If we want to reduce dog bites, we need to accept that the DDA does not work in its current form and that banning breeds is at best useless.
The focus needs to be on education, not breed. You only need to read any dog thread to see that 99% of the UK population is dangerously clueless when it comes to canine behaviour.
Studies have shown that countries that prioritise education and incentivise responsible dog ownership have far greater success in reducing dog bites than those that focus on breeds.
There are also studies that show breed is far less relevant than the circumstances surrounding the bite and the long-term handling of the dog. The Breeds responsible for spates of bites vary depending on trends/fashion.
A 2013 study into dog bite fatalities identified that there are 4 or more of the following circumstances in over 80% of cases:
- No able-bodied person available to intervene (87.1%): The victim was alone or unsupervised.
- Victim was a stranger to the dog (85.2%): Incidental or no familiar relationship between the victim and the dog.
- Dogs were sexually intact (84.4%): The dogs involved were not neutered or spayed.
- Victim unable to handle/manage dogs due to age or condition (77.4%): The victim was physically or mentally compromised.
- Dogs kept isolated from regular positive human interaction (76.2%): The dogs were not kept as family pets, but rather as resident dogs, chained, or confined.
- Prior incidents with mishandling/mismanagement of dogs (37.5%): Owner had previous knowledge of the dog's dangerous behavior.
- Abuse and neglect of dogs (21.1%): The dog had been subjected to abuse or neglect.
The same study found breed not to be a factor when predicting the likelihood of a dog bite incident occurring, and identified that the breeds involved were often misidentified in the media, and, less often, but still significantly, misidentified by police.