A debate has erupted over whether Rottweilers should be restricted or even banned in Australia after a series of recent attacks by the powerful dog breed.
The debate over whether the country made a mistake by accepting Rottweilers as family pets escalated this week after Perth woman Nikita Piil, 31, was rushed to hospital after being savagely mauled by her two pets.
Rottweilers are not on the list of restricted dogs in Australia – of which there are five others, including Bull Terrier breeds, Dogo Argentino, Fila Brasileiro (also known as the Brazilian Mastiff), Japanese Tosa, and Perro de Presa Canario (or Presa Canario).
But the facts show Rottweilers – which have bite force more powerful than Pitbulls and can easily overpower a human – are one of the worst breeds for bites.
Perth woman Nikita Piil, 31, was rushed to hospital after being savagely mauled by her two pet rottweillers
A woman who was mauled by two Rottweilers and sustained wounds to her arms and legs has died weeks later (File image)
On her Facebook page Ms Piil shows her affection for pet rottweilers wishing them happy birthdays and calling them her babies
Police were forced to shoot one of Ms Piil’s dogs to stop it attacking her and the animal was later euthanised
Savage Rottweiler attacks
Rottweilers have already been banned in several countries overseas, and now Australia might be starting to understand why.
Last Saturday, Perth police were forced to shoot a Rottweiler to save its owner’s life.
Ms Piil needed emergency surgery for severe wounds on her arms and legs after her two Rottweilers turned on her at her home in Success, in Perth’s southern suburbs.
Miss Piil, 31, was set upon by the dogs, Bronx and Harlem, about 4.30pm. Residents alerted police after hearing her blood-curdling screams.
‘All I could really do is just watch this girl get mauled apart as I’m smacking the fence,’ neighbour Bryn Spencer told 9News.
He was too afraid to jump the fence because of the two clearly dangerous canines.
Then less than two days later, a man in his 50s was left fighting for his life when two Rottweilers set upon him at Leppington, in Sydney’s south-west.
He had been on a walk when he was suddenly attacked by the dogs who had escaped from a private property.
The victim was left with bite wounds to his head, neck, arm and leg.
The man’s cat was killed in the ferocious attack on George Road at about 7.30am on Monday.
In the UK, two cats were killed on August 30, when a pair of loose Rottweilers charged into a family home and killed the beloved pets – leaving the occupant and her children screaming for help.
But by far, the worst recent incident happened in February in Moruya, on the NSW south coast.
In February, a baby, Mia Jade Riley, died after her family’s two pet Rottweilers suddenly attacked her.
Mia Jade Riley’s family (Mia pictured with her older sister) said the infant was asleep when the vicious dog attack occurred
The newborn was asleep in a bassinet at the end of a table surrounded by up to eight adults when the pair of Rottweilers attacked
A man has been rushed to hospital after being attacked by two Rottweilers while out on a walk in Leppington in Sydney’s south-west
Leading animal behaviourist and veterinarian Dr Kate Lindsey (pictured) believes the rottweiler attacks are due to ‘bad breeding practices’
Mia was asleep in a bassinet at the end of a table surrounded by up to eight adults when the dogs pounced without warning.
At the time dog experts claimed the attack was a one-off and that Rottweilers are not usually dangerous.
Then came the attack on Ms Piil and the second Sydney attack this year less than two days later.
‘Sweetest, most loving dogs’: Why Rottweilers attack
While the Rottweiler is one of Australia’s most popular dog breeds, it also holds the dubious distinction of being the third-most prone to attacks in the country.
Leading animal behaviourist and veterinarian Dr Kate Lindsey believes the Rottweiler attacks are due to ‘bad breeding practices’.
‘I know Rottweilers can be the sweetest, most loving dogs, except when they are pain.’
She claimed her experience of treating aggressive dogs, including Rottweilers, shows that most aggression is caused by anxiety and pain from a physical defect that dodgy breeders have ignored.
‘I guarantee you those dogs will have a history of anxiety or physical health problems,’ she said.
‘Pain is the leading cause of anxiety especially aggressive type behaviours in large breed dogs.
‘The majority of Rottweilers have chronic pain by the age of two in the form of degenerative joint disease including spinal elbow problems where their bones don’t unite properly.
‘In my experience treating 15,600 dogs with anxiety and aggression the majority of large breed dogs manifesting aggression have an underlying health condition that has not been treated.
‘In all cases the problem is resolved when the dog is given relief for pain and anxiety.’
Many people have come to the defence of Rottweilers online, with a few notable exceptions.
Some have blamed owners for the recent attacks, assuming they did something wrong.
‘Hmm I don’t really get how that happened, I have had two Rotties and they were so placid, like Labradors? I wonder was it was that made them turn on her?’ wrote one woman.
Many pointed out that a poorly-trained Labrador will bite. The statistics agree.
Labradors – thought to be an easygoing breed – account for 8.5 per cent of all reported dog attacks.
The RSPCA told Daily Mail Australia that dogs should not be declared dangerous on the basis of breed or appearance.
‘Each individual dog should be assessed based on their actual behaviour.’
But plenty of people have their own scary experiences of Rottweilers.
‘I love animals but hate Rottweilers. You cannot trust them,’ one NSW mum wrote.
‘Yes go at me all you want [but I] only ever had one dog go at me in all the dogs I have had contact with, even working as a volunteer at RSPCA and it was a Rottweiler and a friend’s pet. So my comment is from experience.’
She wasn’t the only person who mentioned not trusting ‘Rotties’.
‘Years ago I had this breed try to attack me. He jumped up on me and stared in my eyes I begged him to get off of me, he would not let me go.
‘I was getting scared not knowing what was to happen… I still remember this to this very day. Just can’t trust them.
‘He finally let me go after he decided he wanted to.’
Australia’s 10 most dangerous dog breeds have been revealed with one of the country’s most popular canines making the top three (pictured, a stock image of a Pitbull)
Labradors – thought to be an easygoing breed – accounted for 8.5 per cent of incidents which involved a child admitted to hospital following a dog attack
Another woman said she won’t go near large dogs to this day after a similar incident had happened to her in college.
‘If the dog can’t fit inside a handbag so I can fly with it, it’s not for me,’ she said.
‘When are these dangerous dogs going to be banned?’ said another.
‘These dogs are good as security with other security measures that make it impossible to enter a home without consent, that’s all they are good for. Get a home security system alarm.’
Rottweilers are by no means the only dogs involved in attacks.
Last week an Adelaide family was terrorised by a pitbull that had been with them for eight years.
A six-year-old boy was forced to hide in the bathroom while his mother and uncle were savagely mauled by the shar pei cross pitbull.
The previous month, a seven-year-old Perth boy needed surgery after a dog described as a bull mastiff bit him on the head and chest.
In March a South Australian vet called for South African Boerboels to be banned after one bit toddler Alaruh Rose on her face.
Rottweilers are banned in several countries including France, Italy, Spain, Portugal and Israel and are one of the most commonly blacklisted breeds by insurance companies overseas.
Rottweilers are also banned or heavily restricted in some parts of the United States. In Queens, New York, people in city-run housing can’t keep Rottweilers and the breed is also banned on army bases.
A major concern about Rottweilers is the damage they can inflict even if unintended or accidental due to their bite force and size.
They have a bite pressure of 338 pounds per square inch (PSI) which is greater than the much-maligned Pit Bull.
They can weigh up to 60kg.
On October 14, 2021 a Rottweiler named Chopper bit Dr Liza Schneider, a New Zealand vet, breaking her arm and causing nerve damage.
She needed surgery and the dog’s owner, Helen Tina Fraser, was found guilty of owning a dog causing serious injury to a person.
While they have been used as police dogs, generally German Shepherds are favoured partly because they are faster but also because Rottweilers can kill a suspect before their handlers catch up to them.
American statistics collected between 2010 and 2021 show they are second only to Pit Bulls as the breed most likely to cause a fatality. Over the same period they caused 26 deaths.
The process for declaring dogs as restricted in Australia is a matter for state governments, while federal legislation governs their importation.
In the UK, two cats were killed on August 30, when a pair of loose Rottweilers charged into a family home and killed the beloved pets – leaving the occupant and her children screaming for help. Pictured: the two dogs involved in the incident
State and territory and local governments have primary responsibility for regulation and by laws about pet ownership, including dogs.
A spokesperson for the WA Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries told Daily Mail Australia it increased fines in relation to dangerous dogs 10 years ago and made it ‘a criminal offence if a dangerous dog kills a person or puts a person’s life at risk’.
It also said decisions about which dog breeds are restricted are based on Federal laws.
‘The State Government will normally add additional breeds of dogs to the restricted breed list when they are banned from importation into Australia by the Commonwealth Government.’
The NSW Department for Local Government said NSW has some of ‘the strongest dog laws in the country’.
It added that it will be ‘undertaking a review of the Companion Animals Act to assess its suitability and ensure it is fit for purpose’.
A spokesman for the National Rottweiler Council of Australia refused to comment ‘until the results of any enquiry are released’.
Daily Mail Australia also approached the NSW Department for Local Government and the National Rottweiler Council (Australia) for comment.
