It has actually long been said that Britain is a country of dog fans — more than a 3rd of UK homes share their home with man’s friend, according to World Animal Foundation information for 2022. But headings have actually been progressively controlled by dreadful reports of dog attacks on the general public.
On Friday, a 37-year-old man died from horrific head and neck injuries after he was assaulted by a dog in Leigh, Greater Manchester. The dog, who police referred to as positioning a “considerable threat” to the general public, was destroyed.
The Sun likewise reported today that 28-year-old Natasha Johnston, who was trampled while walking a pack of dogs in Caterham, Surrey, is thought to have actually been killed by her own American Bully XL. Ms Johnson died from “multiple penetrating dog bites to the neck” with witnesses declaring that the dogs the lady was paid to walk acted like “wolves”.
Overall, figures reveal there has actually been a disconcerting boost in dog attacks in recent years. FOI demands revealed in March that authorities records have actually seen a shocking 34 percent increase in events of out-of-control dogs triggering injury. In 2022, there were almost 22,000 cases of dog attacks — compare this to 16,000 in 2018, and it’s clear that Britain is, progressively, a country of dog attacks.
But what lags all this? How might they be avoided, and what does the general public requirement to understand to remain safe? Here, Express.co.uk talks to 3 specialists to discover.
FIND OUT MORE: Woman mauled to death ‘by her own American Bully XL’ while walking pack of dogs
Over the course of the COVID-19 lockdown, some three million puppies were bought as Britons looked for the business of a four-legged friend.
A research study by the Royal Veterinary College, released in August 2021, discovered that the pandemic likewise reproduced a brand-new type of dog owner.
The research study, that included more than 5,500 owners who purchased a dog in between March and December 2020, discovered that total, brand-new owners were less most likely to utilize trustworthy breeders or satisfy their brand-new dog prior to taking it home. They were, nevertheless, most likely to be newbie dog owners and were most likely to have kids.
The need frequently outstripped ethical buying with lots of dogs being imported or purchased from puppy farms.
Clinical animal behaviourist Rosie Bescoby informed Express.co.uk that prohibited puppy farming, a multi-million dollar market, puts dogs — and owners — at threat. Not just is the dog’s health a possible concern however their behaviour too. “They’re more likely to exhibit unwanted, undesirable behaviours,” she said.
These will be any techniques that reduce behaviour through worry, discomfort or pain such as electrical shock. In Wales, electrical dog collars are prohibited and owners who utilize them can deal with a jail sentence or a fine of as much as £20,000.
“Using these methods is a bit like putting a lid on a boiling pot, ultimately, behaviour will boil over,” Ms Bescoby said. “That isn’t dealing with why that dog is feeling fearful and anxious. If you’re using a painful method to correct a behaviour, that dog will start becoming more anxious because they will anticipate something painful happening to them.”
Children and victim
Quickfire realities
- Dog owners are lawfully required to keep their dogs under control in public and personal, consisting of in their houses and gardens.
- Owners can be prosecuted if a dog attacks somebody in its home unless the aggressor existed unlawfully.
- You need to never ever touch an unidentified dog without consulting the owner initially.
- If a dog is frightening you, the worst thing you can do is flee or make a scene. Stand still and high with your arms crossed.
- Don’t make eye contact or smile at an aggressive dog.
- Children need to be taught dog safety from a young age.
- Dogs need to be trained by a certified behaviouralist.
- If you’re worried about a dog, you can report it to the council’s dog warden service or the regional police force.
Tragically, dogs in the UK have actually killed a minimum of 4 kids considering that 2020. One of the most significant threat elements is a kid being left alone with a dog, or satisfying an unidentified dog and activating it in some method.
There are a great deal of “unknowns” in these situations, nevertheless, as what interaction happened prior to the attack occurred is frequently uncertain.
Ms Bescoby explained that this is intensified by the reality that the authorities will rather appropriately eliminate the dog after the event in order to guarantee public safety, however if a certified behaviourist might attempt and identify exactly what occurred, it might help stop these terrible events from persisting.
She included: “I have a strong feeling that predatory behaviour has quite a lot to do with some of the more recent attacks but we don’t know that for sure because we haven’t been able to assess the dogs.
“But that would be quite a useful thing to assess — when a victim is showing prey-type behaviour, does the dog switch into predatory or defensive — or are they reacting in fear.”
‘All dogs are predators’
In 1991, the Dangerous Dog Act was presented, prohibiting 4 types: Pit Bull Terriers, Japanese Tosas, Dogo Argentinos, and Fila Brasileiros. It was available in the wake of 11 dog attacks in simply one year. In 7 of the cases, the victims were kids.
Yet almost thirty years on, it appears to have actually had little effect as the variety of events has actually continued to increase.
In February, four-year-old Alice Stones was killed by a new family dog that authorities said was not a prohibited breed in a garden attack.
Week-old infant Harry Harper died from head injuries after he was mauled by the family’s “placid” seven-year-old jack russell in 2012.
Characterising dogs as unsafe or prohibited types is “detrimental” to individuals’s understanding of their animals, Ms Bescoby said.
She explained: “Ultimately, all dogs are predators, they can have very sharp teeth and have the potential to bite or kill something within the right size. Any dog can kill a person relative to its size and strength of them. Dogs are also lovely pets to have but we have to respect them.”
Rather than prohibiting types, lots of think owner education need to be prioritised, especially as lots of select other, comparable dog types that are legal. The American Bully — the breed said to have actually killed the dog walker in Caterham — has a “large fanbase” in the UK, according to Pets4Homes. But they are physiologically extremely comparable to the disallowed Pit Bull Terrier, Ms Bescoby explained.
Simon Spence KC, who represented an owner whose dog bit a Royal Mail postman, likewise questioned whether prohibiting types would have an effect as it will just motivate individuals to discover a method around it, such as through cross-breeding.
He informed Express.co.uk: “From a purely legal perspective, I can see huge difficulties in classifying dogs into legal and illegal dogs. This will also start to breed a black market in crossbred dogs who have slipped through the net. There is undoubtedly a dark web of dogs where people breed dogs for dog and cock fighting, in the same way, there’s unlicenced knuckle fighting.”
Instead, the owner’s duty seems the only sure method to manage the concern — which’s how events are seen in court, too.
Good owners and bad owners
There is a legal commitment that all dogs, no matter breed, are kept under control at all times in public and personal, that includes front and back gardens. Owners deal with prospective prosecution if their dog attacks somebody in their home, other than if that individual existed unlawfully, such as an intruder.
Stuart Snape, handling partner at Graham Coffey & Co. Solicitors who has years of experience in the law surrounding dog attacks, informed Express.co.uk that problems can be made when an attack has actually not yet taken place however when a dog’s behaviour shows that one might be on the horizon.
Mr Snape explained that lawfully, there has actually been a “gradual move” towards the concept that dogs are not naturally unsafe. He said: “The ownership of dogs and the way owners treat them can often be a greater problem than the breed itself.
“It goes without saying that as in all walks of life — there are good and bad owners. This is reflected in the sentencing guidelines where the culpability of owners is considered as part of the sentencing review.”
However, while guilt is thought about, Mr Spence questioned whether the law is “swinging too much away from dog owners”.
He said: “I do worry that the law has gone too far in the wrong direction. There was general consensus that the Dangerous Dog Act needed amending.”
Referring to the case he safeguarded for Richard Watson — who was brought to justice and lost after his “boxer-type” dog bit a postman’s fingers as he pressed mail through the letterbox when he was not home in 2017 — he said: “It’s essential for individuals to take duty for their animals however in my mind, locking a dog in its home is taking duty.
“You cannot assume the dog is going to behave under any given circumstances because obviously, we don’t fully understand the psychology of dogs. We pride ourselves on being a nation of dog lovers but I wonder whether the law is swinging too much away from dog owners.”
Should owners be needed to have licences for their dogs?
If a boost in careless dog ownership has actually contributed towards the issue, the reintroduction of dog licences has actually extensively been recommended as a possible option.
The Government eliminated them in England, Scotland and Wales in 1987 however they are still a legal requirement in Northern Ireland.
A brand-new research study by Johnson’s Veterinary Products discovered 71 percent of animal owners surveyed would want to pay a minimum of £38 for a dog licence in a quote to hinder careless owners.
While Mr Snap said he would “welcome” the concept, it is not likely that it can be imposed as it would need “upscaling of local officials” — which he said was among the reasons that it was withdrawed.
He included: “To see licensing as an answer to the problem of dangerous dogs is perhaps to misunderstand the cause: that irresponsible owners are increasingly seen as the problem. The very type of owner who is unlikely to engage in a licencing system.”
So how can the general public stay safe?
According to the specialists, the most essential thing to keep in mind when coming across a brand-new dog is not to touch it without asking the owner’s authorization.
Mr Snape said: “There seems to be an increasing misunderstanding that it is okay to approach dogs to stroke and pat them without checking with their owners first — especially by young children who can be encouraged by their parents to go and ‘give the dog a stroke’.
“Dogs sometimes react aggressively as a last resort and as a means of escape — adults and children crowding them and touching them can often be a catalyst for ordinarily friendly dogs to simply lash out.”
Parents are recommended to teach kids how to communicate with dogs and guarantee that they never ever rest on or get them. Ms Bescoby thinks that kids need to be taught about dogs simply as they have to do with getting knives out of the flatware drawer.
If stressed by a dog in public, the “worst thing” an individual can do is flee, yell or flap their hands. If a dog methods, it is recommended to stall with arms crossed.
She included: “Movement and shrieky noises could switch that dog into a predatory mode which is the worst thing you can do.”
Experts likewise state that if a dog is revealing indications of aggressiveness, do not look it in the eye as it will take that as an obstacle. Don’t smile as it might analyze as you baring your teeth.
When an owner purchases a brand-new puppy or a dog reveals indications of stress and anxiety or uncommon behaviour, it is suggested that they are required to a certified behaviouralist. The Animal Behaviour and Training Council has a complete list of specialists on their website.
You are likewise within your rights to report dogs you’re stressed over. You can make a report to the council’s dog warden service or the regional police force.
