A survey of guide dog owners by Guide Dogs NSW/ACT found half of them had been involved in incidents where their dog was attacked.

The worst offenders (78 per cent) were dogs off lead.

And 34 per cent said their dogs had been injured in the attack with one having to be retired because of the trauma suffered in an attack.

Orange-based handler Matthew Goodacre said he and his guide dog Obie regularly faced distractions.

“I have been lucky enough not to have experienced a dog attack, but myself and my guide dog Obie come up against distractions from other dogs constantly, particularly off-lead dogs,” he said.

“It’s really frustrating as it takes you totally by surprise.

“My advice to dog owners would be to keep your dog on lead and under control when out in public.

“If you see a guide dog and their handler respect that the guide dog is working, give them space and try not to let your dog interact with them.”

Guide Dogs NSW/ACT chief executive officer Dale Cleaver said the dogs cost more than $35,000 to train and played a vital role.

“It’s really worrying so many guide dogs are still being attacked or distracted by off-lead pet dogs, especially when this is a recurrent topic among our community awareness campaigns,” Mr Cleaver said.