There were 793 dog attacks across NSW from October to December. Two of those attacks occurred in Glen Innes, with an additional incident recorded in January. From the attacks, two dogs were not sighted and the third, a mastiff cross, was destroyed.

Across the state, the number of dog attacks fell by 30 from the previous three months. Dog attacks in Glen Innes fell from eight, recorded from June to September last year. In that period four of the dogs were destroyed and three were issued with nuisance dog orders.

According to Glen Innes Severn Council’s Director of Development and Environmental Services Graham Price six of the eight attacks were on livestock and two resulted in minor injuries to people.

In Glen Innes the most common breeds involved in dog attacks included cattle dogs, mastiffs, Staffordshire bull terriers and German shepherds. Staffordshire bull terriers, cattle dogs and German shepherds also topped the Department of Local Government list for the state’s most common breeds involved in dog attacks, which also included the Jack Russell terrier.

Mr Price said in the Glen Innes Severn Council area there were four dangerous dog orders in place, one court elected dangerous dog order and one restricted breed notice.

Minister for Local Government Barbara Perry said NSW had the toughest dog laws in Australia with fines of up to $55,000 or two years in prison.

“The message from these statistics is clear,” she said. “Any dog is capable of attack and dog owners need to be careful with their pets, especially when out in public.”

Meanwhile the dog responsible for an attack on Glen Innes High School’s two Alpacas over the school holidays has not been identified. Council rangers had set a dog trap in the school grounds but at this stage no dogs had been caught, Mr Price said.

This is the fourth time that the Dog Attack Report has been published. The report can be found at www.dlg.nsw.gov.au