When a dog rushed at his four-month-old Bernedoodle, Alistair Croall worried about how it might affect his puppy's behaviour.
On only his second or third time out of the house, another dog bit Mr Croall's dog, Bacchus.
"It was quite nasty actually, he sunk his teeth into him and he had a puncture wound after, which we didn't realise until finding some matted blood on his tummy later in the day," Mr Croall said.
Mr Croall was able to pick up his puppy, and the small wound healed on its own without a vet trip.
Three months on, and Bacchus was doing fine, Mr Croall said.
"He was a little bit skittish when we took him out the front for maybe a few days after," he said.
"He has been okay, thankfully, that happening at such a young age, you do worry about lasting effects."
Dog attacks in the region
While Bacchus' run-in happened in Newcastle and went unreported, Maitland City Council had the largest number of reported dog attacks in the Hunter region.
According to the latest data from the Office of Local Government, Maitland council area recorded 41 dog attacks from January 1 to March 31, 2024.
This marks a rise in incidents during the same time last year, when Maitland recorded 27 dog attacks.
Dog attacks refer to any incident where a dog "rushes at, attacks, bites, harasses or chases any person or animal", excluding vermin.
There was a total of 116 dog attacks across Lake Macquarie, Maitland, Cessnock, Newcastle, Port Stephens, Dungog, the Upper Hunter, Muswellbrook and Singleton in the first three months of 2024.
Maitland knocked Lake Macquarie out of the top spot, despite having almost half the number of registered dogs.
Maitland had 47, 505 microchipped dogs while Lake Macquarie had 103, 819 between January and March this year.
From January 2023 to September 2023, Lake Macquarie consistently had the highest number of dog attacks in each three month period, with a peak of 52 from April to June 2023.
In the final three months of 2023, October to December, Maitland reported 49 incidents while Lake Macquarie reported 45.
In the latest data, Lake Macquarie's dog attacks dropped to 29 from January to March 2024.
Maitland City Council declined to comment on dog attacks in their area.
In June 2024, Australia Post revealed posties across Newcastle and Lake Macquarie had run-ins with dogs almost weekly in the six months prior.
What you can do
Georgia Newman, a trainer at Kip Happy Stays in Lake Macquarie, said they often had people reaching out due to negative interactions alongside requests for general obedience.
"Generally reactivity is definitely one of the biggest things that we focus on in the training program," she said.
Ms Newman said it was worth considering whether each individual dog would benefit from off-leash areas and dog parks.
"The biggest thing is, people getting themselves into those positions where either their dog has been bitten or their dog has bitten another dog or a person, and just not knowing what direction to take it in."
Mr Croall has sought training for Bacchus to socialise him and avoid any similar interactions in the future.
"So, it's really just about being able to take him out for walks, walking on a leash, and having control," he said.
If your dog is particularly reactive, Mr Croall said owners should pay close attention when out and about.
"If that's the nature of your dog you should keep everything closed at home so they don't get out or if you go out, then they are on a lead," he said.
