For the last 20 years, local Lion Richard Wright has taken on the task of delivering Jerilderie Lions calendars to the community.
It’s a job he has wholeheartedly enjoyed doing alongside other community members, but this year it turned into a nightmare.
While completing his rounds on Sunday afternoon, Mr Wright was reportedly rushed at and bitten by a dog.
The bite was strong enough to take a large chunk out of Mr Wright’s leg, landing him in hospital in Shepparton and now waiting to see a specialist before surgery.
Speaking to the Southern Riverina News yesterday, Mr Wright said it’s unclear when he will be able to return home again.
“I will have to have a skin graft, but I’m just waiting for a hospital bed to become available,” he said.
“And I won’t know the true extent of the damage until I see the specialists, who will be coming from Melbourne.”
Mr Wright said the “one snap” from the dog left a hole in his leg measuring about “five inches”.
He said he’s never experienced such an incident from local dogs in his two decades of delivering calendars for Lions, and was thankful none of the local children helping him on Sunday were also attacked by the dog.
Jerilderie Lions president Louis Kelly, however, said there appears to be a growing number of aggressive dogs in the community.
He said it may force the Lions Club to rethink how the calendar is delivered in the future.
“When we deliver the calendars we don’t just want to drop them in the mailbox, we want to have some contact with our community.
“But with how some of the dogs behave, that’s not always possible now.”
The Southern Riverina News understands police are investigating the incident, but further information was not available at the time of going to print yesterday.
The Companion Animals Act 1998 does outline owner responsibilities in regards to preventing dogs from escaping and on control of animals in a public place.
The main points state that a dog that is in a public place must be under the effective control of a competent person over the age of 16 by means of an adequate chain, cord or leash being held by (or secured to) the person.
Full details of the legislation covering the Companion Animals Act 1998 No 87 can be obtained online or by contacting your local council.