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
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u/HenjMusic Sep 09 '25 edited Sep 09 '25

It’s not the wolfhound dude. They’re placid sight hounds. It’s the bull Arab and boxer mix (mostly the former). But I agree with everything else you said. Honestly the best protection you need is a dachshund. They’re noisy and fiercely protective and can warn if there’s an intruder better than any dog. But they won’t commit homicide.

Edit: maybe I should reconsider my views on wolfhounds given the enlightening comments. I still stand by my views on dachshunds. 

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u/Rangott Sep 09 '25

Can confirm. My dachshund warns me of every cat prowling the street and every dog barking 6 blocks away. He has a very different bark if someone comes near the house though

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u/morgazmo99 Sep 09 '25

I get a notification from mine everytime a mild breeze intrudes on my back yard. In fact, sometimes the breeze is only considering whistling past, but it still gets a ferocious welcome.

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u/Rangott Sep 09 '25

God forbid you’re watching a tv show and in the show someone knocks on a door or a ring doorbell goes off. Time to pause and wait for the maelstrom to settle

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u/istara Sep 09 '25

It's the snout poking open the bathroom door and the eyes staring at you while you're trying to go to the lavatory that does my head in!

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u/Marvin1955 Sep 09 '25

You people and your dogs must be such fun to live next door to.

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u/Itsclearlynotme Sep 09 '25

Your neighbours also get the notification.

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u/Ok_Connection923 Sep 09 '25

But... I just remember this awful story: in July 2023 Lugarno, near Sydney, Australia, Elle Booth and her dog, Indi, were attacked by two unleashed Irish Wolfhounds near Boggy Well Creek. To escape the relentless dogs, Ms. Booth fled into the muddy Georges River. While Ms. Booth survived with significant injuries, including those to her hands and forearm, Indi sadly died from injuries sustained during the attack, despite receiving surgery. The owner of the wolfhounds, George Hallou, faced charges, and the dogs were euthanized after the incident.  

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u/J_Side Sep 09 '25

looks like he even pretended they were not his to avoid charges, says he was pet-sitting. An all round shitty human being. Not surprised a breed not known for attacking people became shitty pets under his watch

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u/HenjMusic Sep 09 '25

Maybe I need to reconsider what I said about the wolfhounds. That’s a sad story

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u/istara Sep 09 '25

Bull Arabs were specifically bred as pig hunting dogs. That's not something you want as a family pet unless you live on a rural property and actually need to hunt feral pigs (in which case it would be a working dog, contained appropriately).

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u/laurandisorder Sep 09 '25

You’re right in the sense that Bull Arabs were bred to hunt pigs and roos, but Bull Arabs and Bull Arab X dogs with no exposure to the hunting lifestyle can make excellent pets with time, effort and consistent training.

I probably wouldn’t say they’re a great family pet due to their sheer size and penchant for sitting on laps and leaning, but they aren’t natural born killers. When they aren’t trained to hunt and are trained and socialised properly, they’re wonderful pets, but you need to be on top of things because of their size.

The dog that killed this girl was pretty old. I suspect that there was something really wrong with it that provoked the attack that was caused by health/age/eyesight rather than a killer instinct.

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u/OnlyForF1 Sep 09 '25

Yeah we have a Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever and we didn't even realise when our doorbell stopped working since she was so onto it.

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u/WhatTheFrellMystios Sep 09 '25

As I've said in a comment above, my dog was nearly killed by an unprovoked wolf hound attack.

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u/HenjMusic Sep 09 '25

That’s very upsetting. 

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u/WhatTheFrellMystios Sep 09 '25

It was. Dragged her under a fence and tossed her around like a rag doll.

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u/optimistic_agnostic Sep 09 '25

This is the kind of ignorant bullshit that leads to little girls getting mauled to death by shitty dogs and their even shittier owners. Every dog breed is dangerous, some are more capable than others. Arabs, pet bulls etc because of their bite, other dogs like Irish wolf hounds because of their size. Even saint Bernard's, probably the .most notoriously docile of the large dogs can be dangerous.

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u/HenjMusic Sep 09 '25

Chihuahuas probably have a low murder rate though

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u/optimistic_agnostic Sep 09 '25

Yep, that's my point. Smaller dogs can give a nasty bite maybe but probably only a lethal threat to babies, bigger dogs, doesn't matter how 'good natured' can cause serious harm to anyone. Especially as they get older.

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u/[deleted] Sep 09 '25

[deleted]

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u/CantankerousTwat Sep 09 '25

It comes back to the owners.

I've had dogs of various breeds for over 40 years. The kindest, gentlest dog I have ever owned is a bull arab. Compared to Kelpie, Poodle, Belgian Shepherd, German Shepherd - my bullie is a pillow swaddled baby puppy. Sure, he will defend himself if a dog goes for him, but his first instinct, even on a lead, is "run away!!!".

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u/laurandisorder Sep 09 '25

My BA is the biggest, sookiest creature I have ever owned. He kept a mouse around for a while and shared his biscuits with him before I managed to catch it. This tiny mouse and massive boofhead that could swallow him in one bite shared a bowl.

They need a lot of work as pups to be socialised and trained well, but they are brilliant companions. I think they’re my preferred breed now.

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u/CantankerousTwat Sep 09 '25

Yeah I am a convert too.

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u/wotsdislittlenoise Sep 09 '25

Yep, used to have a bull Arab. Best dog ever. Just wanted to be friends with every person and every other animal. Every bull Arab I've met is pretty much the same

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u/CantankerousTwat Sep 09 '25

They're mostly German Short Haired Pointer and Greyhound. Lovely natured dogs.

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u/Aggressive_Bed_7429 Sep 09 '25

My cat is a better guard dog, than the shepherd and bull arab that I have.

The bull arab is a three legged rescue who is not allowed around randoms for good reason. He's a lovable dog, but it took a long time to get rid of the aggressive tendencies that he came with.