Lethal assaults by dogs soar to report excessive as campaigners warn ban on XL bullies doesn’t go far sufficient

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Fatal dog attacks have surged to a report excessive within the final two years as campaigners, victims’ households and animal charities warn changes to the law don’t go far sufficient.

There have been 16 deaths by canine bites recorded to date this yr, greater than double the six fatalities in 2022. Between 1991 and 2021, the quantity by no means went above 5, according to data from the Office for National Statistics.

The improve has been blamed on a rise in dog ownership sparked by Covid – 11 million in 2023 in comparison with 9.6 million in 2021, according to charity PDSA – with puppies bred and smuggled from overseas with little care for his or her welfare.

The total variety of canine assaults has additionally soared. Figures obtained by The Independent from police forces in England and Wales present there was an almost 60 per cent rise within the final 5 years.

A government ban on the XL bully breed is because of come into impact on Sunday. But consultants warn the transfer focuses an excessive amount of on a single breed and an entire overhaul of the Dangerous Dogs Act is required, with requires licencing and harder punishments for irresponsible house owners.

Concerns have additionally been raised that the XL bully ban may very well be undermined by the variety of house owners receiving an exemption: the vast majority of 4,000 functions to date have been approved by Defra.

Figures present that as much as 31 October this yr, there have been simply over 14,300 circumstances of out-of-control dogs inflicting harm, recorded by 26 of the UK’s 43 police forces. This is up from 9,100 in the identical 10-month interval in 2019, and a year-on-year improve from 2020, when there have been 9,300 reported; 2021, when there have been 10,600; and 2022, when there have been 12,100.

This yr’s assaults embrace the mauling to death of father-of-two Ian Price by two American XL bullies outdoors his mom’s home in Walsall, West Midlands, in September. In January, four-year-old Alice Stones was killed by a dog in her again backyard in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire.

Emma Whitfield’s son Jack Lis was killed by an XL bully as he went to go to a good friend in his hometown of Caerphilly in South Wales two years in the past. The mom arrived on the home to see her 10-year-old son’s lifeless physique being carried out by cops.

Since his demise and the following imprisonment of the canine’s proprietor, the 34-year-old has been on a crusade to overtake the Dangerous Dog Act in her son’s title.

“Jack was a wonderful young boy who was visiting a friend when out of nowhere he was attacked and killed by a dangerous, out-of-control dog – this should never have happened,” Ms Whitfield instructed The Independent.

“My son was failed at every step; from the breeding of an aggressive dog to the giving away of the dog on Facebook without any checks to the irresponsible ownership before the attack. He didn’t have a chance. All I want is for the government to wake up and carry out a review of the current legislation because it simply isn’t working. The rise in the number of attacks tells you that.”

Breeds already banned underneath the Dangerous Dogs Act are American pitbull terriers, Japanese tosas, dogo Argentinos and fila Brasileiros.

Last month, MPs took half in a fiery debate on the upcoming ban on XL bullies in parliament, with some, together with Tory backbenchers, strongly criticising the federal government’s dealing with of the laws.

From Sunday, it will be illegal to promote or rehome the breed earlier than possession turns into banned with out a certificates of exemption on 1 February.

Conservative MP Sir Christopher Chope mentioned the ban was one of many worst items of laws introduced ahead by the federal government, describing it as a knee-jerk response to newspaper headlines.

Speaking to The Independent, he mentioned: “Thousands of people, along with animal body alliances and experts, are saying that a ban on a breed is simply not the answer but we’re not being listened to and I’m frankly very disappointed,” he mentioned.

“We are picking on a particular breed instead of doing what all informed opinion is asking for, which is to look back at the legislation itself and legislate against those who have allowed their dogs, of whatever breed, to get out of control and attack people. The problem is not XL bully, it’s a lack of responsible ownership.”

Welsh Labour MP Jack Sargeant suffered a daunting attack when two Staffordshire bull terriers went for him and his canine, Coco, whereas walking in a park in Cardiff in September.

He desires irresponsible house owners to be stopped earlier than assaults take place and says checks ought to be completed on matching dogs with house owners by breeders.

He mentioned: “It’s clear we need more than a concentration on the breeds, I’d like to see more of an onus to be on responsible dog ownership and for the police to take incidents a lot more seriously. We have a real problem with dog attacks and the XL bully ban alone will not sort this.”

The RSPCA desires a return to a licencing scheme for dogs, abolished within the UK in 1988, so native authorities and police can maintain observe of dogs, of all breeds, with coaching for house owners.

Sam Gains, head of companions, animal science and coverage, mentioned: “When we look at what causes aggressive behaviour what we see is that it is down to a very complex mix of ownership, husbandry, genetics and the dog’s life experience. If you ban a dog breed, we don’t see the research to suggest it will improve public safety against attacks.”

Asked in regards to the rise of assaults, she mentioned it was tough to pin down one cause however highlighted the affect of the pandemic when there was a surge in curiosity from folks eager to personal a canine.

“The UK could not meet the demand,” she mentioned. “And so we saw a large number of puppies brought into the UK. The dogs bred and raised outside the UK were often not bred to the same standard in the UK, and we saw them bred in high volume and low welfare conditions from eastern Europe in particular, which can lead to behaviour problems including aggression.”

Under the Dangerous Dogs Act, it’s an offence to permit a canine of any breed to be dangerously uncontrolled. Owners might be jailed for as much as 14 years if their canine kills somebody.

The National Police Chiefs’ Council mentioned it was centered on tackling the rise in canine assaults. The physique, which represents police forces, mentioned there have been 1,200 dogs in custody for assaults in September, with 21 per cent being XL American bullies.

A Defra spokesperson mentioned it was specializing in guaranteeing the prevailing powers to sort out canine assaults have been utilized throughout all breeds of canine, with possession coaching provided and information assortment being improved.

They added: “We have also taken quick and decisive action to protect the public from tragic dog attacks by adding the XL bully type to the list of dogs prohibited under the Dangerous Dogs Act to reduce the risks to the public posed by this type.”

Police officers can take motion in opposition to a canine proprietor underneath the Dangerous Dogs Act or the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act, launched in 2014. The RSPCA says the thresholds for pre-emptive motion is just too low, whereas magistrates and judges not often serve the utmost penalties.

The Labour Party says it could overview the record of harmful breeds underneath the Dangerous Dogs Act however stops in need of saying the complete laws must be checked out.