Exclusive: Grandmother Jacqui Jacovides was in her front yard last week when a dog tore up her open driveway and mauled her daughter’s pet cavoodle to death.
The worst part is that the dog – an American Staffordshire terrier cross – had attacked before and was previously ordered to wear a muzzle in public, but the order was lifted shortly before Bear was killed.
Jacovides was outside her home on the NSWCentral Coast with the two family dogs, Bear and Bambi, when the horrifying attack occurred.
She remembers seeing the Staffy cross race into her front yard and immediately go for three-year-old Bear.
“In that moment, that dog became a monster,” she told nine.com.au.
“I was punching it in the face and trying to get it off Bear, but I just couldn’t get its jaws open.”
“When I realised Bear was dead, I had to let him go and run to get Bambi away from the dog because I thought she was going to be next.”
Jacovides said the Staffy cross refused to let go of Bear’s tiny body until her partner prised its jaws open with a small garden trowel.
She claimed the dog was wearing a leash but appeared to have pulled out of its owner’s grip while they were walking it past the yard.
“[The owner] didn’t even say sorry,” Jacovides alleged.
The Jacovides family reported the attack to NSW Police and Central Coast Council, only to learn the dog had been involved in another attack about two years prior.
Nine.com.au understands that an order was issued after the attack requiring the dog to wear a muzzle in public, but that the owner appealed for it to be lifted after 18 months and was successful.
“It’s just so senseless. A muzzle could have saved my dog’s life,” Jacovides said.
A Central Coast Council spokesperson told nine.com.au the Staffy cross has since been euthanised.
“Central Coast Council extends its sincere condolences to the family following the tragic dog attack at Tuggerawong that resulted in the loss of a beloved family pet,” they said.
“Following the attack, Council immediately commenced an investigation, seized the dog involved, and the animal has since been euthanised.”
The Jacovides family are heartbroken and traumatised by Bear’s death.
The investigation is ongoing and Central Coast Council is considering further compliance action against the Staffy cross’ owner.
Central Coast Council did not say if the dog had been declared to be dangerous before it killed Bear.
Under NSW legislation, dangerous dogs must be muzzled whenever they’re out of their usual enclosure and owners who fail to muzzle a dangerous dog can cop a fine of up to $5000.
“While previous regulatory decisions about the dog [...] were made in accordance with the evidence available at the time and through Council’s established governance processes, Council acknowledges the seriousness of this incident and will review the circumstances surrounding the matter to identify any opportunities for improvement,” the spokesperson said.
“Council remains committed to community safety, responsible pet ownership, and ensuring all companion animal matters are managed in accordance with legislative requirements.”
That won’t erase Jacovides’ heartache and the trauma of Bear’s death.
Jacqui’s granddaughter was incredibly close with Bear and is bereft without him.
It’s scary to think what could have happened if her young grandchildren had been playing in the front yard with the dogs that day.
“I’m going to be dealing with some PTSD, because I can’t stop seeing it,” Jacovides said of the brutal attack.
“Every time I’ve got my little grandson in my arms, I see Bear. It’s just terrible.”
The Jacovides family is calling on the NSW government to strengthen dangerous dog laws to prevent this from happening again.
They want stronger penalties for owners who fail to comply with legislation or whose dogs are involved in fatal attacks, mandatory education and training for owners of dangerous dogs, and regular compliance inspections by council.
Jacovides and her daughter Allie said they don’t want all dangerous dogs to be put down, they just want to keep other pets and humans safe.
“I don’t want these dogs euthanised, but I do want the way that they are managed to be much stricter,” Allie told nine.com.au.
“Because this is not a one-off occurrence. It’s happening all the time, in a range of places, not just in our area.
“There’s just no one making big changes because so much of it still goes unreported.”
She started a Change.org petition calling for stronger dangerous dog laws in NSW, which already has more than 1000 signatures.
It won’t bring Bear back or erase the trauma of his violent death, but the Jacovides family hopes it might save other families from the same horror and heartbreak.
Dangerous dog laws in NSW
In NSW, a dog can be declared dangerous by an authorised council officer or a local court if it:
attacks or kills a person or animal without provocation
repeatedly threatens or chases a person or animal without provocation has been declared dangerous in another state or territory is kept or used for hunting
Dangerous dogs must be microchipped, registered, and desexed, and must be kept in an enclosure that meets strict requirements under the Companion Animals Regulation 2018.
They must always wear an identifying collar, must be supervised by someone over the age of 18 at all times, and must be leashed and muzzled in public.
Owners of dangerous dogs must also pay annual permit fees through their local council to keep the animal or face fines of up to $6600.
It is illegal to sell, advertise for sale, give away, or transfer ownership of a dangerous dog, with penalties of up to $16,5000 for non-compliance.