reminded owners that there were severe penalties if their dog attacks.
“NSW has the toughest dog laws in Australia with fines of up to $55,000 or two years in prison, or both,” she said.
The dog attack register is able to be viewed at www.dlg.nsw.gov.au.
Incid ent statistics
NSW dog attacks September
to December 2009
*Staffordshire bull terrier 125 attacks, the Australian cattle dog 104 and the German Shepherd 75.
*470 of the 793 attacks were on people.
*126 serious attacks on people requiring treatment or hospitalisation.
*Fine for dog owner that attacks $550.
Wingecarribee attacks last quarter
*25 attacks (Moss Vale eight, Burradoo four, Colo Vale three).
*Four adults and one child attacked.
*39 animals attacked (23 killed - 17 chickens killed in two attacks).
*Average 16.5 attacks per quarter over last six years.
Dog attack includes any incident where a dog rushes at, attacks, bites, harasses or chases person/animal whether or not injury caused.
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