KIDS’ DOG BITE OPS SOARING
TWO children need surgery every day after attacks by savage dogs.
Last year, 724 under-tens needed a cosmetic operation on the NHS after being bitten.
Young children and babies are the most likely to require surgery.
Over the last ten years the number of children aged under five needing an op after a dog attack has gone up 18%.
In total, last year there were 7,518 hospital appointments in England for people injured by dogs – that’s up 60% in a decade.
A spokesman for the charity Dogs Trust said: “It is important to remember that the majority of the estimated 8.5million dogs in the UK live happy, peaceful lives with their responsible owners.
“However, we strongly believe that clear, targeted legislation is needed to identify and deal with those owners who fail to take action to control their dogs.
“Dogs Trust hopes that compulsory micro-chipping will improve the traceability of irresponsible dog owners, but more needs to be done.
“The charity will continue to look for reform in existing dog control laws until we are satisfied that any new measures are preventative and effective, and ultimately protect both dogs and people alike.”
British Veterinary Association senior vice president Gudrun Ravetz said: “Any dog of any size has the capacity to be aggressive and dangerous, particularly when it is not properly trained or socialised.
“We have long campaigned for a total overhaul of the 1991 Dangerous Dogs Act because it targets specific breeds rather than deeds, and gives a false impression that dogs not on the banned list are ‘safe’.”
In April this year an 18-month-old girl had her face bitten and her scalp ripped off when she was attacked in Chatham, Kent.
Medics attempted to reattach her scalp but were unable to save it and she has needed skin grafts.
And in June, 35-year-old Andrew McGowan was sentenced to 18 months in prison after his dogs escaped and attacked a two-year-old girl.
She suffered head and body injuries after being savaged by the pack of four American bulldogs in Dingle, Liverpool.
In a victim impact statement, her mum described seeing her daughter in an ambulance “covered in blood”.
She said: “I could not make out any of her facial features…I honestly thought my baby girl wasn’t going to make it.”
She said her daughter had been left traumatised, was too scared to leave her home and was haunted by her memories of the attack.