Almost half of all attacks occur in homes, and unsuspecting children are most often the victims, dog bite data prepared for the Herald Sun by Monash University's Victorian Injury Surveillance Unit shows.
Agriculture Minister Peter Walsh plans to further toughen laws against irresponsible dog owners but said education was also the key to reducing dog attacks.
Despite a doubling in hospital admissions to treat serious dog attack wounds over the past decade, the number of owners charged by police has fallen dramatically, with just 84 charges laid by police in 2011-12, compared with 233 in 2002-03.
More than half of the 1540 charges laid in the decade to June 30 last year were for attacks on people, mostly by dogs already known to be dangerous.
The toll includes at least 367 attacks on people - 239 by dogs already deemed dangerous.
In at least 218 of those cases, the dog owner permitted their dogs to attack and in 98 cases, owners were charged with wilfully urging their dog to attack.
In the past month, councils have reported hundreds of dog attacks and many have announced new plans to promote responsible pet ownership.
Last year, the Yarra Ranges recorded 235 reported dog attacks. Wyndham recorded 171 dog attacks, 69 on humans and 102 on other dogs, with just three in off-lead areas.
City of Moreland recorded 103 attacks - 27 in Glenroy, 15 in Brunswick and 13 in Coburg North - with five owners prosecuted and three dogs destroyed.
Councils and police have the power to seize dangerous dogs on the loose and have them destroyed.
But how many dog owners have been jailed over vicious dog attacks in NSW? No one jailed under the Companion Animals Act in five years. Not one.
peter.mickelburough@news.com.au
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Deeon's tragedy: family mourns toddler killed by cousin's dog
- Date August 5, 2013 - 3:05PM
"We have lost a gorgeous little boy who we all loved so much."
 
The Higgins family, from the Riverina town of Deniliquin, were in mourning on Monday after two-year-old Deeon was fatally mauled by his cousin's mastiff cross on Sunday.
It is believed the toddler was at his grandmother's house in the state's south-west and had gone outside to get an ice-cream from a freezer when the attack began about 2.30pm.
Deeon's grandmother, Joyce, tried to save the toddler, who turned two in December, but the animal is understood to have followed them into the Victoria Street house where the attack continued. For 15 horrifying minutes, Joyce tried to prise Kingston off her grandson's head until she collapsed from exhaustion.
It was at this point that Deeon's mother, Vicki, arrived at the house and managed to fight the dog off.
"She's just arrived midway through and found this happening," a police spokeswoman said.
Deeon suffered critical injuries to his head and face and was taken to Deniliquin Hospital, where he later died.
His 70-year-old grandmother was also taken to hospital, where she was treated for exhaustion, bruising and abrasions.
A family spokesman said the incident had left them devastated.
“We would like to thank all friends and relatives for their thoughts and kind words, and everyone in our community in Deniliquin for their support over the past 24 hours," he said, asking that the family's privacy be respected.
“We are a close family and we will work through this together."
"There will be no further comment from the family and we ask that this be respected.”
Tributes have flooded social media as word spread through the small community of about 7500 people.
"Very sad day it has not only affected the family involved but also the town's people everybody's heart's are breaking for those in the family rest in peace little man," Kim Godfrey wrote on Facebook.
"Sending my condolences to Vicki & family," wrote Rebecca Steer. "Such a precious little life taken way too soon. Thinking of everyone involved and all Deni community."
Council rangers seized the dog, which was owned by Deeon's 24-year-old cousin who lived at the house. It was destroyed overnight.
Deniliquin mayor Lindsay Renwick said the dog was registered and had not shown any signs of any violence before the attack.
"It's a tragedy, it's something that always frightens me with dogs."
Council general manager Des Bliske said even if the dog had been registered as a dangerous breed, the boy could still have been attacked, because council guidelines are mostly concerned with how dangerous breeds should be handled and restrained in public.
Dangerous dogs must be muzzled when they are outside their owner's property. The property must also have sufficient "containment measures", Mr Bliske said.
Mr Bliske said the brutality of the mauling was unusual. "We've probably had three or four [attacks] over the last 12 months, not all of them involving people.
"People that own dogs generally control them and keep them very well contained."
Detective Inspector Darren Cloak, of Deniliquin police, said the boy's family as well as residents of the Riverina town were "shocked" and "distraught".
"The community will be saddened by this, it's a tragic set of circumstances," he said.
Police are still investigating the attack but it is unlikely charges will be laid against the owner.
"The dog is a family pet, but obviously the matter will be put before the Coroner."
AAP
In a post on social media on Tuesday, Mr Higgins, 24, said he was deeply sorry for what happened.
"You both are up there, I know you both are! King[ston] everyone makes mistakes, and I'm sorry. I just can't accept this. Ohh mans please forgive me," he posted.
He said life throws "some curve balls" and unfortunately Deeon was "on the receiving end" of one.
His posts attracted hundreds of comments of support from Deniliquin's residents.
"This will be a long road but the whole town is walking beside you," posted Alex Lumbar.
Denial?
"No one would have ever thought it could happen like it did... its no ones fault just one of those freak accidents," posted Terri Dashwood.
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Girl
clung to mum's leg as dog attacked...
A
four-year-old girl was clinging to her mother's leg as she was pulled
away and mauled to death by a pit bull mastiff dog which ran into
their house.
"Jaclin and the rest of the kids were inside sitting in the lounge
room watching TV, the kids were playing," another relative, Daniel
Atem, said at the scene on Thursday.
He said
the dog then attacked Ms Mayout's five-year-old daughter Nyadeng Goaer
and Ms Appok tried to intervene.
"Jaclin
went to rescue them, the first one, which is the five-year-old and
then her daughter was clutching her mum's legs and the dog turned
to Ayen.
"He
(the dog) pulled the child from the mum ... after the daughter died,
the dog left the child and the neighbour, the owner of the dog came
after that and took out the dog."
Ms Appok,
a mother of three, was too distressed to talk about the incident on
Thursday, but described her daughter as "a very artistic girl,
she loved to draw and she talked a lot".
Police
remain at the scene of a horrific dog attack that left a four-year-old
girl dead and two relatives, including a five-year-old, seriously
injured in Melbourne's west last night. The dog, which police said
was part pit bull terrier, ran inside a neighbour's house about 8pm
in Lahy Street, St Albans, and savaged the girls and a 31-year-old
woman.
The child was pronounced dead at the scene despite ambulance officers
efforts to revive her. The five-year-old had facial injuries and the
woman received severe lacerations to her arms and hands. Both were
taken by ambulance to Sunshine Hospital, where they were each in a
stable condition today.
Paramedics arrived at the house within seven minutes of an emergency
call to find what team manager Brett Parker described as a very chaotic
scene. ‘‘A four-year-old girl was in the house and had suffered
extensive injuries,’’ Mr Parker said. ‘‘Paramedics
tried to resuscitate the girl but, unfortunately, she died at the
scene.’’
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Man’s arm stripped to the bone by two dogs in vicious attack
A MAN is recovering in Gold Coast Hospital after being savaged by two mastiff-cross dogs in what the council says may be the worst known attack in Byron Shire's history.
The council's governance manager Ralph James said in a "terrifying experience" last Wednesday, the man's right elbow was "de-gloved" - the skin was torn away from flesh and bone - and he had puncture wounds to the right hand and upper left leg after he was attacked by the dogs while walking along the road at Billinudgel.
He will require extensive surgery.
The court attendance notices relate to the attack, the owners not fencing the property to stop the dogs from escaping, and to the fact that neither of the dogs was registered with council nor microchipped.
"The tragedy is that this was an incident that could have been avoided. Unfortunately the property where the dogs were housed was not fenced, nor were the dogs restricted, such as being tied up," Mr James said.
There had been no previous reports about the two dogs to council or police despite an incident six days earlier involving the victim's wife who was reportedly rushed by the pets, he said. - PETS? VICIOUS DOGS?
"She'd been walking past the property and the dogs bailed her up. "She ran and they chased her but they backed off when they saw her husband - the victim.
"This certainly rates as one of the worst attacks in the shire... and a strong reminder to all dog owners to be responsible pet owners."
How many dog owners have been jailed over vicious dog attacks in NSW? No one jailed under the Companion Animals Act in five years.
No one.
"THE owner of two dogs which savaged a man at Billinudgel in January has been fined $750 for each dog.
The victim's right elbow was de-gloved and he sustained puncture wounds to the right hand and upper left leg after he was attacked while walking along the road at Billinudgel about 8am on January 10. He required hospitalisation and extensive surgery."
Few hundred dollar fines for vicious, life threatening dog attacks? More than 90 per cent of 1158 people convicted under the Act from 2008 to 2012 walked away with fines.
Surely the whole point of dangerous-dog laws is to prevent attacks from occurring in the first place. Yet even after attacks have taken place the owners of these beasts have gone effectively unpunished. When will our government act?
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