Barney the dog was enjoying a walk with his puppy pal Alfie in Dixon Park early last month when another canine attacked and killed the significantly smaller Shoodle.
"They were very close," Michael Summers, the owner of the two dogs, said. "Barney used to groom Alfie all the time, licking his ears. I'm sure he knows [Alfie's gone]."
After the deaths of at least two pet pups in Newcastle as a result of dog attacks in September, data from the City of Newcastle has revealed that reports of dog attacks have become more frequent in the local government area.
Reports to council of dog attacks have progressively increased in Newcastle over the past four years. Council rangers investigated 204 reports in 2016, increasing to 267 in 2018 and there have already been 232 incidents investigated this year.
In Lake Macquarie the number of reports investigated by rangers jumped by 80 per cent in 2017, growing from 165 in 2016 to 293. That number was surpassed again in 2018. This year, however, only 141 reports have been investigated so far.
In contrast to Lake Macquarie and Newcastle figures in Port Stephens and Cessnock local government areas have remained relatively stable.
"Our dog attack numbers were consistently around 60 to 70 per year but last year there was only 28 attacks," a spokesperson for Port Stephens Council said.
A spokeswoman for City of Newcastle said its companion animals team was focused on reducing incidents and educating the community.
"Since the start of the year, the team has undertaken 550 proactive patrols," she said, noting that under the Companion Animals Act responsibility for dog attacks ultimately falls on the pet owners.
"City of Newcastle is the enforcement body," she said.
Mayfield's Jayne Cvetanoski, an "animal advocate" who has been tracking dog attacks in Newcastle since 2015, said she did not believe the issue was getting worse in the region.
"It's still a really big problem," she said. "I would say most of the attacks go unreported to council."
Ms Cvetanoski knew of four dogs who have died in attacks this year, including Alfie and Summer, a Kelpie cross mauled on September 14 by two "pigging dogs" in a park in Maryland.
Newcastle City Council confirmed the two dogs involved in Summer's death have been put down.
A week prior to Summer's death, Alfie died as a result of the attack in Dixon Park. Mr Summers said he waspatting Alfie when "virtually out of nowhere" a Staffy launched itself at his small dog.
"It fractured all of Alfie's ribs, punctured his lung, which hemorrhaged blood, that's how he died an hour later."
Mr Summers said a bystander helped get the canine off Alfie and then drove Mr Summers and his two pups to the vet.
"He was a good Samaritan who had just come to check out the surf," Mr Summers said.
The dog that attacked Alfie has been seized and will remain in the council's facilities "pending the final stages of the investigation".
Nicholas Rose, a former Cooks Hill resident who moved to Sydney last month, has experienced ongoing distress after a bull terrier all but tore off the front leg of his Shnoodle, Cosmo, earlier this year. Cosmo had to have the limb amputated, costing Mr Rose $16,000 in vet bills. Mr Rose has since been diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder relating to the incident.
He was walking his two dogs on a leash near Adamstown Velodrome when he saw another dog crossing the oval.
"It went straight at my dog. I was kicking it and stomping on it and it was snapping at me but it just wouldn't let go. My dog was screeching and there was bones coming through," he said. "Watching something that was so intent on killing was really hard."
Ms Cvetanoski said she believed greater awareness about dog attacks, due to reports on social media, was dissuading dog owners from taking their pets to designated dog areas and leading owners to unleash their animals in other parks, potentially causing other adverse events.
"It's an accident waiting to happen," she said.
Lake Macquarie council responded to the Newcastle Herald's questions with a statement imploring residents to report all dog attacks "whether or not any injury was sustained".
"Council has a dedicated team of Rangers who follow up all reported dog-related incidents and undertake comprehensive investigations that result in detailed recording of these offences."
Graphics and video by Simon McCarthy
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