Almost 250 dog attacks – almost five a week – were reported to the ACT government in the past year, with 153 resulting in hospital treatment and 116 dogs seized.

The figure for 2014-15 is slightly lower than the ACT's average of 260 dog attacks a year, and significantly below the previous year's count of 379 dog attacks.

However, more people ended up in hospital in 2014-15 than the year before.

The recent slaughter of a family chihuahua and shredding of its owner's hand by two dogs has "opened up old wounds" for the father of a child whose face was mauled under similar circumstances.

Jack Hartigan was savaged by two American pit bull terriers – who ripped the skin from his head and exposed his skull, damaged his eye, and tore open his face – when his playdate hosts visited a friend's Griffith home in late 2010.

He was forced to bravely endure 17 procedures to repair the damage over the past five years.

The Hartigans have launched legal action against the ACT government in the ACT Supreme Court over the savage attack.

Father Patrick feels a stab in his heart every time a report of a fresh attack surfaces.

"When we hear about a kid getting hurt, it opens old wounds because we know first-hand what the kid and their parents are going through," he said.

"How long the treatment is going to take, how it affects the child … People think that it's bad, but unless you know someone affected, you don't know about the physical and mental scars."

Children who are severely hurt by dog bites are prone to developing post traumatic stress disorder, according to a study published in the Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health.

Tough new laws were introduced into the ACT last year and owners of dogs that cause serious injury face fines of up to $15,000 or a year in prison.

But it is not enough for Mr Hartigan, who said "something has to be done" to stop the brutal attacks that continue to occur.

"It you've got a big dog then you need a big cage to keep them in so they can't get out," he said.

"As parents, we suffer in silence to see your kid injured. It's upsetting and it's there for life."

According to veterinary behaviourist Dr Cam Day, three-quarters of dog attacks occur on boys, 60 per cent of injuries occur in the home or garden, and about one in seventeen cases in Australia require hospital treatment.

He said parents should consider breeds and temperaments when choosing dogs for family pets.

Canberra barrister Jason Moffett said he's witnessed a rise in people who have been attacked by dogs and that some are not aware of the compensation they can receive.

"For injuries sustained by young children, or people, generally compensation can include the cost of treatment for ambulance and hospital bills or attendances upon the family doctor," he said.

People should also understand the government can remove dangerous dogs "when conditions are not complied with by the keepers", said Canberra lawyer Sam Tierney, from Ken Cush and Associates.

While there are no dangerous dog breeds declared in the ACT, individual dogs are assessed on behaviour and history. In the past year, 116 dogs were seized in the territory.