Animal advice as dangerous-dog crimes hit a record

Exclusive: KM Media Group FoI request

Almost 750 crimes were committed last year where a person was found to be in charge of a dangerous dog – a massive 46-fold increase in five years.

Figures given to KentOnline following a Freedom of Information request reveal 745 offences were recorded of an owner or person in charge of a dog dangerously out of control causing injury in 2016.

Two more offences were logged of a person owning or being in charge of a dangerous dog that injured an assistance dog last year – one less than in 2015.

In contrast the total number of offences involving dangerous dogs logged in 2010 stood at 19, dropped to 16 in 2011, rose to 97 in 2012, jumped to 321 in 2013, reached 455 in 2014 and 597 in 2015.

RSPCA’s dog welfare expert Dr Samantha Gaines said: “Aggression in dogs is very complex and there are different reasons why a dog might bite, such as an underlying medical condition or injury, or fear of certain situations or circumstances.

“While, in general, the number of dog bite incidents per year are small, they can cause significant physical and psychological trauma to the person involved.

“The RSPCA believes it is vitally important that owners care for their dogs properly and ensure that they are happy and healthy.

“Providing the right training, interactions and experiences help shape well-rounded, happy, friendly dogs, but it is also crucial that people learn how to act around dogs and understand and respond to their body language and behaviour.

“This is especially the case with children as they can be very difficult for dogs to understand.

“Children often treat dogs like their friends using a lot of physical contact to express their affection, which dogs generally find threatening.

“It is therefore imperative that parents actively supervise their children when around dogs, looking for signs that their dog might be uncomfortable and in need of some space.

“They also need to teach their children how to behave and interact safely with dogs, whether it’s their own family pet or other dogs in public places or private homes and gardens.

“Any dog owners who have concerns about their pet’s behaviour should seek advice from their vet who may refer them to a clinical animal behaviourist.”

Sgt Ian Warner said: “The volume of recorded dog attacks has progressively increased from 2012 and to a large extent we believe this may be due to heightened public awareness of legislation relating to dangerous dog offences, changes to the legislation itself in 2014 and a change in recording practices within Kent Police.

“If a dog is deemed to be ‘dangerously out of control’ and has attacked or is likely to attack members of the public, police can arrange to have the animal seized. The police will then investigate the alleged offence.

“When Kent Police receives calls from dog owners who are concerned that their dog might be a dangerous breed, our dog unit is able to offer expert advice to either allay those fears or confirm that the dog would indeed be classed as a dangerous dog.”

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It is crucial that owners understand dogs’ body language and behaviour, says the RSPCA