Hospitals had to treat people following dog attacks on nearly 9,000 occasions in England last year. The number of incidents has almost doubled over the past 15 years.
An expert dog trainer has warned people against buying one increasingly popular breed. He said poor training and care could lead to anxious dogs that lash out, and believes the Belgian Malinois will be the next added to the UK's list of banned dangerous dogs.
According to figures published by NHS Digital, people in England had to be treated as the result of a dog attack 8,655 times in 2021/22. The number is up from 7,424 in 2020/21, although there seems to have been a drop in incidents during lockdowns.
Prior to the pandemic, the number of times people needed hospital treatment after being bitten or struck by a dog had been rising steadily. Since 2007/08, when 4,699 incidents were recorded, the number had risen steadily to 8,933 in 2019/20.
The figures count the number of episodes of care, where a cause bitten or struck by a dog was recorded. The number of incidents may be higher, as cause isn't always recorded. Recent figures are provisional, and potentially incomplete, and may rise.
Last year, children aged under five were treated 614 times for injuries from dog attacks, while those aged between five and nine were treated 524 times. Slightly older children were among the least likely to need hospital treatment, with 378 incidents involving 10 to 14 year olds and 302 involving those aged 15 to 19.
Those in their 50s were the most likely to have needed treatment last year. There were 713 incidents involving people aged 50 to 54 and 704 involving those aged 55 to 59.
The data from NHS Digital doesn’t give any information about the seriousness of injuries. There’s also no information about the type of dogs involved, though it’s possible any breed of dog could cause injuries serious enough to need a hospital trip.
There are currently four breeds and types of dogs banned in the UK - Pit Bull Terrier, Japanese Tosa, Dogo Argentino and Fila Brasileiro.
Jacob Morgan, founder and trainer of the YorkshireCanineAcademy.co.uk, believes another name could soon be added to that list. Jacob has trained more than 2,500 dogs and owns five himself – including a Belgian Malinois, the dog breed he thinks could be banned.
Jacob says: “My Belgian Malinois puppy, Stark, is 15 weeks old, and I’m with him most of the day while I train our clients' dogs. But I also have members of staff who can also make sure Stark is getting stimulated by giving him an activity to do every hour. Even as a dog trainer, if it was just me looking after Stark, I’d struggle.”
Often confused for a short-haired German Shepherd, the Belgian Malinois is traditionally a herding dog. Highly intelligent, athletic and energetic, they have been made famous through films such as John Wick, and Dog with Channing Tatum.
The Belgian Malinois can grow to around 30kg, and life expectancy is 14 to 16 years. The breed has a high prey drive, and without adequate socialisation and training, they will chase small animals, vehicles or children.
Jacob says: “This breed has strong herding and guarding instincts, and genetics make it need to chase and bite things. If an owner is not providing an outlet like the training shown in our video, the dogs can become anxious and lash out at their owners.”
“It’s a perfect storm happening right now and I’m sure it won’t be long until the breed is banned altogether. Through no fault of their own, it will be the fault of the thoughtless breeders and those owners who haven’t done their research properly.”
