A rise in fatalities from dog attacks has sparked a government reminder to owners to check the strict laws on pet ownership. The Department of Food, Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has issued a statement following reports by The Mirror on the increasing number of dog attacks.
The investigation found new dog dealers are being encouraged to make 'monsters' out of powerful dogs to earn £250,000. The number of dog bite deaths have doubled in the last 15 years and this year already nine people have been killed, making it the deadliest year since the first comprehensive records began in 1980.
Among those killed this year have been four children and another four of those deaths involved XL American bullies. It has been estimated there are now 12 million dogs in the UK - two million more than before lockdown.
