Dog Attacks and Owner Responsibility

It is incredibly important to keep dogs well trained to ensure that they are safe as dog attacks can and do result in injury or death for other dogs and people.

Jill Cox, a pensioner from Plymouth recently suffered the loss of her 10 year old dog Bramber as the result of an unprovoked dog attack.

Bramber, a ten year old Cairn terrier was set upon by two other dogs, who were possibly Staffordshire bull terriers or Mastiffs. The owner eventually came over and pulled his dogs off and quickly left, leaving Ms. Cox traumatised and with her dog in a bad state.

Despite being rushed to the vets, Bramber’s injuries were sadly too severe and he had to be put down.

Unfortunately, this is by no means a one off incident, but the police informed Ms. Cox afterward that there was nothing they could do as this was a dog on dog incident.

There are, however, many cases of dogs attacking humans, some cases of which have caused deaths, and which have now sparked a new change to the law. Tougher penalties for dog owners whose pets fatally attack have come into force, and they may now be jailed for up to 14 years, a huge increase from the two years maximum jail time that they could be sentenced with before.

Jade Anderson, aged only 14 was killed last year as the result of being attacked by four dogs in Atherton, near Wigan. In this case, the owner of the dogs was given a 16 week suspended jail time. Under the new rules, he could have gotten 14 years behind bars.

“Training and caring for an animal, and being able to clearly read a dog’s body language, are the only ways to help provide safety for the likely victims of attacks, especially children” said the director of communications at Battersea Dogs and Cats home, Dee McIntosh.

If you are a dog owner, you need to ensure that it is trained and looked after so that it is not going to lash out and attack. Now, more than ever before, you are accountable for your dog’s actions.

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