There were 36 dog attacks in the first six months of the year, according to the Office of Local Government.

Of those, eight were classified as serious, that is the person who was attacked required medical treatment or hospitalisation.

The number of serious incident in Dubbo was higher than other areas in the region, including Orange, where there were four, and Bathurst at five.

An attack is classified as any incident where a dog rushes at, attacks, bites, harasses or chases a person or animal. It doesn’t include a dog rushing at or chasing vermin.

For the full financial year there were 83 attacks, of which 14 were serious. There were also 108 animals attacked.

However Dubbo Regional Council manager environmental control Debbie Archer said the rangers also responded to a high number of calls about dangerous or aggressive animals.

“There were 229 last financial year so there’s quite a lot [of incidents] that people are concerned about that didn’t progress to an attack,” Ms Archer said.

The number of attacks had increased from the previous year, she said, but it probably reflected the merger with Wellington.

“It’s still a lot higher than we would like,” Ms Archer said.

The most common incident came from dogs that weren’t secured, the manager environmental control, said. To prevent attacks she said dogs should be kept in a secured yard, they should also be on a lead when taken for a walk.

Ensuring the pet was kept active, and therefore not bored and looking to escape during the day, would also make a difference, Ms Archer said.

Those without pets could also play a role.

“Be aware of other dogs around you. You may assume that it’s going to be a friendly dog but it might not be,” Ms Archer said.