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A toddler has suffered serious injuries after he was allegedly mauled by a dog in regional Victoria.
Victoria Police said a child had been injured in the backyard of a Winter Valley home in Ballarat at about 4.40pm on Monday.
“The boy was flown to hospital with serious injuries,” police said in a statement.
He was reportedly taken to The Royal Children’s Hospital in a stable condition.
Ballarat Council officers arrived on scene and removed the dog involved in the alleged attack.
Police said the dog is believed to belong to a neighbour.
The local council is currently investigating the matter. The Ballarat Council were contacted for comment.
The Herald Sun earlier this year obtained data that showed there were at least 2,800 reports of vicious dog attacks in the past year.
Since April 2022, there were 117 ‘serious injuries’ caused to both humans and dogs. About 134 of the total reports have been prosecuted in court.
The figures reveal there are almost eight dog attacks happening across Melbourne a day, an increase from the 2020 average of five per day.
