For the first time ever sentencing guidelines have been published for those who have been convicted of dangerous dog offences in England and Wales.

It has been estimated that it costs the NHS more than £3 million a year to treat injuries caused by dogs.

Recently we have seen an increase in the amount of claims for dog related injuries.    

New data produced by the National Health Service has shown there has been an increase in hospital admissions for serious injuries from dog related incidents in England. In the past year this figure has risen 5%. A shocking figure is that one in six of these dog related incidents involve a child under the age of ten.

Eight year old Cameron Whithers was playing catch in his great aunts garden when her dog unexpectedly mauled him locking his jaws on Cameron’s head and biting him in the arm, fingers and face.  What makes the attack more surprising is that the dog “Dexter” is a border collie and these are thought to be one of the more loyal breeds of dog. 

New figures from the Department of Health highlight the need for tougher control on dangerous dogs. In May last year 561 people were injured so badly by a dangerous dog that they required hospital treatment. June saw 545 people needing hospital treatment and in July there were 538. This rose again in August where 565 people needed hospital treatment after being attacked. Just before Christmas Barbara William, 52, was killed when she was attacked by a Belgian mastiff in South London.

A new report commissioned by the RSPCA entitled “Improving dog ownership: The economic case for dog licensing” calls for dog licensing to be reintroduced.  Benefits brought about by a scheme of licensing would be the improvement of animal welfare and the provision of greater protection to those injured by dog bites.

The report states that “A dog licence would raise money which could be targeted into improving enforcement of laws at a local level, improve the welfare of dogs, and reverse the use of certain breeds of dogs as a status symbol or weapon."

A postman who suffered a dog bite to his bottom is biting back in a new campaign by the Royal Mail to improve the safety for its delivery staff.

David Power was admitted to hospital after being bitten on the bottom by a dog when delivering post near Builth Wells, Powys. The bite was not deep but the injury had to be cleaned and a tetanus jab was also given to the postman.

New figures just released show that 14,000 postmen have sustained injuries from dogs whilst delivering the post in the last 3 years. This works out at 12 postmen being attacked everyday.

The breakdown of the figures shows that 350 postmen were bitten on the bottom and 128 in their private parts.

Special training is given to postmen on how to avoid dangerous situations. Despite this effort the figures have shown a 10 per cent increase, going from 4,487 in 2006 to 2007 to 5,091 last year.

The police have told dog owners to make sure they keep their pets under control after a man was sentenced following a vicious attack on a guide dog. 

A man aged 18 from London was banned for keeping dogs for 10 years. His terrier type dog attacked a guide dog at an underpass station last year. The attack shocked dog lovers across the country and many members of the public were quick to provide information on the dog’s owner after CCTV images were released of him.