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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Dog attacks still increasing - is it time to bring back proper licensing?

137 replies

NewHome2026 · 08/10/2025 11:14

Article in the BBC this morning

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cvgvy2yyv8mo

If it were me I would make it like a driving license, you have to pass a test and you get points if you violate the rules. Too many points and your dog is taken away.

The XL Bully ban was too soft and ineffective - if anyone could get an exemption, what is the point of it? I would say that they should have all been destroyed but i don’t think that stops the bigger problem of people owning inappropriate animals for their lifestyle or experience…and inventing a new muscly status dog. Nobody needs a dog bred for fighting so playing this game of whack-a-mole is pointless.

Montage image showing an XL bully dog and a demonstration by those opposing a ban on the breed

Why dog attacks are still rising - even after the XL bully ban

With close to 32,000 dog attacks recorded in England and Wales last year, is there a better solution?

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cvgvy2yyv8mo

OP posts:
LlynTegid · 09/10/2025 08:05

I would change the law in a simple way. If a dog harms someone, treat is as if you harmed the person yourself. Apply the legal concept of joint enterprise, so if your dog injures someone such that hospital treatment is needed, it is GBH as a minimum.

thisishowloween · 09/10/2025 08:14

NewHome2026 · 08/10/2025 21:55

I disagree with this. Obviously the sort of nefarious people who deliberately own scary dogs and use them in gang wars won’t be deterred but there is a large spectrum between these people and those actually responsible dog owners including many who call themselves responsible but fail to do proper training, or respect the boundaries of other people who are not interested in interacting with their dog. These are people who are generally law abiding and accidents with these sorts of dogs would be reduced through proper licensing and regulation. Not all dog attacks are by dogs owned by thugs who train them to be aggressive. Many are from dogs owned by normally nice people who have a blind spot when it comes to their dog.

I know the kind of people you’re referring to but honestly I just don’t think a dog license will make any kind of difference.

Most people don’t report minor altercations as is is - and even when they do, the police aren’t going to be interested unless the attack puts someone in hospital (or it happens to make the local paper for some reason).

I like the idea of a license I’m just not convinced it would make the slightest bit of difference. It will be almost impossible to police and nobody is going to be scanning chips and checking information until the attack happens and is reported - and by then it’s too late anyway.

hattie43 · 09/10/2025 08:17

NewHome2026 · 09/10/2025 07:46

@hattie43 I disagree. There is a large range between undesirable lawless people who breed dogs for fights and perfect responsible owners. You are right the licence wouldn’t tackle the first category but it would deal with a lot of people who are generally law abiding and would call themselves responsible but their dog is an u trained menace. Applying a “dog tax” would give more money to deal with incidents and it might lead to fewer dogs over all which is now bad thing considering the amount of people who own one inappropriate to their accommodation or lifestyle.

I always think it’s the law abiding and responsible that have to pay for the feckless minority . Rather than the majority being clamped down on why not just make it illegal to own a ‘ fierce ‘ breed if you live in a flat of have no large outside garden etc etc , have a criminal record etc etc . Breeders should be held legally responsible to who they sell to . Ban puppy / dog advertising on gum tree type places . Anything to stop the feckless owning the wrong dogs .

EdithStourton · 09/10/2025 08:56

WiddlinDiddlin · 09/10/2025 03:51

  • how? based on what criteria? in their keeping - where exactly? Police haven't had stray kennels for decades now, council contracted pounds are rammed, and not all have the facilities to take seized dogs anyway. Do you understand how much this would cost the taxpayer, on top of the current astronomical costs for housing dogs whilst they wait for court hearings?
  • I would agree with a more cohesive reporting system - currently some hospitals will report any dog related injury as a bite, because that is all their forms allow for. I fell over a dog (and then down the stairs) and my torn ligaments went down as a bite which I said at the time was fucking stupid... but thats the box they had to tick. It would be GREAT if ALL emergency medics could rate bite wounds on the Dunbar Bite Scale (this is what behaviourists use to categorise bites).
  • Vets are not behaviourists unless they've completed a Veterinary Behaviour qualification (there are a handful of these in the UK) or are a Clinical Animal Behaviourist, alongside their veterinary qualification. Most vets are not qualified, nor have the facilities, to accurately assess behaviour and to do the job properly you really need the dog housed somewhere suitable, and multiple visits.
  • How would this work with the generally non-aggressive but tall breeds - or can we kiss goodbye to Deerhounds, Wolfhounds, Great Danes, Greyhounds, Afghans, who are all significantly taller than XL Bullies, Cane Corsos, etc etc? How would you regulate who can have a working dog? There are many many trainers out there training dog for protection work and bite sports, who have zero security work, military or police affiliations - how are you stopping them, they are a huge part of the problem.
  • We have licencing and inspection. It is piss poor and mostly handed over to the RSPCA. Who will pay for this? How will it be non-biased (as if the commercial puppy farmer pays the inspector well thats not going to be a surprise, non-planned, fair assessment is it?!).
  • Areas with strict leash laws and dog parks tend to see a dramatic rise in dog aggression as dogs are significantly harder to train, exercise and meet their physical and mental needs. In many places the 'dog parks' are little more than shit filled postage stamps with fencing, where dog aggressive dogs are let run around, dog fights happen multiple times a day and responsible owners avoid them like the plague. For a dog park to be beneficial to dogs welfare it needs to be multiple acres in size, landscaped not barren, and carefully managed and monitored. Who will pay, and where will the land be found?
  • I do agree with this one!
  • Nope - discriminatory. Very few disabled people can get a dog from a charity because the cost per dog is huge, the wait lists are years long, you will increase the value in people selling trained assistance dogs (a HUGE con market, really bad news) and fewer people will have assistance dos who need them. The EA quite clearly states it is possible to owner train for good reason. I'd propose a much better awareness scheme of what is and is not an assistance dog task, what businesses/venues can expect of an assistance dog and where/when they can ask a dog/handler team to leave.
  • These last two are taking away a business owners rights to manage their business the way they want. If you want to shop or eat in a cafe that is dog free, and your local stores/cafes have dogs - tell the owners why you are not spending money there. They let dogs in because thats where the money is coming from, for many, if dogs can't come in, their trade will drop to the point where they are no longer in business (very true in my local, rural area).

I agree with everything you say except for two things:
I do agree with this one! - agreeing with 'no dogs allowed to be in the care of under 18s in public (obviously dogs such as guide dogs would be exempt).
Are you really saying that a sensible 14-year-old shouldn't be able to take the family's amiable toy poodle up the road to see a friend or for a quick run around the park? Yes, incidents can happen, but IME they are very rare even when walking in popular areas.
How would you regulate who can have a working dog? There are many many trainers out there training dog for protection work and bite sports, who have zero security work, military or police affiliations - how are you stopping them, they are a huge part of the problem.
Firstly - just for clarity, as I'm sure you know this if (iirc) you have lurchers etc - there is a very hazy dividing line between 'working dog' and 'pet'. I know a huge number of working gundogs, and I've seen a fair few lurchers, some of them enormous, and most of them living pet lives. Some of these dogs are enormous. I've yet to meet one who was a threat to a person.
Secondly, I would argue that bite and protection sports are not part of the problem. See here https://dogtrainersaustralia.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/PDTA-Submission.pdf for a reasoned discussion. If there is evidence that there are people training protection where the dogs turn out to be a problem, then perhaps regulate that kind of training. The protection sports (and protection sport breeding) feed in massively to police and military working dogs, to the point that without the 'hobby' people, the breeding lines could easily become unviable. Developments in protection sport training (the use of play, for example) have changed training for the actual working dogs.

It's also worth pointing out that people who belong to dog clubs tend to have pretty high standards for their dogs and aggression, to either people or other dogs, is viewed extremely dimly, and the dog is likely to be banned from future events.

Other than that, you make a lot of excellent points. You're spot on about dog parks - IME popular dog walking places are an absolute magnet for people with dickhead dogs. There's one I go to sometimes (it's a great space for dog training if it's quiet, pitches, scrub, woodland, fences to jump...) and there is a small dog there who I avoid like plague, esp if he is off-lead - as he all too often is. Same place, there used to be a poodle with a bite history.

I also agree about assistance dog. Locally (again) I know of a dog who was trained by her owner and a dog trainer to assist in various tasks. Perhaps the KC could do something useful and assess self-trained assistance dogs for a nominal fee...

ETA, crazy that your fall down the stairs went down as a bite. One of my DC fell over the dog and needed stitches - perhaps that went down as a bite as well! (The dog was a good as gold about it!)

https://dogtrainersaustralia.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/PDTA-Submission.pdf

WiddlinDiddlin · 09/10/2025 11:17

To be fair, on the bite sports thing - there are a lot of people who are genuinely training for competition and would turn away loonies who want a pet dog that can take out a bad guy... These people manage their dogs carefully, and wouldn't suggest in a million years that they make good pets for the ordinary Joe.

However the industry is rife with shock jock, yank and crank trainers who have no interest in the competition world, they just want to sell 'family protection dogs' to anyone who can front up a few grand - and the cut price budget version of that, happy to show Mr Knuckledragger how to goad and jab and beat his dog into lunging and grabbing for any arm or leg, (note how many of the XL Bully attacks start out with dogs jumping and grabbing for sleeves, I can think of at least three videos of that), who mistake fear aggression or hyper arousal as good traits for protection work...

A quick dive into the TikTok world of dog training will show you how many people are out there advising horrific methods, with no disclaimer as to the inherent risks, to anyone with a smartphone.

AnneElliott · 09/10/2025 11:26

They probably will @CharlotteCChapel but then we’d just have to ban those as well. I just think we can’t take such risks with children. Some XL bullies have killed adult males so small kids have no chance at all.

Rosenelle40 · 11/10/2025 11:38

Not just a dog licence but insurance as well.! So you can claim for your injury or your vet bills if it's your dog that's been bitten ! I have 3 dogs and all are insured as well as registered with a vet. As a child I was bitten on the leg at 6 years old by next door neighbours dog and also 8 years of age where I needed stitches in my leg. It didn't put me off dogs. However, we need more dog wardens to enforce dogs on lead, cleaning up mess and where dogs are attacking people or other dogs - therefore the cost must be on the owner of the dog and not the person that gets bitten 👍

LlynTegid · 11/10/2025 13:17

I don't think a dog licence and/or insurance is the answer. Criminal charges as I proposed earlier in this thread (charged as if you inflicted the injury yourself) is my preference.

The legacy of Boris Johnson and to the extent the 14 years of Tory rule are that too many people see laws such as licences and rules as optional.

YeOldeGreyhound · 11/10/2025 13:21

LlynTegid · 11/10/2025 13:17

I don't think a dog licence and/or insurance is the answer. Criminal charges as I proposed earlier in this thread (charged as if you inflicted the injury yourself) is my preference.

The legacy of Boris Johnson and to the extent the 14 years of Tory rule are that too many people see laws such as licences and rules as optional.

Not all dog bites are due to a dog being out of control and aggressive.
I know someone who had a dog that bit a child. The dog was fast asleep and the child sat on them.
Some dogs bite due to being in pain or an illness.

NewHome2026 · 05/11/2025 19:08

MO0N · 05/11/2025 19:06

No surprises now that the breed responsible for the most recent fatal attack has been revealed:
https://news.sky.com/story/dog-that-killed-nine-month-old-baby-in-rogiet-was-xl-bully-13464450

Edited

I cannot fathom the pathetic soft “ban” of these dogs. They all should have been rounded up and destroyed immediately. They are not animals, they are man made monsters

OP posts:
MO0N · 05/11/2025 19:14

NewHome2026 · 05/11/2025 19:08

I cannot fathom the pathetic soft “ban” of these dogs. They all should have been rounded up and destroyed immediately. They are not animals, they are man made monsters

I agree, but rounded up by whom?
I can foresee the owners claiming that their mental health has been destroyed by the 'murder' of their fur baby, and no win no fee solicitors lining up to sue the police for damages.
And the pet industry will lobby against any restrictions on pet ownership because it might threaten profits.

Lokielo · 05/11/2025 20:26

MO0N · 05/11/2025 19:06

No surprises now that the breed responsible for the most recent fatal attack has been revealed:
https://news.sky.com/story/dog-that-killed-nine-month-old-baby-in-rogiet-was-xl-bully-13464450

Edited

I was just about to post this too. There’s a few people on this thread that think that because they haven’t heard of fatalities or severe attacks means there hasn’t been any.

What has happened is that the police now rarely reveal the breed associated with an attack and the media are less likely to report on them because they don’t have an XL headline to draw in readers.

TheCountessofFitzdotterel · 05/11/2025 20:36

Lokielo · 05/11/2025 20:26

I was just about to post this too. There’s a few people on this thread that think that because they haven’t heard of fatalities or severe attacks means there hasn’t been any.

What has happened is that the police now rarely reveal the breed associated with an attack and the media are less likely to report on them because they don’t have an XL headline to draw in readers.

Are you saying there have been additional deaths not included on this list?

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_fatal_dog_attacks_in_the_United_Kingdom

Kittlewittle · 05/11/2025 20:46

Yabu

Legislation without enforcement is pointless.

If you introduce a license then nice owners with well behaved dogs will be penalised by having to pay for them, whereas irresponsible owners just won't bother. It will not change anything.

Lokielo · 05/11/2025 21:21

TheCountessofFitzdotterel · 05/11/2025 20:36

Are you saying there have been additional deaths not included on this list?

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_fatal_dog_attacks_in_the_United_Kingdom

No idea on deaths but I do know there has been serious attacks that haven’t been reported in the press. I saw the consequences of one recently where thankfully the person survived but has life changing injuries. My point is that can’t rely on what you happen to not to read about of proof that it hasn’t happened.

YeOldeGreyhound · 05/11/2025 21:25

Right now, there is a dog on the loose where I live. It has already bitten one person. I am seeing it unfold on FB.
If it goes to the press later on - it is a black lab. Poor thing has been hit by a car and is scared of the fireworks.

outerspacepotato · 05/11/2025 21:34

You could have licensing done through the vet's office as well as online and tags issued as proof of licensure. Different colours for different years.

JohnofWessex · 05/11/2025 21:37

NewHome2026 · 05/11/2025 19:08

I cannot fathom the pathetic soft “ban” of these dogs. They all should have been rounded up and destroyed immediately. They are not animals, they are man made monsters

I would certainly suggest that they should not be allowed anywhere near a child or young person under 18

YeOldeGreyhound · 05/11/2025 21:44

outerspacepotato · 05/11/2025 21:34

You could have licensing done through the vet's office as well as online and tags issued as proof of licensure. Different colours for different years.

Irresponsible owners would just avoid taking their dog to the vets.
Plus, what is the point in coloured tags? Why not just the year on it?

DriveVerySlowlyPastNumber23IWantThemToSeeMyHat · 05/11/2025 21:52

I agree. I am fed up of shit dog owners! However, it'd be hard to police.

Only a few weeks ago, I came across a loose dog, owner nowhere to be seen, snarling and growling at me. I genuinely thought it was going to bite me. The owner sauntered up a few minutes later, asking if it had attacked anybody!

Owners like that wouldn't care, license or not.

IsEveryUserNameBloodyTaken · 05/11/2025 22:01

Licensing won’t work.
At least this way the type will hopefully lessen and die out.

MycroftSholmes · 05/11/2025 22:04

Yes dog licenses should come back. There are dangerous dogs, barking dogs at all hours and dog poo in all the parks and streets to a quite unpleasant level. Many people seem to get a dog then not be bothered to look after it properly or think it is more important than human users of parks, paths, pubs etc. so many instagram dogs now it is just out of hand in cities.

Rosenelle40 · 05/11/2025 22:25

No one has got back to me about a shopping incident where I faced this and took video - why I was so stressed was not my own safety but 2.50 pm at the side of a school - about to let children out on this kind of horror. I am a dog keeper - I have always had dogs, spaniels and russel mix breeds so do not think that in 50 odd years I have no idea about dog ownership - my pups are registered with a vet and insured ..these people are lethal and care not about the 'normal' side of our lives just trying to get through a day. I apologise for anyone who thinks this is distasteful - I am sick to the stomach just thinking daily 6 weeks on.

Sensitive content
Dog attacks still increasing - is it time to bring back proper licensing?
outerspacepotato · 06/11/2025 01:49

YeOldeGreyhound · 05/11/2025 21:44

Irresponsible owners would just avoid taking their dog to the vets.
Plus, what is the point in coloured tags? Why not just the year on it?

Because a coloured tag can be seen at more of a distance than having to get right up to the dog to see what year is on the tag.