Dog Bites 2 People In Tas

[cannibalgoldfish]

I'm not up with what rescues and shelters do, do they often walk their dogs off leash?

http://www.themercury.com.au/news/tasmania/woman-in-hospital-after-dog-attack-on-hobarts-eastern-shore/news-story/65117260f8900b86c549bc68ddacaae5

A DOG that attacked two people on Hobart’s eastern shore this morning will be put down, authorities say.

A Lindisfarne woman, 61, was taken to hospital with leg injuries after the attack near Howrah Beach this morning, police said.

A man, 42, received minor leg injuries in a separate attack minutes earlier.

The 12-month-old Staffordshire Terrier-cross was owned by the Dogs Home of Tasmania and was being walked by a volunteer foster carer.

Clarence Mayor Doug Chipman said he was shocked by what had happened.

“The woman that was attacked was badly lacerated on her legs and hands,” he told the Mercury.

“She has gone to the hospital obviously requiring a number of stitches. It’s been a terrible incident and there’s another jogger that was attacked as well.”

Councillor Chipman said the dog was scheduled to be put down tomorrow and that the incident would be reviewed by council.

Dogs Home of Tasmania CEO Belinda Barnes said the incident was a shock.

“The foster carer was very experienced and from all our documentation and history of the dog there had been absolutely no sign of aggression in any shape or form with people,” she said.

“We handle over 3000 dogs a year and this is the first incident of this kind all year.

“It’s completely unpredictable given the history of this dog and I think it’s a situational thing that the dog has reacted to the situation.”

The injured woman’s husband said she was walking her dog about 8am today when she was “viciously attacked” by an unleashed dog.

The husband said his wife had suffered at least two deep bites to a leg and injuries to a hand from trying to fend the attack.

“She is going to need plastic surgery according to the ambulance people ... she’s in a pretty bad way,” he said.

An Ambulance Tasmania spokesman said a woman had been taken to hospital after an incident at the beach this morning

[Two Best Dogs!]

Very sad.

Was the foster carer unable to catch and leash the staffie after it bit the first person?

I can see how some dogs can slip through the tests then "suddenly" be HA or DA, that people were previously unaware of because it was in situations (i.e. rspca/pound tests, different areas, only walked on lead previously) where it didn't express it.

Edited December 27, 2015 by Thistle the dog

[Salukifan]

“The foster carer was very experienced and from all our documentation and history of the dog there had been absolutely no sign of aggression in any shape or form with people,” she said.

Makes me wonder if the dog had form with other dogs. The woman who was badly injured was walking her dog.

[cannibalgoldfish]

I did wonder myself...

edit, but if it was Dog aggressive it would never have been allowed off leash in the first place.

Edited December 27, 2015 by MC Wiggles

[Rascalmyshadow]

Dog should have never been allowed off leash, doesn't sound like someone experienced walking it, if they are they should know better, unless it accidentally got loose.

Dogs often behave very differently in a shelter to when they get out. My mums very large dane x mastiff x bull arab tested fine with cats in the shelter but went for her cat (and any other cat it sees) once she brought her home, personally if I had adopted her she would have been sent straight back.

[Staffyluv]

I don't walk my foster dogs off lead.

We do go to the off lead park to play but we only play with dogs that I know well or we go home or for an on lead walk somewhere.

[*kirty*]

Sounds like the dog was DA and should never have been offlead.