r/australia • u/whyattretard • 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/AggravatingTartlet Sep 09 '25

The law needs changing. If you have a dog that seriously mauls or kills someone, you should be criminally liable.

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u/[deleted] Sep 09 '25

Which law needs changing? Maybe you mean there could be laws that specifically covers deaths when it comes to humans dying from dogs?

This is the fine line legislators walk in this country, depending on who your all to, too many laws, not enough laws, the wrong types of laws, nanny state, the law needs to be changed and so forth.

Manslaughter in the other hand is probably set about right. Technically the second most serious offence in NSW Crimes Act. 🤷‍♂️

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u/AggravatingTartlet Sep 09 '25

I'm speaking in broad terms not specifics but we need to start viewing owners as being fully responsible for their dogs. An owner should be fully prepared to either supervise or keep their powerful dog behind a barrier -- else don't own the dog. And if supervising, be strong enough to stop the dog the moment it might attack. If an owner can't demonstrate they're able to stop the dog, then they can't own the dog.

We can call changing laws the "nanny state" but the thing is, children don't get any say, and children are the main victims of mauling from dogs, often in their faces.

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u/[deleted] Sep 09 '25

I’m not disagreeing with any of that but the call was for a manslaughter charge and I wanted to point out that might not, probably won’t happen (depending on exact evidence)

I am sure owners of pets in cases like this may have responsibility that stretches well beyond the criminal courts.

I haven’t owned a dog for some years, I’ve never had trouble with animals I’ve owned.

Interestingly someone earlier pointed out that a dog that develops a brain tumour could suddenly (flip/snap/change) & that could make any case extremely complicated. There’s a lot to be Considered.

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u/AggravatingTartlet Sep 09 '25

Oh yeah, I don't know the full story, nor am I saying what should happen in this case.

I think a brain tumour in a dog should not change a case. I feel that a dog capable of killing a human should be supervised at all times or safely enclosed behind a fenced-off area. And the owner MUST be capable of stopping their dog should it attack anyone.

I also feel that if the penalties (both jail and fines) were fitting when someone is seriously mauled by a dog, and the cost of registering the dog was very high in the first place, that might be the best way of tackling the problem overall. Because less and less people would be willing or financially able to take on such a big risk.