Two dogs living on a property owned by the US embassy in Canberra will be deported after attacking two more people on Wednesday night, the latest in a string of attacks linked to the animals since September last year.
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The German Shepherds were seized by authorities following the latest attack in Stirling on a 15-year-old girl and her father who were on their way to the teen's high school formal.
In October, the same dogs escaped the Lochee Place property and attacked two women and a four-year-old girl, but investigations by ACT Domestic Animal Services had been slowed by diplomatic considerations.
Neighbours told The Canberra Times they had been raising concerns about the dogs with the embassy and ACT authorities for more than a year, following the mauling of a neighbour's Jack Russell in 2016.
One of the dogs' owners is understood to be a US diplomat, and was reportedly out of the country when the dogs were seized.
An ACT government spokeswoman confirmed authorities attended the scene of the latest attack and impounded the dogs on Wednesday.
"The owners of the dogs are making arrangements to export [them] out of Australia and the two dogs will remain impounded at DAS until these arrangements are finalised," the spokeswoman said.
The 15-year-old Stromlo High student is understood to have been visiting a friend at the house to prepare for her year 10 formal when she was attacked.
About 5pm her father arrived to collect his daughter and, when she returned to the house to collect her phone, the dogs shot out the front door.
A witness said they attacked her on the front step. As the girl lifted her formal dress to spare it from the dogs' teeth and claws, the animals began biting her legs and backside.
Seeing the attack, the father ran to his daughter's aid and was also set upon, receiving similar injuries to his legs and buttocks.
Shocked neighbours began screaming at the owners, who rushed out of the house to pull the dogs back inside.
Despite her injuries the young woman attended her formal at the Hyatt Hotel on Wednesday night, but both she and her father later received medical treatment for bites and deep bruising.
A neighbour said the attack was "very loud" and distressing, and rangers attended the scene soon after.
Both DFAT and the US embassy confirmed they were aware of the incident.
During the attacks in October, Stirling woman Livia Auer was also bitten on her legs and backside by one of the dogs. Less than an hour earlier, the dog attacked a woman and her four-year-old daughter who had been playing out the front of their house.
No action had been taken against the dogs until Wednesday and Ms Auer said authorities told her last month that investigations had hit a "roadblock" due to what she believed to be a claim of diplomatic immunity.
Foreign diplomats in Canberra are not compelled to cooperate with investigations by domestic animal services, and rangers had been unable to enter the property after the October attacks.
If the dogs are owned by a diplomat, the owner is entitled to immunity from Australia's criminal and civil jurisdiction, DFAT confirmed.
Last month, the department denied such a claim of immunity had been made but said it was in contact with the AFP and the US embassy about the matter.
A spokeswoman said DFAT "regularly reminds" foreign diplomats that they are expected to respect Australia's laws and regulations.
This week, authorities gained increased powers to seize dogs they deem dangerous following the passage of the ACT government's new dangerous dog laws.
Ms Auer, who has now launched legal action against the owners of the dogs said she was relieved the German Shepherds were no longer at the property as she had been living in fear of stepping out her front door for months.
On Thursday, she walked her assistance dog Peppa for the first time since the attack.
Do you know more? Get in touch: sherryn.groch@fairfaxmedia.com.au
