Thursday 8 November 2012

Responsible Dog Ownership


Specialist Personal Injury Solicitors
Article by
Dave Koon Koon

The BBC has reported today that according to the PDSA ‘nearly one in three UK dog owners has reported being bitten or attacked by a dog’ and that 1.3 million dogs in Britain are exhibiting what is described as ‘problem behaviour’.

An explanation for this is a lack of adequate obedience training at an early age or at all and the deliberate training of dogs to be aggressive.

The survey referred to in the PDSA Report was conducted by YouGov researchers and highlights that 61% of dogs had not attended training sessions within six months of life and it would appear that the problem with aggressive dogs could be halted with obedience training done at an early age. The solution here is obviously educating dog owners about their responsibilities not only to their dogs but to members of the public in general and the Good Citizen Dog Training Scheme promoted by the Kennel Club is one of the schemes that promotes responsible dog ownership.
From my experience in dealing with personal injury cases involving dog attacks the victims of such attacks are not only physically injured but sometimes develop serious psychological injuries which may require a great deal of treatment as being attacked by a dog can be a traumatic event, especially  if the victim of the dog attack is a child.

I have also found that many of my clients, who are themselves responsible dog owners, were merely protecting their own dogs from being attacked by an out of control dog when they were injured.

At Garden House Solicitors we understand the need for responsible dog ownership as many members of our team are dog owners themselves. Sharon Brown, our specialist Wills and Probate Solicitor, is the very proud owner of Kai, a boxer/collie cross, who she ensured had obedience training after adopting her from a rescue home 3 years ago. The obedience training obviously paid off, even if it was not at a very early age, as Kai is a loving, playful and well behaved dog.     

The statistics provided in the YouGov research are alarming especially as I have seen first hand how serious dog attacks can be and if you have been the victim of a dog attack contact me on 01992 422 128 or at dave@gardenhousesolicitors.co.uk for further advice and assistance.  

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www.gardenhousesolicitors.co.uk

Tel: 01992 422 128

Email: info@gardenhousesolicitors.co.uk
The contents of this article are intended for general information purposes only and shall not be deemed to be, or constitute legal advice. We cannot accept responsibility for any loss as a result of acts or omissions taken in respect of this article.

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