As a victim described how he feared for his life during a harrowing attack, calls for a zero-tolerance crackdown on dangerous dogs have increased.
After a violent dog mauled Mubarak Ali in a park in Sydney’s southwest, he was brought to the hospital for emergency surgery on his arm.
The vicious attack spurred a Canterbury-Bankstown councillor to spearhead proposals for a one-attack kill policy in which canines who initiate an attack are automatically euthanized.
New local government data reveals that nearly 5,000 dog assaults were reported in New South Wales during the past year, with American Staffordshire terriers being the breed most frequently implicated.
Mr. Ali was jogging in Lakemba’s Parry Park on September 5 when a huge dog leapt on him, knocking him to the ground, and refused to let go of his arm.
Last week, Mubarak Ali (left) was rushed to the hospital after a dog attacked him during a morning run in Lakemba Park. His companion, Khodr Saleh (on the right), is advocating for stricter rules.
He eventually fought off the dog by striking it with his other hand and pleaded with the dog’s owner to call an ambulance, but the owner departed the scene without stopping to assist him.
Mr. Ali told the Daily Telegraph, “The dog looked at the owner, then at me, and then decided to leap on me.”
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“I was afraid I would lose my hand,”
“I’m fortunate that I was the one sprinting; it could have been a woman or a child.”
Mr. Ali waited forty minutes for an ambulance before being transported to the hospital.
Since then, Canterbury-Bankstown councillor Khodr Saleh has branded the dog owner’s actions a cowardly act and demanded that he turn himself in to the police or council.
He advocated for a one-attack kill policy while publishing a photo of himself sitting next to Mr. Ali in the hospital while he recovered.
“On Monday morning, I visited a buddy in Concord Hospital whose life was in danger after a ‘vicious’ dog attack,” posted Councilmember Saleh.
The dog’s owner bolted and did not stop to assist him.
The American Staffordshire terrier (shown) was the breed responsible for the most reported dog assaults in New South Wales during the past year.
“The residents of our community have the right to wander around our parks and streets without fear of a dog attack.
I propose a zero-tolerance policy for hazardous dogs in our community.
Due to a small percentage of irresponsible animal owners who fail to properly confine and teach their pets, Cr Saleh thinks that more must be done.”
“If it is a dangerous dog, we must euthanize it,” he told the Daily Telegraph. “One human attack, and the line is drawn.”
It follows a plea by a Sydney veterinarian to prohibit some dangerous dog breeds in Australia to avert fatal attacks on their owners or families.
In September of last year, the veterinarian, who wishes to remain anonymous, told the Daily Mail Australia that he wanted an immediate ban on selling, breeding, importing, and rehoming American Staffordshire terriers.
“Most of the time, they will not be murderers,” he told Daily Mail Australia at the time.
‘However, when dealing with such a powerful species that has been bred to fight and murder, no one can stop them if they genuinely want to accomplish this.
They should not be permitted to breed in the United States.
He stated that there were literally hundreds of American Staffordshire Terrier puppies for sale on Gumtree.
A Daily Mail Australia reader stated at the time, “These types of canines are unpredictable and should be outlawed.”
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According to new local government figures, at least 4,489 dog attacks occurred in New South Wales last year.
The Central Coast had the most instances at 271, but also has the highest dog ownership rate in the state.
At July 2021, in Kariong, a five-week-old baby boy was fatally mauled to death by the family’s American staffordshire terrier.
Blacktown (235 incidences), Lake Macquarie (226), Shoalhaven (189), Northern Beaches (183) and Wollongong (183) were the other council areas of concern (149).
In NSW, nearly 5,000 dog-related events were reported in the past year, according to new local government data. (stock picture)
In Kariong, on the Central Coast of New South Wales, a family’s American staffordshire terrier killed a five-week-old infant son last year. Photographs depict memorials at the scene
Sutherland, Sydney City, Newcastle, and Bayside all recorded over one hundred instances.
American Staffordshire terriers were responsible for the highest number of documented incidences with 723 attacks, about double the breed responsible for the second highest number.
While German Shepherds were involved in 261 attacks, bull terriers were involved in 391 occurrences.
A recent research by the Sydney Children’s Hospital (SCH) indicated that one child is admitted to a hospital in New South Wales per week for treatment of a dog bite.
The average age of the 628 patients who reported with dog-related injuries between 2010 and 2020 was only five years old, according to the data.
Pitbulls (10.3%) were involved in the most reported attacks, followed by Labradors (8.5%) and Rottweilers (6.5%).
The next three most popular breeds were as follows: Bulldog (6%), Border Collie (6%), Jack Russell (5.1%), Terrier (other) (5.1%), Kelpie (5.1%), German shepherd (4.3%), and others (42.7%).
From January 1 to March 31, 1 027 dog bites were reported in New South Wales, resulting in the euthanization of 69 dogs.
According to new data, bull terriers were responsible for 391 attacks in New South Wales in the past year.