Figures recently released show a huge increase in dog bite admissions to Hospitals.
The figures for the last year have been compared to the same period 10 years ago and show a 76% increase. This is despite Dangerous Dogs legislation to control certain breeds of dogs traditionally raised for their aggressive nature.
This suggests that it is the dog owners, rather than the dogs themselves, that are to blame for the increase in attacks by dogs. After all, every single dog has an owner who is responsible for it.
It may be that the “Nature versus Nurture” debate that is so popular when it comes to children – programmes such as ‘Supernanny’ and ‘Born Naughty’ are prime examples – may be debated again in respect of dogs.
It is perhaps worth remembering that a dog owner is potentially liable to criminal punishment for the actions of their dogs – but also liable to pay their victim’s compensation through the Civil Courts – if the owner knew about a dog’s temperament.
A dog charity is frustrated that the Government legislation has been ineffective in preventing these attacks in the first place – which can often be horrific and result in life-changing injuries. It may well be that what is required is action – anyone attacked by a dog should contact the police and also a lawyer, criminal and financial responsibility may well be the way to make sure that the number of attacks begin to reduce rather than continue to increase.
Richard Clegg, Personal Injury Specialist
