Dog assaults recorded by police in Kent, Surrey and Sussex have risen 38% since 2018, in response to new figures.
Offences the place a canine was dangerously uncontrolled inflicting harm to a person or information canine rose from 2,083 in 2018 to 2,884 in 2023.
Nationally the BBC has found assaults have risen 21% within the final 12 months.
The National Police Chiefs’ Council says there was elevated reporting by the general public.
Surrey Police recorded 38% extra assaults over 5 years, in Sussex circumstances rose by a 3rd, whereas in Kent there was a 32% improve.
Adur District councillor Gabe Crisp was attacked by a dog on a doorstep whereas canvassing.
Ms Crisp mentioned the canine grabbed her by the left arm, injuring it by biting by 4 ‘thick’ layers of garments, then additionally biting her hand, inflicting her to bleed.
She informed the BBC’s Local Democracy Reporting Service: “I used to be extraordinarily shocked and in loads of ache, plus a bleeding hand.”
Despite ending up in A&E she mentioned “fortunately” no nerve or tendon harm had been executed to her hand.
Dogs purchased within the pandemic have excessive charges of downside behaviours reminiscent of separation anxiousness and aggression in the direction of different pets, a Royal Veterinary College study suggests.
Ownership has additionally grown in response to the People’s Dispensary for Sick Animals, which estimates there have been 11 million dogs within the UK in 2023, up 8% in a single yr.
Jackie Murphy, a canine coach from Borden in Kent, mentioned elevated possession and an absence of socialisation through the coronavirus lockdowns might have contributed to the rise in assaults.
“We have been clearly restricted on going out, some trainers did provide Zoom coaching, however for almost all of householders it is a bodily factor to deliver your canine into class and that may have a greater impression on socialising round individuals, as a result of most of your kind of management over your canine, you have to be in an out of doors atmosphere,” mentioned Jackie.
A National Police Chiefs’ Council spokesperson mentioned: “The Dangerous Dogs Working Group has been working throughout the nation to sort out the problem of canine assaults.
“As a results of this focus, we now have seen a rise within the variety of individuals reporting incidents to police.
“We consider a few of this might be attributed to dogs bought throughout lockdown who missed out on key socialisation and have then turn into too troublesome to deal with in maturity.”
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