Zrinka Veljaca became a ranger at Domestic Animal Services in 2018 after a lifetime of connection to animals and dogs, in particular.
"I always wanted to give a voice to animals that couldn't actually get help," Ms Veljaca said.
She had previous experience with domestic animals but they were all very agreeable and non-aggressive. Her initial excitement soon wore off when a dog attacked her a few months into the new job.
"It completely took me by surprise," she said.
Ms Veljaca had been cleaning a border collie's pen when it jumped up, grabbed her left hand and punctured it. Her hand became infected and required surgery.
A few weeks later, she experienced a second dog attack. This time, it was Ms Veljaca's right leg that needed surgery.
"It caused a lot of damage ... it was painful to walk," she said.
It took a long time for her leg to stop hurting, but it has taken longer to psychologically heal.
Ms Veljaca said she had nightmares and began feeling hypervigilant around dogs.
She said she avoided areas with dogs and saw them as a "predators".
"The sound of a dog barking would scare me," she said.
She was eventually diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder and then medically discharged from working.
"I've sort of been forced to do nothing ... and truly digest it all," Ms Veljaca said.
How common are dog attacks?
The number of instances where people went to the emergency department with dog attack-related injuries has skyrocketed in the past decade.
Canberra Health Services data showed there were 95 such instances between 2012-2013. By 2021-2022, the number of instances had risen to 487.
Dr Sam Scanlan said it was not uncommon to see people coming in a few times a week with injuries from incidents with dogs.
However, he said it was rare to see "very serious" injuries and instances where children were involved were "quite uncommon".
Dr Scanlan, whose family owns a toy caboodle, has been the clinical director of Canberra Hospital's emergency department for about 20 years.
"For the most part, we see minor cuts, lacerations, typically to the extremity, so forearms, lower limbs. Quite often, it's from owners of dogs separating another dog from their dog," he said.
Other types of injuries which resulted in older dog owners going to the hospital were falls, he added.
"We see them every now and then. Those injuries are not coming from dog attacks but its coming from a dog that's got a bit excited and it's [become entangled] with the owner," he said.
Dog behaviour and body language
During her recovery, Ms Veljaca adopted a pitbull-cross - Harper. She said her new companion helped her build confidence and positive memories.
"Her temperament was just so beautiful," she said.
"It helped me come out of my shell and sort of have to get out there and socialise."
Ms Veljaca felt more people should learn about dog behaviour and body language.
Veterinarian and animal behaviourist Dr Isabelle Resch agrees. The expert said public education had not kept up, and no longer aligned with the changing role of dogs.
Dr Resch had seen "problematic" posts on social media where users normalised situations where dogs were uncomfortable. She warned this could add to the confusion of reading a dog's body language.
"When you see a lot of these photos of kids climbing all over the dog ... that dog's clearly saying, 'I'm not comfortable'. And we're just looking at it going, 'Isn't that cute? It's hilarious'," she said.
The expert said warning signs before a dog bite included a dog looking away, yawning, growling, licking their lips or blankly staring.
Better days
Dr Resch encouraged dog owners to work with a trainer who could teach them how to interact with their new pet.
Trainers or dog behaviourists can also do temperament assessments.
Ms Veljaca said these helped to test how dogs reacted in different situations and taught them appropriate behaviours.
Ms Veljaca wanted others who were suffering with PTSD to know better days would come.
"[PTSD sufferers] feel like there's no hope and nothing's ever going to change," she said.
"There's so many more amazing things that end up coming your way. You just have to get over the line."
