Death of 17yo mauled by dog 'could have been prevented', family says

Family of teen killed in dog attack pushes for changes to ownership laws Thu 25 Jun 2026 at 6:38am In short: Annalyse Blyton, 17, died after she was mauled by a dog while visiting her friend's house in the NSW Hunter Valley. Her family is pushing for changes to dog ownership laws, including mandatory licensing for owners. What's next? NSW Local Government Minister Ron Hoenig says a review of dog ownership laws is on track to be finalised this year. Annalyse Blyton was visiting a friend's house in Singleton, in the NSW Hunter Valley, last September when disaster struck. The 17-year-old was viciously attacked by a mixed breed dog that lived there and died of her injuries four days later. Annalyse's stepmother Naomi Benson said she would never forget the horror of those four days. "The initial shock giving way to all the grief and pain. It's an unimaginable thing to be dealing with," she said. "We've lost a beautiful person that had her whole life ahead of her." Emergency services were called to a Broughton Street home where they found Annalyse suffering critical injuries to her head, neck and body. The 10-year-old dog, a mix of boxer, bull arab and Irish wolfhound, was euthanased by police with the consent of the owner. The dog's owners have not been charged, and the matter is now before the coroner with the family still waiting for answers. "For us to move forward we need a better understanding of how this could happen," Ms Benson said. "Was that dog registered? Was that dog a product of backyard breeding?" Member for Upper Hunter Dave Layzell said the attack had left the Singleton community reeling. "Now we need to work through the details of what we can change to strengthen laws. There is clearly more we can do to control aggressive dogs," he said. Calls for dog ownership changes There were more than 1,100 recorded dogs attacks in NSW from October to December last year. Annalyse's family has launched a campaign pushing for a raft of changes to dog ownership laws. "This is something that could have been prevented. She could have finished her HSC and gone on to live her life," Ms Benson said. "Our motivation definitely comes from that feeling of 'what more could have been done?'" The Pink for Leasy campaign is calling for licensing for dog owners, particularly those for people planning to own aggressive breeds, as well as a crackdown on backyard breeders. Ms Benson said licence applicants should also be given access to education on aggressive breeds and dog behaviour. A backyard breeding taskforce to investigate illegal and unethical breeders was also on the wishlist as well as better funding of local councils for enforcement. "If people accessed information before purchasing a dog I think that it would make a massive difference," Ms Benson said. "It would make sure that people who are purchasing dogs are really going to commit to what they need to for certain breeds." Review underway A review of the state's Companion Animals Act has been underway since February 2025, prompted by inquests into three fatal dog attacks. The inquests handed down multiple recommendations, including licences for certain breeds and stricter fines for unregistered dogs. It also said enforcement of the laws that did exist was lacking from some local councils. "When it comes to local government ranger services, the recommendations from the coroner reports indicate that better training could happen, better funding and resourcing," Ms Benson said. She said more community awareness was also needed on when to report incidents or concerns about a dog to council. At the time of Annalyse's death, the Office of Local Government told the ABC the tragedy highlighted "the importance of reviewing the NSW government's approach to the management of dogs", but nine months later, the review is still not complete. Local Government Minister Ron Hoenig said the government was "carefully considering a range of issues, including community safety, responsible pet ownership, education, enforcement and the effectiveness of the current regulatory framework". "Annalyse's death was a terrible tragedy, and my thoughts remain with her family," Mr Hoenig said. "Cases such as this reinforce the importance of getting the balance right … to ensure any reforms are practical, evidence-based and effective." The review is expected to be finalised later this year.