A SWAN Hill family has been left devastated after a vicious dog attack took the life of their beloved family pet.

Max, a 15-year-old King Charles cavalier, was enjoying a walk along the river precinct on January 12 held by a leash when the attack occurred.

His owners, who asked not to be named while Swan Hill Rural City Council conducts an investigation, stressed the importance of keeping dogs on a leash when out in public and ensuring that yards are secure so animals cannot get out.

Max and his owner often took a walk along the river, enjoying the walking track and nature.

On this day, Max's owner spotted a dog that was not on a leash.

He noted a man nearby and assumed it was his dog and continued walking.

Without warning, the off-leash dog attacked Max and his owner tried in vain to protect him but to no avail.

After the owner finally freed Max from the other dog, the off-leash dog then proceeded to continue to try to attack Max and his owner.

Max passed away shortly after in his distraught owner's arms.

The attack prompted a post from the family on social media and raised concerns from other dog owners who said the occurrence of attacks by off-leash dogs is concerning and not isolated.

On the same day, another dog owner was also walking along the river when an off-leash husky, with no owner in sight, approached.

"It was quite a scare and thankfully another man held the dog until we got far enough away but it made me very anxious," the owner said.

"As a regular walker along the river walk, I see many dogs off their leash when it is clearly signed dogs must be on a leash.

"I know owners say their dogs are harmless but we're not to know that.

"It breaks my heart to hear about Max so I hope awareness can be raised so that this doesn't happen again."

Max's family also hope that his death might save another life by bringing awareness to the problem.

"Owning a dog is a huge responsibility and people need to ensure they are trained, cared for and securely locked up at home," they said via a joint statement.

"Also, we would like to stress the importance of walking your dog on a secure lead.

"We lost our family pet of 15 years to a vicious dog attack while he was on his lead and the other dog was out with no owner in sight.

"We would hate for this to happen to someone else's pet or a child in the future."

The dog involved in Max's death has been seized by council and the owner located.

An investigation is underway and council expect it to be completed this week.

Among the people concerned about off-leash dogs were a group who had resigned themselves to not walking their dogs in busy areas and some who said they no longer take them out for walks at all for fear of attack.

While researching for this article, The Guardian received multiple accounts of dog attacks both relating to people's pets and themselves.