Grandma too scared to leave house after savage attack by neighbour's dog

A grandmother is too scared to leave her house after being savagely attacker by her neighbour’s dog.

South Australian woman Phyllis Bickley, 74, was out walking her dog Oshie when she said her neighbour’s dog escaped from the backyard and rushed towards her “full pelt” with its “vicious teeth showing”.

“I bent down and picked up my little dog and this dog knocked me upside down on the ground and somehow I tried to hold onto my dog and I've got a big bruise where I fell,” she said.

Ms Bickley said the dog latched onto her arm. She’s had to undergo surgery to treat the bite wounds and claims she’s lucky the attack wasn’t worse.

“I'm lucky to be here, I'm 74 years old, I've been a diabetic for 67 years and if that dog had got my leg I would have lost a leg because of infection,” she said.

Council rangers have investigated the attack and are expected to issue a fine.

But Ms Bickley said she’s still “scared stiff” and wants a harsher penalty to be imposed.

“I want the dog removed,” she said.

“I can’t go outside. I feel like a prisoner in my own home.”

There have been more than 1400 dog attacks reported to South Australian councils In the past five years.

Injuries requiring hospitalisation have steadily risen to 1340.

In November, the SA Government announced tough new penalties for dog owners who flee scene of an attack involving their pet.

Premier Jay Weatherill said there will be fines of up to $5000.

Alert Dog Training’s Del Fisk said he believes one of the reasons for an increase in dog incidents is the owners aren’t taking responsibility.

“I think the amount of dogs in society is increasing as it always has, I think it’s just a lack of education more than anything else,” he said.

“More people are out there unaware of the legislation that covers having dogs in public.”