A woman has been hospitalised with broken bones after an incident at Altona’s dog beach, prompting a warning that pet owners must control their animals.
Yarraville man Anthony Barr said he and his wife, Helen, were in the water off Burns Reserve at mid-morning on Sunday, February 3.
“Three big dogs were chasing each other and they crashed into my wife … they’ve broken three bones in her foot and dislocated her foot,” he said.
“She’s going to be in hospital for 10 days. We were 150 metres offshore and then another 150 metres from the road.
“We called the ambulance. They [paramedics] couldn’t wheel the big trolley over the sand so they had a little chair trolley.
“We were thinking of calling the SES to help us, but the paramedics recruited half a dozen big lads on the beach who had dogs there … they put a board underneath her and carried her out to the ambulance.”
Mr Barr said it was unknown who the dogs belonged to.
“Owners should care for their dogs and what their dogs are doing,” he said.
“The people who owned the dogs didn’t do anything.”
Hobsons Bay corporate services acting director Roger Verwey said dog owners were “entirely responsible” for the actions of their animals and should be in control of their dogs at all times.
“When there are a range of different users within or near a dog off-lead area, common sense and caution needs to be applied by all,” he said.
“Owners having verbal control over their dog is especially essential to ensure their animals remain within the designated off-lead area.”
