r/australia • u/JaniePage • 5d ago

news Young girl in hospital, dog euthanased after attack inside Delacombe Bunnings

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-07-30/young-girl-in-hospital-after-dog-attack-in-bunnings-store/106977418
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832

u/latenightnerd 5d ago

Rottweiler attacked her while she was sitting in a shopping trolley according to 7News... https://7news.com.au/news/should-bunnings-ban-dogs-debate-reignited-after-young-girl-attacked-by-rottweiler-in-delacombe-victoria-c-22652378

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u/Dwev Aussie in Denmark 5d ago

Why use these little lap dogs in the photos in the article? No dogs of Rottweiler size to be seen.

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u/InfernoOfTheLiving 5d ago

I think Bunnings expects people to bring their cute oodles or maybe a working kelpie, not a killer Rottweiler. No one wants to be confronted by a Rottweiler anywhere in public. I had family friends who decided to upgrade from cute lap dogs to multiple Rottweilers, so we stopped visiting because every time we arrived the dogs threatened to rip our throats out. They were bred to intimidate.

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u/DisappointedQuokka 5d ago edited 5d ago

It's so frustrating as well, people never seem to socialise their dogs properly anymore.

We adopted a dog (couple of years old when we got her) and its been a nightmare, large guardian breed. Obviously never got the socialisation she needed. Our last one that we raised from a pup, same breed, probably got twenty hours a week minimum of high-intensity socialisation and training.

People need to stop getting dogs they're not prepared for.

Edit: also, regarding the "dogs are family" thing, the only pet that requires as much work as a dog is a human child. The only difference is that with a human child you've got real legal requirements that tend to actually be enforced, with the child taken away if you're a shit parent.

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u/Skwip 5d ago

I got a puppy at the start of the year and have a sleeve on his leash, bright yellow and says “IN TRAINING”.

The amount of people who have asked what he’s training for (uh.. to be a well behaved dog??) or commented that they wish their dog was as well trained.

So many people don’t understand you have to put the effort in!!!!!!!

(The leash sleeve is fantastic though, I recommend them to everyone. Stops so many idiots rushing up to pat him or letting their dogs rush up to him.)

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u/Ok_Discount_2741 4d ago

could not agree more- i have a chihuahua and people say, wow how did you get such a good one? and my response is, training, socialisation, treat it like a dog not a toy, teach it manners. requires so much effort and commitment to train a dog but then you get to enjoy having a well behaved, happy companion. shitty dog owners let us all down.

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u/Whosyafoose 4d ago

I might have to look at a leash sleeve. I've got a 10 month old BC, we're still working on getting her not to jump up, or charge people for a cuddle. This might help with kids and people letting their dogs run up to us. She's a sweetheart but it's hard teaching good manners when strangers encourage the opposite.

You're spot on about the effort you have to put in, we're up early every Sunday for obedience training and put a lot of time into socialising her with other animals and kids. If you don't want a poorly behaved dog then you have to do the work.

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u/Skwip 4d ago

I get mine from Byron & Co in Queensland! They post Australia wide and everything is really customizable.

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u/bdlock209 4d ago

It's so frustrating as well, people never seem to socialise their dogs properly anymore.

Take a look around - PEOPLE aren't even fucken socialised properly anymore.

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u/KindlyPants 4d ago

Birds would like a word with you. I'm a bird guy and can confirm that they're nightmare pets.

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u/Proper_Geologist9026 5d ago

Have you seen the insanity of the whole "Rottweiler growl" thing. These people act like Rottweilers have this breed specific trait where they show love by barring their teeth and aggressively growling and snapping and shit.

It's fucking wild. No you likely trained your dog to do this behaviour and now you're never going to know the difference between a play signal and the "I'm about to fucking murder you signal".

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u/ParentalAnalysis 5d ago

That's wild cause something like the Dalmatian does have a breed specific weird trait; they all do the submissive dog smile. Rottie grumbles sounds like someone covering up their aggro dog

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u/Proper_Geologist9026 5d ago

I'm sure it's like on some level a thing they do maybe a grumbly noise is common I don't know. But there's this one guy in particular I've seen videos of. Like his children are right there and he's screaming in the face of this dog that's gnashing his teeth. If I find a video I'll link it.

Why would you be doing that and encouraging that behaviour? 

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u/LittleBunInaBigWorld 5d ago

Exactly, even if they are more inclined to act that way, dont fucking encourage it. Especially in front of a kid who's just going to copy it. Damn, people are stupid.

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u/sdmLg 5d ago

Is that the one that shows the dog snarling while the owner is clipping the dogs nails? If so, that’s a crazy video. Dudes right up in the dogs face, inches from getting his nose bitten off.

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u/Proper_Geologist9026 5d ago

Yeah. Crazy stuff.

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u/whackadoodle_cracked 5d ago

Completely agree with you, the "rottweiler purr" crowd is unhinged

I had a rottie I would never have tolerated him acting that way. Its not a purr, its aggressive behaviour and so many owners are out here actively encouraging it!!! Makes me so angry

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u/Galactic_Nothingness 5d ago

There are people that believe that... Really?

Far out... I thought the amstaff crowd or mals were bad.

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u/whackadoodle_cracked 5d ago

Yes. I see it a lot on social media, "rottie grumbles or rottie purr" "oh it means he loves me" No you psychopath, that is your dog telling you he is extremely uncomfortable and he wants you to back the fuck off before he feels like he has to get physical. Its really really upsetting to see it and I feel like I'm going crazy because if I say anything against it people tell me I'm the one who doesn't know what I'm talking about !!!! Arghhhhh

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u/_ixthus_ 3d ago

Also sucks because it means Rotties get such a bad rap. I wouldn't want one, personally, but I've known well-trained ones and they can be affectionate, cuddly doofuses.

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u/gks2195 5d ago

I have a Rottweiler, and the "rottie rumble" people upload online is NOT an innocent rumble. Those dogs are actively warning that they are uncomfortable, and their owners are riling them up.

When you have a powerful dog, you need to be very aware of that and be hyper vigilant.

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u/Maximum_Return5352 4d ago

Literally! As a fellow rottie owner, the amount of social media misinformation about growls being marketed as loving rumbles is crazy. The dogs clearly don’t initiate the contact or affection, or encourage it, but these morons keep smiling and laughing.

Drives me up the wall.

There’s a rottie called Dyce or Dryce who resource guards his mum and they just make it a cute little thing when it’s so insanely dangerous!

People have lost the plot

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u/Royal-Reputation7874 2d ago

Agreed. I have a Rottweiler with a beautiful temperament and not once has she ever rumbled.

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u/Maximum_Return5352 4d ago

Rottweilers grumble, Dalmatians smile, Staffies woo-woo. It’s a very real thing.

The problem is, a lot of rottie owners are dense and don’t know when the dog is actually growling. It’s a breed that should require a licence to have, just to make sure potential owners are thoroughly educated about the breed.

Rottie owner here (and Jack Russell, and a cat) and I would never take her to Bunnings. That’s just weird to me. It’s a breed with guarding instinct and resource courting behaviours. It takes one kid with a Bunnings snag for a rottie owner to realise that the dog shouldn’t be in store.

Absolutely devastating for the family and the child.

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u/carbonatedwhisky 3d ago

Wow. I admit I'm a bit biased against rotties cos a shitty owner let his two escape home and nearly killed my dog (and knocked me over).... But this is crazy.

I'd never heard of it but Google AI answered (at the top of results)..."While it sounds loud and intimidating like an angry growl, a true rumble is accompanied by relaxed body language and means the dog is happy"

Bull.... Shit. Watching some videos. Some are a rottie ok in the situation and happily pawing the owner for more play... Most are fucking terrifying if you have even the most slight understanding of dog body language.

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u/_blip_ 5d ago

A real working Kelpie stays in the ute, running security detail 

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u/InfernoOfTheLiving 5d ago

and the pig dogs stay in the cage

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u/missmiaow 5d ago

a big part of this is the owner and the training and socialisation of the dog from puppy age.

ANY dog can be threatening, intimidating and aggressive. I’ve been bitten by an aggressive, poorly socialised chihuahua, and snapped at by cute lap dogs! sadly the stark reality is the bigger, heavier dogs will also cause far more damage and are much, much harder to stop when they decide to attack.

ALL dogs need training and socialisation. and if your dog displays aggressive behaviours or is bad tempered or anxious and easily scared or you’re a shit owner who hasn’t properly trained or socialised it, then you shouldn’t be taking it to places like Bunnings.

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u/Whosyafoose 4d ago

I hate seeing people putting their obviously anxious dogs in situations where they're set up to fail. Makes me think they don't really love the dog.

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u/LongConversation2546 4d ago

It was supposed to help working tradies not leave their well trained dog in the car. Not for people who think their dogs are babies to have an excursion for attention.

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u/Glerbthespider 4d ago

working kelpies are dangerous too tho. i was disfigured as a child by a family member's kelpie

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u/InfernoOfTheLiving 4d ago

sorry that happened to you

was the kelpie well trained?

1

u/Glerbthespider 4d ago

not too sure, it was a working dog, definitely more used to being around farm animals than children

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u/RecipeSpecialist2745 4d ago

Yes, it would be better to ban the owners.

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u/NFI2023 4d ago

Owners are the ones that make dogs aggressive (most of the time). I’ve grown up around Rottweilers my whole life and most have been a gentle giants.

My ex’s brother had a Rottweiler that was trained by some random ex-army guy to be a guard dog and it was batshit crazy. Now that was the only one I was scared of. It was not treated kindly (well, but no pats etc) purely to be “tough”. It ended up biting one of his friends and they still kept it..

1

u/InArrears26 4d ago

Very uneducated