Man dies after being attacked by his dog on NSW property

Mon 13 Jul 2026 at 3:58pm

Mon 13 Jul 2026 at 3:58pm

In short:

A 55-year-old man died after he was attacked by his dog on his Coonabarabran property.

He died at the scene and the animal was euthanased by police.

What's next?

Police will prepare a report for the coroner.

A man has died after he was attacked by his dog on his property in north-west NSW.

Emergency services responded to reports of a dog attack at a property on Timor Road in Coonabaraban at about 10am on Sunday.

Orana Mid Western Police District officers arrived and found a 55-year-old man suffering from serious injuries.

He was assessed by paramedics but died at the scene.

Police said the dog was euthanased by officers at the property.

A report will be prepared for the coroner.

The ABC understands that the deceased was the owner of the dog.

Police were unable to confirm the breed of the animal, but said it was medium to large in size.

Council warned of aggressive dogs

Warrumbungle Shire Council said in a statement that it extended "its thoughts to everyone affected" but was "unable to comment on the circumstances" surrounding the attack as it was an active police matter.

In April the council urged residents to report aggressive dog behaviour, including incidents not resulting in injury such as charging or chasing.

One dog attack is reported per month in the shire, which has a population of less than 10,000.

At the time the council said most reported incidents involved dogs attacking other animals, but there were "occasional reports involving people".

Under the NSW Companion Animals Act, councils are responsible for monitoring dangerous and menacing dogs within the community.

Penalties range from fines of $1,320 if a dog rushes at or chases a person or animal to fines of up to $22,000 if an attack results in serious injury or loss of life.