Call to ensure dogs are registered after fatal attack

A 66-year-old man died at his home at Allens Rivulet south of Hobart on Sunday night after suffering serious injuries to his legs.

A 64-year-old woman who also lived at the house was taken to hospital with serious leg injuries and is in a stable condition.

The dog, which was euthanased at the scene at the request of police, was not registered.

"(We) are unable to confirm the breed of dog involved in the incident, the dog appeared to be a type of, or similar to, a Rottweiler breed," a Kingborough Council spokeswoman said.

RSPCA Tasmania CEO Jan Davis urged people to make sure their dogs are registered, as required by law, and warned against tarnishing breeds with one brush.

"Every dog under the wrong circumstances has the risk of biting," she said on Wednesday.

"Most of the 'staffies' or 'rotties' I've ever met are gorgeous dogs."

Ms Davis said people should learn the body language of their pets to manage risk and make sure dogs are trained and socialised from a young age.

"We've seen a little bit over the last couple of years issues of people who got dogs during COVID who may not have had dogs before," she said.

"Dogs that during COVID, particularly as puppies, that weren't socialised well because we weren't allowed to go out.

"There is a bit of work to be done around how you can, later in an animal's life, socialise it safely with people and other animals."

Tasmania Police is investigating and preparing a report for the coroner.

Inspector Colin Riley on Monday said the decision to euthanise the dog wasn't taken lightly.

"Due consideration was given to the circumstances. We're very grateful no one else was injured, including our own staff and emergency services," he said.

Emergency services were called to the house around 10.40pm on Sunday by a neighbour who overheard the incident.

Kingborough Council general manager Gary Arnold said it was a tragedy for the rural community.

Australian Associated Press