{"id":118083,"date":"2023-08-19T07:00:30","date_gmt":"2023-08-19T07:00:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lasixlineon.com\/?p=118083"},"modified":"2023-08-19T07:00:30","modified_gmt":"2023-08-19T07:00:30","slug":"dog-attacks-rising-due-to-pandemic-puppies-as-experts-surprised-theres-not-more","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lasixlineon.com\/world-news\/dog-attacks-rising-due-to-pandemic-puppies-as-experts-surprised-theres-not-more\/","title":{"rendered":"Dog attacks rising due to pandemic puppies as experts surprised theres not more"},"content":{"rendered":"
The UK's dog attack epidemic is being fuelled by pandemic pets as terrifying data shows the full extent of year-on-year increases since lockdown.<\/p>\n
A 'ticking timebomb' of impulse dog buying, the return to work, and the often traumatic way puppies have been brought into the world are combining to forge an increase in attacks \u2013 with some experts surprised there are so few of them.<\/p>\n
This week Farrah-Leigh Nichol,<\/u>five, was rushed to hospital and left needing a skin graft following a dog attack outside a Teeside supermarket.<\/p>\n
READ MORE: Disneyland security dog 'savagely attacked grandad and ripped open his stomach'<\/b><\/p>\n
But what makes Farrah-Leigh\u2019s harrowing incident so concerning is that she's just the latest in a long line of victims as Brits own more dogs than ever before.<\/p>\n
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UK Pet Food<\/u>, the preferred data source for major charities like Dogs Trust, claim there are roughly 12 million dogs thought to be in the country and in around 31% of our homes. <\/p>\n
The number of dog households has been consistently above 30% since 2021 \u2013 tying in neatly with the Covid pandemic. Before that the number was in the mid-to-low 20s.<\/p>\n
Robert Bays, canine behaviourist and training manager at Battersea Dogs Home said: \u201cSince Covid we are confident that we have seen a rise in first-time dog ownership in the UK.<\/p>\n
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"We know from research that 77% of dogs that were purchased in Covid were puppies which suggests that there's a huge rise in breeding.<\/p>\n
\u201cDog breeding was such a lucrative market in the pandemic but that did lead to huge amounts of unlicensed or unregulated breeding with puppies being born in not necessarily the most suitable environments.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat obviously then affects their early socialisation and their early experiences which can have an impact on them later in life,\u201d Mr Bays added.<\/p>\n
\u201cLike with people if you were to experience a traumatic event when you're a child or humans experience something stressful in life, it might affect how you perceive the situation in the future."<\/p>\n
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Tragic dog finally adopted after 500 days \u2013 only to be returned after one week<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Never mind the breed, put simply dog attacks are on the rise. TheBritish Medical Journal<\/u>reported in April 2023 that the number of incidents has been growing at an alarming rate since lockdown.<\/p>\n
The clearest data relating to dog attacks is found in hospital attendance, which the BMJ says have increased from 4,699 in 2007 to 8,819 in 2021-2022. That's a rise of 88%.<\/p>\n
The other clear indicator is fatal attacks, with three people dying on average per year in the UK from dog attacks. In 2022 that number was 10, four of which were children.<\/p>\n
And without a change in how we educate and interact with our pets, it's only going to get worse.<\/p>\n
Mr Bays added: \u201cLots of people got dogs for maybe for the first time during the pandemic. But their lifestyles are going to look really different now.<\/p>\n
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\u201cPeople were thrust into working from home with their dogs and able to spend every waking moment with them.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat's obviously changed quite substantially now with the world getting back to normal.\u201d<\/p>\n
He added: \u201cDogs lived isolated lives having already missed out on important socialisation during their puppy and adolescent periods that would have played a huge role in development and behaviour.\u201d<\/p>\n
Much of the debate and theorising centres around specific breeds being culpable for disproportionality high numbers of attacks.<\/p>\n
But animal charities are desperately campaigning to have the approach to dangerous dogs overhauled. They demand a greater focus on education for owners rather than isolating dangerous breeds.<\/p>\n
Hospital data, which is the most reliable source of information for dog attacks, doesn\u2019t record the type of canine involved in the incident.<\/p>\n
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\u201cWhile we've seen a rise in dog attacks, we don't actually know that that is related to a specific breed,\u201d Mr Bays explained.<\/p>\n
\u201cUnfortunately, the bully-type breeds are in the media eye a bit more, which obviously then alters the perception that the increase is down to them."<\/p>\n
He added: \u201cWe do believe that the Dangerous Dogs Act should be doing more to prevent all attacks, focusing more on educating the public, and actually trying to highlight these reasons as to why there may be an increase.\u201d<\/p>\n
This desire was echoed by Dr Ed Hayes of The Kennel Club who are part of the Dog Control Coalition looking into and researching policies and methods to \u201ctrack and trace\u201d dangerous dogs in a bid to cut off violence before they get to the stage of an actual attack.<\/p>\n
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\u201cUnfortunately, the numbers attending hospital have been rising year on year,\u201d explained Dr Hayes.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat tends to be an underlying cause for a lot of dog aggression is poorly trained and not properly socialized dogs\u201d. <\/span><\/p>\n
Ira Moss, general manager at All Dogs Matter, is on the frontline \u2013 and sees her charity being swamped by now unwanted bully-type dogs.<\/p>\n
She said: \u201cWe\u2019re getting about 10 calls a day of people saying I need to rehome my XL bully. I\u2019m scared of the dog\u201d.<\/p>\n
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She told of how much of the dog-buying market now exists online, with no regulation. This is leading to unregistered breeders running amok. <\/p>\n
She added: \u201cYou might as well just advertise guns and drugs online for sale \u2013 these are 45 to 50kg dogs that have often been bought by people during lockdown and most that people are trying to offload. <\/p>\n
"They are between one and two years old after being bought in lockdown.<\/p>\n
\u201cA lot of them were bought by people who \u2013 if they were trying to get them through us \u2013 we would probably only recommend a hamster to.\u201d<\/p>\n
She continued: \u201cThese are really powerful dogs and they\u2019re often moved about from post to post. They\u2019re confused, they\u2019re stressed, people aren't walking them, they\u2019re putting them in gardens and in some places they\u2019re being left in flats and used for breeding.\u201d<\/p>\n
Shockingly, she added: \u201cTo be honest I\u2019m surprised there are as few dog attacks as there are\u201d.<\/p>\n
To get more stories from Daily Star delivered straight to your inbox sign up to one of our free newsletters<\/i> here.<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n
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