01/08/2026
DOG BITES GIRL INSIDE BUNNINGS
A routine trip to Bunnings turned terrifying this week after a young girl was bitten by a dog inside the Delacombe store, leaving her in hospital and the animal later being killed.
Emergency services raced to the Delacombe Bunnings about 11.10am on Wednesday following reports that a child had been attacked inside the store.
Paramedics treated the girl at the scene before taking her to Ballarat Base Hospital in a stable condition. Ambulance Victoria said she suffered a lower body injury.
In the hours after the incident, the dog's owners voluntarily surrendered the animal, which was put to death later that afternoon.
City of Ballarat director of development and growth Natalie Robertson confirmed the council will now investigate exactly what happened.
“The dog was voluntarily surrendered by its owners for euthanasia, which took place on Wednesday afternoon,” said Natalie.
She added the City of Ballarat would carry out a full investigation and could not comment further while inquiries were underway.
The frightening attack happened inside the busy hardware store, where customers are allowed to bring pets provided they are well-behaved and kept on a lead.
Bunnings said its thoughts were with the injured child and her family.
“We understand the child was bitten by a dog and was treated by emergency services before being taken to hospital for further assessment and treatment,” said a spokesperson.
“We will support the relevant authorities with their enquiries,” they added.
Questions are now likely to be asked about how the attack unfolded inside the store, and whether any changes are needed to rules allowing dogs into Bunnings outlets.
For now, the young girl is recovering in hospital, while investigators work to piece together the events that turned an ordinary shopping trip into a frightening ordeal.
EDIT: This article originally used the words “mauls” and “mauled”. It has since been updated to “bites” and “bitten” to more accurately reflect the information available. We apologise for the earlier wording.
