Another fatal dog attack

[Wildflowersinthemeadow]

[[https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-coventry-warwickshire-65797191 www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-coventry-warwickshire-65797191

I am sure everyone will inform me of the killer chihuahuas out there now.

I was about to post about it then saw your post
There seems to be so many now. There have been quite a few dog on dog attacks here and attacks on wildlife and cattle too. I live near a large forest and common area where lots of people walk their dogs. It can be scary at times, recently met an owner with 2 staffies not on leads which ran up to us and jumped up at my husband who has to use a walking stick for balance problems, no control from the owner and no apologies. The owner is also pregnant, I wouldn’t trust the dogs around a new baby
i don’t know what the answer is, it would be nice to be able to go out for walks without having to worry about keeping away from dogs.
just to say that I don’t dislike dogs. I just wish owners would control them

I think the dangerous dogs act needs revisiting. I really think there are a lot of breeds that just shouldn’t be owned as pets.

Me too. I was talking to a friend and she said years ago she had a rescue dog and they had to have training before they were allowed to have the dog. Might be an idea that all owners should do that. I don’t know how it would be implemented though

Not sure how that'll help as the owners have been arrested for suspicion of owning a banned breed so its likely its on the list already.

In this particular instance, possibly, although revisiting the DDA doesn’t just mean arresting people once a tragedy has happened but actually being a bit more proactive first.

However, this is the sixth (I think) fatal attack this year and AFAIK this is the first one which has featured a (maybe) banned breed. Yet people always like to say it won’t help.

I don't 'like' to say anything about dog attacks but I am interested in what might and might not help.
The vast majority of deaths since the DDA was brought in have been by breeds on the banned list so while it has a place it isn't the answer in isolation.
Personally I think sentencing guidelines need multiplying several times over for having a dog dangerously out of control and if that dog is also a banned breed multiplied again.

The vast majority of deaths since the DDA was brought in have been by breeds on the banned list

If we follow that literally since 1991, that is true. But the whole reason for concerns being expressed here isn’t because of occasional tragedies, it’s because of an absolutely enormous jump in both the number of fatalities and the fact that many of these fatalities have been grown adults.

So in the period between 1991 - 2020, we have forty one deaths. Out of these, nineteen were adults (out of those nineteen adults, five appeared to be having epileptic seizures at the time so not in a position to put up a defence as such.)

From 2021 onwards, the trend changes quite notably. We have nineteen deaths in the period spanning 1 January 2021 - present. Out of those nineteen deaths, thirteen are adults - six men, seven women.

I do think that the original Dangerous Dogs Act is not fit for purpose, but equally I think that’s used as an excuse / reason to either do nothing or to do things that to be honest I don’t think would make any notable difference. Things like ‘bring back dog licences’ - not much comfort when you’re being ripped apart is it, to know the owners have a licence. And I think more enforcement and more control before something becomes a problem, which isn’t really something I favour as a rule but I’ll make an exception here.