An inquest into the death of a five-week-old baby has heard the family’s pet, an American Staffordshire Terrier, was attacked by a neighbor just weeks before mauling the child to death.
Ben Rosen, a senior ranger at Central Coast Council, appeared at Lidcombe Coroner’s Court on Tuesday to give evidence at an inquest into the circumstances surrounding seven dog attacks deaths occurring from 2019 to 2023.
One of the incidents claimed the life of a five-week-old baby boy, who was found dead in his home in mid-2021.
Chỉ vài tuần trước khi đứa trẻ sơ sinh bị giết, cuộc điều tra nghe nói AmStaff của gia đình đã hành hạ của người hàng xóm.
Ông Rosen cho biết một nhân viên kiểm lâm đã có mặt tại ngôi nhà sau vụ chó tấn công, nhưng cô không thể xác định “ngoài nghi ngờ hợp lý” rằng AmStaff đã kéo kia vào sân để giết nó.
“It was very hard to proceed with any action as to a dog attack,” he said.
The ranger noted the AmStaff had distinctive characteristics which led her to believe it might be a Pitbull crossbreed, an assessment Mr Rosen corroborated after reviewing photos.
Pitbulls are a restricted breed in Australia, which means they must be desexed and either confined within a specific enclosure, or muzzled.
After questioning the family dog’s heritage, Mr Rosen signed a notice of intention to compel the dog’s owners to have its breed assessed and declared.
Despite the violent incident, he said the council rangers did not consider seizing the AmStaff at the time.
“We are satisfied it could be adequately contained in the backyard,” he said.
“We had no indication the dog had ever shown aggression towards people before.”
The inquest heard the AmStaff was euthanized and declared as a Pitbull in the death certificate, but it was later amended to read AmStaff.
Veterinarian and ethologist Paul McGreevy told the court the two breeds are similar in temperament and in their propensity “for initiating acts of aggression”.
He noted toddlers who move around on all fours are “particularly at risk” with dogs bred for fighting because the animals “will not stand around and do the math”.
The inquest heard the savage mauling of a woman’s pet dog by two AmStaffs in early 2021, months before the baby’s death, had prompted the council to review information about the breed’s involvements in violent incidents.
The data showed a quarter of dog maulings in the Central Coast were attributed to AmStaffs, prompting a push for the breed to be added to the restricted breeds list.
“25 per cent of the attacks we investigate are that breed,” Mr Rosen said.
“There’s a problem.”
Deputy State Coroner Carmel Forbes is assessing local government responses to the fatal dog attacks to determine if there’s anything that can be done to prevent similar deaths in the future.
The inquest continues this week.