An angry dog owner is calling for increased preventative measures at a Wodonga dog park before "potential tragedies" happen.
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That comes after a visit to the Belvoir Dog Park resulted in her 14-week German shepherd almost being mauled by another dog.
Wodonga's Bernice Ritchie took her two dogs, Levi and Charlie, for a play to socialise with other dogs and throw the frisbee.
But she said she was met with an aggressive dog on arrival and a dismissive dog owner.
"The dog just came running at us, and it full-on jumped on Levi and started attacking him and biting his neck," she said.
"It was nasty, and I was screaming, but the owner ... just sat there and didn't do anything.
"I yelled at her to come get her dog, and nothing.
"I had to pick up the dog and try to pull it off my dog."
Ms Ritchie said it "was bloody scary" watching.
"My dog was terrified," she said.
Ms Ritchie said the other dog was so heavy, but she managed to pick it off her dog.
Its owner then came over and said, 'your dog doesn't know how to defend itself'."
"I couldn't believe what she just said," Ms Ritchie said.
"I told her, 'I didn't bring my dogs here to fight'.
"It's not OK what happened, and she didn't even apologise or seem to care.
"What if there was a young child that it happened to? What would happen then?"
Ms Ritchie said everyone should have a right to feel safe at a dog park.
"I don't want my dogs growing up thinking that's normal behaviour," she said.
Ms Ritchie posted to a community Facebook page to let others know what had happened, which sparked a strong reaction from dog owners with similar concerns.
She wanted to warn other dog owners of the potential for dog attacks.
She hoped people would agree with the need for more safety measures, including lights and security cameras.
"It's great to know I'm not the only one," she said.
One woman, Nicole Barber, agreed with getting cameras at dog parks.
"I'm so so sorry this happened to you and your babies," she said.
Naomi Kate Boddison-Gray commented, "that is why I will never go to a dog park"."(It's because of) dangerous and irresponsible owners who can't control their dogs, not to mention not every dog likes every (other) dog," she said.
Ms Ritchie said if people knew their dogs behaved badly then "don't bring them in the park in the first place".
A Wodonga Council spokesperson said it was vital people continued to make complaints about incidents.
"A ranger may attend to assess the situation and provide direction if someone isn't following the guidelines or standards," the spokesperson said.
"Rangers also conduct regular patrols of the area and take appropriate action as required, including directing a person to leave the park, issuing fines or laying charges for serious offences."
Ms Ritchie said she had complained to the council but hadn't heard anything.
The spokesperson said the dog park was segmented into gated sections to cater for dogs with different confidence levels. One area is for dogs/owners who are experienced in using parks," the spokesperson said."
"The second, newer section is for first-time users, timid, small-statured or less energetic dogs.
"This layout was introduced after consultation with the community. Signage on-site clearly indicates the rules of use of the parks, including a clear delineation of the sections.
"This signage also notes that owners are liable for the actions of their dogs."
A friend of Ms Ritchie, Olivia Missio, said it happened often, seeing "multiple dogs injured and attacked".
"It's so hard not to panic; you don't want to break it up, hurt the other dog, or get hurt yourself - but what do you do?
"Where is council when this happens?"
Anyone feeling uncomfortable or unsafe is urged to report the matter to the council via in-person at the city offices, or by phone, email or social media outreach.
