[1andrew1]

There's a thoughtful piece here on Sky News worth a read. Excerpts below. Key issue is it seems to be no one's responsibility in government.

Why dogs attack: From TikTok trends to lockdown habits, what could be behind the rise in fatal dog bites

Two fatal dog attacks have already happened in 2023 - a dog walker mauled to death and then a four-year-old girl killed in her back garden. Last year saw a record 10 dog-related deaths, but what's behind the sudden rise?

What the numbers say

In the last 20 years, the number of adults needing hospital treatment after a dog bite has tripled.

The dog population has increased, but not enough to account for that huge jump - which means dogs are biting humans more than they used to. It's adults in particular where the change is seen.

Dr Tulloch wants dog attacks to be seen as a public health crisis, but said because they don’t clearly fall under anyone’s remit nobody in government has taken it on.

“It can't just be just education or just legislation is going to have to be a combination of things and ensuring … consistent messaging and everyone's on the same page with it.”

There are some simple fixes, he said, such as banning letter boxes from ground height to prevent some of the 32 attacks on postal workers that happen each week.

Ms Bescoby said breeding and importing dogs needed attention, as well as how the dog training industry is regulated because at the moment anyone can call themselves a behaviourist and potentially give out harmful advice.

https://news.sky.com/story/why-dogs-...bites-12800551