Dangerous dog prosecutions rise in east England
Experts recently called for a change in the way dog bites are viewed and dealt with.
Prosecutions under the Dangerous Dogs Act have risen in the east of England, according to figures obtained by the BBC through a freedom of information request.
Last year, more than 1,200 offences were recorded in the east - a figure that has risen each year since 2011. In Essex, there were 326 recorded offences in 2014. In the three years leading up to September last year, 30 dogs were destroyed under the Dangerous Dogs Act in Norfolk and Suffolk.
PDSA's latest animal welfare report raised concerns that 250,000 dogs were reported to be showing aggression towards people, while nearly 4.4 million dogs did not attend training classes in their first six months of life - a four per cent rise since 2011.
Experts recently called for a change in the way dog bites are viewed and dealt with. At London Vet Show in November, dog behaviourist Kendal Shepherd said bites should be seen as a pathogen and the dog a transmitter of that pathogen.
Too much emphasis is placed on punishing the owner, she said, rather than investigating incidents thoroughly. Currently, there is little evidence to indicate the cause of dog bites.
A dangerous dog strategy was recently developed at a meeting of veterinary and medical professionals, police, local authorities, government representatives and animal welfare charities.
Attendees plan to create a proposal for a central database to investigate dog bite incidents. It is hoped this will provide key data on their causes and offer preventative measures.
With Strangles Awareness Week just around the corner (5-11 May), vets are being encouraged to share a survey about the disease with their horse-owning clients.
