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Calls for 'killer' dog breed to be banned after two maulings in one day

A pet American Staffordshire terrier has been seized by council officers after it attacked a dog and one of its owners, who was trying to intervene, in Sydney's west yesterday.

The mauling, which happened in Pemuluuy about 12pm, left the pet groodle with life-threatening internal injuries, owner Damien Aggio told nine.com.au.

Mr Aggio said his wife, Tina, was also hurt in the attack, suffering injuries to her left hand and arms.

READ MORE: Five-week-old baby killed by family dog

Dog owner Tina Aggio was also injured in the attack.

The incident came just hours after another pet American Staffordshire terrier mauled and killed a five-week-old baby boy on the NSW Central Coast.

Mr Aggio said the attack on his dog Peaches happened out of the blue while he and his wife were out taking it for a walk.

The American Staffordshire terrier managed to escape from its harness and ran across the street before the owner could stop it, Mr Aggio said.

Damien and Tina Aggio's pet groodle, Peaches, needed four hours of surgery after the attack.

"I heard the owner yelling, 'watch out' and I saw this big dog running across the road straight towards us," he said.

"It all happened so quick. I tried to pick up our dog, but it was too late. The big dog had latched onto her by then.

"I was trying to wrestle it off. I was kicking and punching and I had my thumbs in its eyeballs. But it all made no difference."

It took five people to tear the dog off their pet groodle, Mr Aggio said – himself, his wife Tina, the dog's owner and two bystanders who stopped to help.

Mr Aggio said his dog suffered major injuries in the attack and underwent more than four hours of surgery yesterday.

"We were hanging on tenterhooks, not knowing whether she would live through the night, but she did," he said.

"She was ripped to her hindquarters. The total cost of the surgery so far is $6000, which indicates the extent of her injuries."

Mrs Aggio was treated for a bite wound on her hand at Blacktown Hospital before being released yesterday.

The same breed of dog, American Staffordshire Terrier, was involved in two attacks on Sunday, one of them fatal.

A spokesperson for NSW Police confirmed officers attended the scene and the dog had been seized by Cumberland City Council.

The spokesperson said police would not be investigating the incident.

Nine.com.au has contacted the council for comment, which is yet to respond at the time of publication.

It is not yet known if the dog will be euthanised.

As reported by 9News, it was a family's pet American Staffordshire terrier which attacked their baby boy at the family home in Kariong, near Gosford, at about 2am yesterday morning.

First on the scene were the Brisbane Water Police, who began performing CPR on the injured five-week-old before paramedics arrived and took over.

However, the baby was unable to be revived.

Mr Aggio said American Staffordshire terriers were "ticking time bombs" and should not be allowed to be kept as pets.

"They definitely should be banned," he said.

"They are dangerous dog breeds bred to kill, not protect.

"If we didn't have the help that we did our dog would be dead.

"The owner had zero control. We were totally helpless.

"It took 350kg of people to take back control. We were very, very, lucky. It was five minutes of absolute mayhem."

In NSW, there are five breeds of restricted dogs that can no longer be sold or given away – American pit bull or pit bull terriers, Japanese Tosas, Dogo Argentino (Argentinean fighting dogs), Fila Brasiliero (Brazilian fighting dogs) and Perro de Presa Canario or Presa Canario dogs.

Contact reporter Emily McPherson at em********@******om.au.