UPDATE: Police have confirmed that a three-year-old boy who was riding his bike along a street in Mayfield on Tuesday evening was attacked by a Great Dane from a nearby property.
The attacked occurred near the entrance to the cul-de-sac of Antill Street in Mayfield at about 6.30pm while the owner was home.
“The dog did in fact walk through an open gate,” Detective Acting Inspector Jeffrey Little said at a press conference on Wednesday outside Waratah Police Station.
“There is no suggestion [the dog was provoked].”
The boy was accompanied by his mother and older sister at the time of the attack.
A neighbour told the Newcastle Herald that the dog’s owner was moving a motorcycle from one part of his property to another, when the dog ran through the open gate.
Police said the owner of the dog was cooperating with authorities, and that the dog had not attacked anyone before.
Police said the dog may be put down once a council investigation had been completed.
“At this stage it is a matter for [Newcastle City] council,” Detective Acting Inspector Little said.
“There is an investigation underfoot and we are assisting council with those inquires.
“There is every chance that dog will be destroyed.”
Sydney woman Aleen Payne was standing in the front yard of her son’s house in Antill Street when the attack occurred.
“There was a kid screaming, just screaming,” said Ms Payne. “And then I heard a man going off [at the dog].”
The attack follows the death of a one-year-old girl after she was attacked by a dog in Inverell on Saturday afternoon.
“These matters are very traumatising for the children and the family,” Detective Acting Inspector Little said.
“Children are particularly vulnerable to attacks by dogs. Certainly they can suffer serious physical and psychological injuries as we’ve seen in recent days.”
More to come…
EARLIER
A three-year-old boy was attacked by a dog while riding his bicycle in Mayfield on Tuesday.
The boy was riding his bike on Antill Street, Mayfield, shortly after 6.30pm on Tuesday when a dog ran towards him from a nearby property and attacked the child.
The boy suffered injuries to his face, neck, and upper back.
The dog retreated to its property and the boy was treated at the scene by NSW Ambulance paramedics before being taken to John Hunter Hospital in a stable condition. His injuries were not believed to be life threatening.
Local council and police inquiries into the incident are continuing.
