FOUR Wagga residents have spent their Christmas weekend in hospital after being attacked by two long-haired staghounds in Docker Street on Saturday morning.
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The two dogs wreaked havoc along Docker Street for more than 15 minutes before police arrived at the scene where one dog was destroyed and the other taken away by council rangers.
A 37-year-old man was reportedly walking his small Staffordshire Bull Terrier (staffie) near Wagga Base Hospital about 6.45am when the two dogs first approached.
The staghounds are believed to have launched themselves at the man and his dog, brutally injuring him before a 28-year-old female motorist noticed his struggle and stopped to help.
However, as she tried to calm the attack, which had left the man with cuts to his left eye, forearms and hands, as well as a deep puncture to his right hand, the dogs are believed to have turned on her and inflicted significant lacerations to both her arms.
Grabbing the staffie, which had also been badly beaten up in the attack, the pair sought refuge in the woman’s car and called the police.
While police were making their way to the scene, a 59-year-old woman at the other end of Docker Street was attacked by the same two dogs just before 7am.
As the dogs mauled the woman, inflicting deep lacerations to her elbows, left wrist and right thigh, her 37-year-old son is believed to have come to her rescue.
But once again, as he attempted to end the attack, the dogs turned on him, leaving him with puncture wounds to his forearms.
Police destroyed one dog at the scene, while the other was taken away by a Wagga City Council ranger.
All four victims were taken to hospital by ambulance and treated for severe lacerations.
The 59-year-old woman, who received the most serious injuries to her arms, was preparing to be transferred from Wagga Base Hospital to Canberra for specialist treatment.
Inspector Jeff Barr said that police have found the dog’s owners and they will be investigating the incident which could have ended fatally.
He said that anyone who owns a pet, especially a dog, needs to be aware of their whereabouts at all times, and where necessary, take extra precautions to ensure the dogs are not a threat to other people – whether it be walking the dog on a lead or fitting it with a muzzle.
“They have a responsibility to ensure the dogs are secured at all times and are not roaming the streets,” he said
“A focus of the investigation will be to assert if there were any breaches of the animal companion act.”
