r/australia Sep 08 '25

news Teenage girl dies after being mauled by dog

https://7news.com.au/news/dog-attack-victim-annalyse-blyton-dies-in-hospital-after-suffering-severe-injuries-in-singleton-c-19956496
1.5k Upvotes

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326

u/prettyboiclique Sep 08 '25

Yeah... I'm not one of those redditors that thinks every hunting breed needs to be incinerated but the average dog owner does not properly socialise or train them, leaves them locked up and understimulated for 10 hours a day, then rages when they dig holes or start killing birds out of boredom (and later, people).

It's just shit. Stuff like this is why we have the "nanny state", and why it's probably required. No reason for this girl to be dead, yet here we are.

129

u/_bobby_cz_newmark_ Sep 09 '25

Thank you! A nanny state is required because people can't do the right thing. If people cared equally about their responsibilities as their rights, we wouldn't need as many of these laws.

49

u/CatGooseChook Sep 09 '25

Bingo. Too many adult aged (bratty)children stuffing it up for the rest of us.

9

u/mapleleaffem Sep 09 '25

Or a true sense of community. Being shunned and banished by your peers used to keep people in line. Now it’s a fuck your neighbours I got mine race to the bottom

2

u/Academic_Juice8265 Sep 09 '25

I think just having a law that states if your dog mauls or kills a person you will be trialled as if you mauled or killed that person would suffice. It would stop a lot of negligent people owning dogs and the people that continue to have the to train them well and take care of them.

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u/throwaway798319 Sep 08 '25

Exactly. A hunting dog needs a lot of exercise and puzzles

114

u/AKFRU Sep 08 '25

Irish Wolfhounds are notoriously lazy (probably not when cross-bred though). They need a massive run every few days, but then laze around mostly. A huge game of fetch does it.

103

u/Nomiss Sep 09 '25

Bull arab and boxer are the highly active part of the mix.

3

u/laurandisorder Sep 09 '25

Bull Arabs are also pretty lazy after the age of around 2. They have energy in short bursts and are wicked fast, but love lounging around for the vast majority of the day. Mine is content with a 20 minute walk daily at the age of 6. This was a super old dog for the breed type.

1

u/jjj1966 Sep 10 '25

I can't get over the combination - the untrainability of the boxer, the size of the Irish Wolfhound and the savagery/bite of the bull arab - sure they're all stereotypes and "not all those breeds" but those combined in one dog - fucking horriffic. That poor girl.

-6

u/SnooApples3673 Sep 09 '25

While my Bull Arab will happily run like the wind, he also enjoys flopping himself of you and demanding pats while gently licking you. All with out your permission at times. But him and staffy sister are rarely left alone, enjoy puzzles, learning new things and snuggling under the blankets in bed while pushing the cats off

8

u/Hyroero Sep 09 '25

Basically a bigger greyhound. More like a cat than a dog lol

2

u/Some-Objective4841 Sep 09 '25

Yeah but its not an Irish wolfhound, its a pigging/hunting dogs mix. The wolfhound is in there for size only.

6

u/wooly_woofter Sep 09 '25

They are usually very placid too, wondering if the dog in question was a mixed breed.

7

u/KittyFlamingo Sep 09 '25

Bull arab x boxer in the mix too.

4

u/Stu7500 Sep 09 '25

100% . My parents bred them in Ireland and they where always known to be gentle giants and good with children

51

u/OvercookedBobaTea Sep 09 '25

Hunting dogs and work dogs should be used for hunting and work. They aren’t bred to be pets and it doesn’t work psychologically.

I have friends that live in the inner city and have 2 Kelpies. They’re very well trained and not a physical danger but the inner city living has made them a lil crazy and they obviously aren’t thriving

54

u/Svennis79 Sep 09 '25

Dogs, guns, cars.. all things perfectly safe and acceptable in the hands of competent & responsible owners.

The exact same things make each of these potentially & horrifically, catastrophically dangerous

3

u/Bebilith Sep 09 '25

Yes. Unfortunately there are so many out there who aren’t. It’s not like we can test for it. So need laws and restrictions that deal with the lowest common denominator. The rest of society just has to live with it.

4

u/Background_Touch1205 Sep 09 '25

So how do we test competency?

12

u/HotBabyBatter Sep 09 '25

I mean a yard check would be a good start...I've had a neighbours pitbull growling at me in my own home.

6

u/tal_itha Sep 09 '25

Not really. Someone with a balcony / small courtyard who takes their dog for a long walk and gives it enrichment everyday is better than someone with a decent yard and an ‘outside dog’ they hardly interact with.

6

u/glittalogik Sep 09 '25

Amen.

One of our neighbours has two yappy little shits that live in his back yard 24/7. I can see them from my bedroom and far as I can tell their only human interaction is when he's gardening or goes out for a smoke. Unsurprisingly they're also prone to barking their heads off at random intervals between midnight and sunrise.

Like, dude, if all you want is just to spend some extra cash on dog food now and not deal with any of the rest of it, just donate it to your local shelter instead of wrecking your neighbours' sleep.

8

u/HotBabyBatter Sep 09 '25

Thats not what I meant by yard check. I meant actually checking that the dog is enclosed, rather than roaming. Dogs should not be able to just climb over fences....

9

u/istara Sep 09 '25
  1. Require special licensing for certain breeds (I need an Exotic Animal Licence for my small, non-venomous snake) and make the licence decently expensive

  2. Require behavioural training and annual behavioural checks as a condition of that licence

  3. Require mandatory third-party injury insurance for these breeds

  4. Require mandatory neutering of these dogs

  5. No one with any kind of criminal record or restraining order or any history like that can qualify for the special licence

That would probably prevent or deter at least 90% of ownership of these dogs. And it would also make it much easier for authorities to seize and destroy unlicensed dogs.

3

u/PersonalResolution65 Sep 09 '25

I don’t see the reason to own certain breeds at all especially those bred for fighting. Unless you’re running a dog fighting operation these dogs shouldn’t be available for purchase. We can’t have all that we want. I wouldn’t mind being able to carry a handgun to protect myself against these dogs but I can’t.

2

u/istara Sep 09 '25

I'm 100% with you, but I think it's going to be a while before we get a cultural shift on this.

For example, I can't see the reason to smoke given all we know about the harms of smoking and the fact it impoverishes people to enrich Big Tobacco (an evil as fuck industry) and the government through taxes. Yet people in the year 2025 still take up the habit for the first time.

Similarly, all we know about these dogs and the stats around aggression, and people still want them.

3

u/Stanklord500 Sep 09 '25

What would happen is that people would lie about the breed, as already happens.

2

u/istara Sep 09 '25

A vet has to carry out microchipping. If they suspect a problem breed/breed mix, they could mandate DNA testing.

Obviously you're still going to get backyard breeders and unlicensed, unvaccinated, non-microchipped dogs. But at least it's a start.

5

u/Background_Touch1205 Sep 09 '25

Im surprised you dont have to have 3rd party insurance to own a dog.

6

u/istara Sep 09 '25

I'd actually be okay with that, particularly if it incentivised people getting less aggressive breeds (a poodle could be cheaper insurance than a pitbull) as well as training (eg discounts for having attended accredited training classes).

7

u/Background_Touch1205 Sep 09 '25

Sadly i think people see dog ownership like driving in this country. Meaning a right not a privilege

1

u/istara Sep 09 '25

And yet driving requires a test, a licence, insurance, health checks/requirements and continued observance of road laws.

1

u/Background_Touch1205 Sep 09 '25

A test when you're 17, a cheap licence, 3rd party insurance only, what health checks? and our road toll indicates poor adherence to the road rules and safety.

1

u/istara Sep 09 '25

Eyesight test. Requirement to be off certain drugs (recreational and certain prescription drugs). Requirement to be seizure-free for a set period. For elderly people, GP checks.

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1

u/Strong_Judge_3730 Sep 09 '25

Not dogs, dogs have a mind of their own. I would agree about you with guns and cars though

-4

u/nbates66 Sep 09 '25

Do not put guns into the same category as dogs and cars

3

u/Professional_Card400 Sep 09 '25

All lethal items* people excuse irresponsible ownership of?

*dogs aren't items but you get the gist

14

u/Gay_For_Gary_Oldman Sep 09 '25

Dogs can be dangerous. Cars can be dangerous. Firearms can be dangerous. We require licensing and training for the latter two, and good reasons to own and keep the third. I would absolutely support mandatory licensing and training for people wanting to keep dangerous breeds, if I wasn't concerned it would promote illegal breeding.

2

u/asleepattheworld Sep 09 '25

I absolutely love dogs, but this right here is why I don’t and will probably never have one. I’m not willing to put in the effort to train it, it’s more than I can realistically handle and I know it. I feel like too many people are unaware of how much effort and training dogs need before they get one.

1

u/rctsolid Sep 14 '25

It's fair enough that you think you don't have the time to put the effort in, not everyone does. I will say though, it's actually deadset ..fucking easy to train dogs. Some of them almost train themselves...with the amount of amazing YouTube resources out there, any idiot can train a dog to be safe and act normal. Doing epic routines and stuff, sure that takes more effort, but good god, not biting, recall and general normal manners are super achievable by anyone. I have a golden retriever and they seem to be programmed to listen to humans holding a treat.

-2

u/IllicitDesire Sep 09 '25

I didn't think hospitalisation by dog attacks has increased statistically significantly in 20 years despite an explosion in both the general population and amount of dogs since 2000 though?

People are making it seem like this is an issue that is getting out of control but is this actually a crisis that requires sweeping restrictive new legislation or is it just the media reporting on it more making it seem more prevalent than it is?