Four people, including a police officer, were taken to hospital after being bitten by two dogs in St Marys in western Sydney on Thursday, New South Wales police said.
Officers were called shortly before 10 a.m. to the corner of Charles Hackett Drive and the Great Western Highway following reports that three people had been attacked by two dogs. A man in his 50s, a man in his 30s and a woman in her 70s were treated by paramedics and transported to hospital in a stable condition. A police officer who attended the scene was also bitten and taken for treatment.
The two dogs were captured with assistance from Penrith Council rangers, police said. An investigation into the circumstances of the attack is under way and officers asked anyone with information or footage of the incident to come forward.
The St Marys attack occurred a week after a separate and deadlier incident in the Hunter Valley. On Sept. 4, 17-year-old Annalyse Blyton was fatally mauled at a home in Singleton by a 10-year-old mixed-breed dog that police described as a Boxer-bull and Irish wolfhound cross. Bystanders attempted to pull the girl free before she was airlifted to John Hunter Hospital in Newcastle with catastrophic injuries and later died.
Police in that case shot the dog dead with the owners' consent, and Singleton Council rangers assisted officers at the scene. In the days after the fatal mauling, the dog's owner posted a video tribute on Instagram saying, "It wasn't your fault or hers IDK [I don't know] why you had to do what you did. It's not fair. I just wish I was there," and adding, "I miss you, my bear boi." The post made no mention of Blyton's death.
Both incidents have prompted inquiries by local authorities into animal control and the circumstances surrounding each attack. NSW Police and local councils have previously said they work with rangers and other agencies to manage dangerous animals and review responses after serious dog attacks. Police urged anyone with further information about the St Marys incident to contact Crime Stoppers.