Man saves child from ‘wild’ dog attack

WARNING: This story contains the name and image of a deceased Indigenous person

A man saved the lives of a woman and child when he intervened in an attack by two dogs who then turned on him in a display of “extreme ferocity”, an inquest heard.

Colin Amatto, 40, rushed to help the woman and child who had been bitten by the two dogs at a home in the western Sydney suburb of Tregear on the afternoon of January 24, 2019.

Counsel assisting the coroner, David Kell SC, told the inquest the proud Yuin man had acted “bravely” when he intervened and instead caused the dogs to turn on him.

He said one of the dogs, a male named Boof, then “brutally” abused Mr Amatto before a female dog named Hope joined in the “attack of extreme ferocity”.

Both dogs were described as having pit bull characteristics, but an expert identified them as Staffordshire bull terriers.

Mr. Amatto suffered “very serious injuries,” amounting to more than 80 wounds to his head, body and limbs.

When the dogs’ owners returned home, they found blood splattered on the walls, floor and kitchen door.

Mr Kell said the owners reported that Boof and Hope were “covered in blood and their eyes were really big” after the attack. The two dogs were euthanized the next day.

The inquest revealed that Mr Amatto was lying on the kitchen floor, covered in his own blood and barely conscious.

“I can’t breathe,” he said before losing consciousness.

Mr Kell said the dog attack victim suffered cardiac arrest but was revived by paramedics and flown to Westmead Hospital.

He underwent several surgeries but did not regain consciousness.

Five weeks later, Mr. Amatto’s family made the heartbreaking decision to turn off his life support.

Mr Kell acknowledged the “tragic circumstances” of the 40-year-old’s death following the “gruesome” attack.

“Colin was very loved by his family,” he said.

“His death had a profound impact on her.”

Mr Amatto’s sister Kristy told reporters it had been a “really tough five years” since her brother succumbed to his injuries.

She said she hoped the investigation into his death and the deaths of six other dog attack victims would lead to a necessary change in animal welfare regulations.

“You see people being attacked by dogs all the time in the newspapers and the news,” Ms. Amatto said.

“I don’t want to see any more victims and I don’t want families to have to go through the trauma that we have.”

She called for the implementation of “all possible laws to protect people from deadly animal attacks.”

Mr Kell told the inquest that Mr Amatto’s intervention saved the woman and child from further serious injury and enabled them to leave the house.

“It’s obvious that (the woman and her daughter) are lucky to be alive,” he said.

In court, Ms Amatto said she was “very proud” of her brother.

“It was in his nature to care about other people,” she said.

The details of Mr Amatto’s death were revealed as part of an investigation into the circumstances of seven fatal dog attacks between 2019 and 2023.

The investigation, which has been running for weeks, is examining the response of local councils and police to fatal dog attacks to find out how further tragedies can be prevented.

Mr Kell said Mr Amatto had lived with the two dogs that killed him for almost a year before his death.

“He wrestled with Boof at times and it appears he slept with the dogs at night,” Mr Kell said.

While there were no issues during this time that would have raised alarm bells for Mr Amatto, Mr Kell noted that Boof had brutally attacked Barry Grant two years earlier.

On July 24, 2017, Mr Kell said the employee launched a “terrifying attack” on the real estate agent, grabbing his arm and dragging him into the backyard.

Mr Grant said he “started screaming” and tried to push the dog away, but Boof continued to jump at him.

“I thought he was going to disappear… but he didn’t. He just kept attacking and attacking and attacking,” he said.

“It seemed like he wanted to jump at my throat.”

The real estate agent estimated that the dog jumped on him 30 times, causing serious injuries to his hands, arms, legs and torso.

“He was very, very wild,” he said.

“Until it happens, you don’t realize how terrible it is.”

Mr Grant was rescued by a nearby teenager who heard his screams and fended off the dog with a child’s chair.

He was “seriously injured with wounds on his arms and legs,” said the then 15-year-old.

“He had severe bite wounds on his arms where flesh had been torn off and his clothing was pretty much destroyed,” the Good Samaritan told the inquest.

Boof was confiscated by authorities following the attack, but was eventually returned to his owner after he was found to have been protecting the property.

“It appears that neither NSW Police nor Penrith Council have taken any relevant action,” Mr Kell said.

The inquest continues on Tuesday before Deputy Coroner Carmel Forbes.