A court is poised to decide the fate of a dog that was declared dangerous after a woman was badly mauled at Albion Park, in a case that has divided opinion south of Wollongong.

The dog, a white German Shepherd named Shadow, won hundreds of supporters when it became the subject of a sympathetic petition calling for it to be spared from a strict caging requirement which its owner says is tantamount to a death sentence.

But Oak Flats' Jodi Taafe, who was left with a sickening 5cm-wide hole in her leg, refutes the account given by Shadow's owner and says council made the correct declaration.

Ms Taafe was walking her dog on a council footpath on November 8 when she came within about five metres of Shadow, whose leash was in the hand of a teenaged family friend of his owner, Ivanka Feher.

Ms Taafe said the boy was unable to restrain the distinctive blonde dog as it lunged at her dog, Izzy, described as a young half-American, half-English staffy. She says she was knocked over as Shadow flew into a "fit of rage" and "literally chewed through my lower leg to try and get at my dog".

"My main concern was getting that dog off me and getting it away from my dog and keeping it down at my feet; I was worried my face was going to get mauled at one stage," she said.

"I was petrified and thought for sure my dog or myself were about to die."

Ms Taafe said the teen was eventually able to pull Shadow away and she was able to get up.

"I had no pain at first - it must have been the adrenaline or shock. When I was walking home I started to feel something. I looked down at all the blood and nearly fainted and wondered, 'am I ever going to make it home?'. My partner went out the next day and there was whole trail of blood all the way home.

"I went straight to the hospital because I was losing too much blood. I got into the triage and he [the nurse] goes, 'oooh ... I'm going to get someone to see you straight away. We're going to have to get plastics to have a look."

Ms Taafe spent six nights in hospital, undergoing two surgeries. She continued visiting a community nurse every 2-3 days for another nine weeks, for dressing changes.

She said she suffered flashbacks and nightmares and had only recently regained the courage to take her dog for walks again.

"Whenever I hear a dog bark in its yard, my heart races," she said.

"But what's stressing me out more than anything is that everyone on social media thinks the dog [Shadow] is a saint and I just got a nip."

Under a dangerous dog declaration issued by Shellharbour council, Shadow must now wear a special collar and cannot go out without a muzzle. From February 25, he must be kept in a compliant enclosure - a cage - at all other times.

Opposing the decision, Ms Feher created a petition which has been shared on social media and signed by more than 700 people. In it, she writes that Shadow "went to play with a dog that was not socialised" on November 8, and that the other dog "charged". She claimed Shadow "protected himself" in an ensueing fight and that the Ms Taafe was bitten twice, but not necessarily by Shadow.

"Shadow did get a nip in but getting blamed for both bites," the petition says. "I have asked for medical proof but they will not disclose."

Ms Feher will challenge the council decision in court later this month in the hope that Shadow's status will be downgraded to "menacing". She told the Mercury she does not oppose the muzzle requirement, but that a life caged would be - for Shadow - no life at all.

"I would have to put him down - not by law, but Shadow's always been an outdoor dog so to lock him up - it will break him. I've done research [indicating] it will make a dog aggressive. They will torture themselves, being locked in a cage," she said.

"He sleeps inside, so once that regulation kicks in, he can't even come inside like he used to. His life's already changed because he had to get used to the muzzle, but I don't think it's fair to lock up a dog for something that should have been prevented."

Ms Feher said she had worked with a dog behaviourist in the past and continued to do so.

The matter is to be decided at Albion Park Local Court on February 24.