Recent statistics could be blamed for giving a dog a bad name, but with almost 5 million people pounced on by pooches in the USA alone, you could be excused for asking – with pets like that, who needs enemies?
In the USA nearly 4.7 million people are the victims of dog bites each year. This places a huge strain on individuals and families, as well as medical staff who have to treat with these injuries; which are often ongoing.
Of these 4.7 million bites 800,000 need medical attention, something which can be extremely costly if you are not insured. Personal injury claims can also reach tens of millions each year.
Dog bites don’t just cause physical injuries, there is the mental and emotional turmoil too. Some people never feel comfortable around dogs again following an attack which is a shame, as most dogs are harmless and very affectionate pets.
In the UK sixteen people have been killed by dogs in the past eight years and the government is seriously considering stiffer punishments to deal with issue.
In recent weeks there have been calls for dog owners to have more responsibility over their animals. Proposals have been put forward that would mean that a dog owner whose pet is responsible for a fatal attack could face up to life imprisonment.
As it stands there is no such legislation in place to charge anyone for the actions of their dog on public land.
The proposed sentences have been criticised by the RSPCA, who say the measures are not the solution and think more should be done to prevent attacks in the first place.
Take a look at this infographic which takes a bite sized look at some of the areas surrounding this most worrying of subjects and get your teeth into some more of the worrying statistics.
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