Domestic Animal Services is investigating an incident where a dog mauled another dog to death in a Gungahlin park and seriously injured the dead dog's owner.
Conchi Torres was walking her seven-year-old dachshund Weasley in bushland in Ngunnawal on August 31, when a larger dog approached them.
"He was being walked by a young boy, who was around 10. [The dog] took one look at my dog and then he went for Weasley," Ms Torres said.
"The boy wasn't strong enough to hold the dog back and couldn't stop him."
The 62 year old told The Canberra Times she tried to fight off the large dog mauling Weasley, and broke her wrist in the process.
The larger dog was eventually pulled off Weasley by the boy's father.
Weasley was rushed to a nearby vet but couldn't be saved.
Ms Torres was taken to Canberra Hospital, where it was revealed she had suffered severe puncture wounds across her left hand.
She said she had been in hospital for four days and required surgery to implant a plate and seven screws in her wrist.
Almost two months on, Ms Torres said she was still recovering.
"The recovery has been very slow and it's been horrible," she said.
"I can't use my left hand at all and I'm left-handed. The bites have started to heal but I can't move my fingers as well on my left hand.
"I've been doing hand therapy, and hopefully, bit by bit, things will get better."
The dog at the centre of the attack was surrendered by its owner to Domestic Animal Services and was euthanised.
A Domestic Animal Services spokesman said no other complaints regarding the dog had been received before Weasley's death.
Ms Torres said she was still in shock about her dog's death.
"It has ruined me, I can't see myself getting another dog. [An attack] can easily happen again if there's going to be people who don't look after their dogs properly," she said.
"If the big dogs were wearing something like a soft muzzle, that would have been good, and my dog would still be alive.
"Even hearing dogs barking scares me now."
Having got Weasley when the dog was just a puppy, Ms Torres said she would walk her dog every day around Ngunnawal and was a constant companion.
During her four-day stint in hospital recovering from her injuries, Ms Torres said there were multiple people in emergency who were recovering from injuries brought on by dog attacks.
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The Domestic Animal Services spokesman said on the weekend Ms Torres was attacked, two more dog attacks were reported to the organisation.
The spokesman said investigators were still examining the incident which resulted in Weasley's death.
"The investigation into the incident is ongoing, and DAS is working with the community to gather further information," the spokesman said.
"As the matter is ongoing, there is no further comment from DAS at this time."
The incident comes as the number of dog attacks reported to Domestic Animal Services has increased.
There were 752 dog attack or dog harassment incidents reported to animal services in 2018-19, up from 485 in 2017-18 and 389 in 2016-17.
"While a reduction in dog attacks is a key objective of the Canberra dog model, the ACT government has also been encouraging reporting of dog attacks, which has contributed to an increase in reports compared to previous years," the animal services spokesman said.
Ms Torres said the owner of the dog that attacked herself and Weasley was apologetic following the incident, paying ambulance fees and Weasley's vet costs.
She said she was constantly missing her best friend following the attack.
"He was the best little dog, and was very loyal, and he was clever and learnt very quickly," she said.
"Even though I lived alone, Weasley made living alone bearable."
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