Dog owners urged to exercise caution

From left: Gail McGrellis, Environmental Warden, Ciaran Doran, Environmental Health Manager and Lynne McCullough, Senior Environmental Health Officer with Henry, a Staffordshire Bull Terrier cross

‘These dogs were subsequently bred with terrier dogs to produce the bull terrier. When bull baiting was outlawed, dogs fighting each other became popular and as these fights took place in ‘pits’, the pitbull terrier came into existence.’

‘Another factor to consider with these dogs is due to their fighting history, they may not show warning signs before an attack that would be observed with other breeds,’ Ciaran added.

Dangerous dog breeds attacking their owners – and others – are increasingly hitting the headlines, so, as a result, Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council (CCGBC) is reminding members of the public about the potential dangers of keeping certain dog breeds.

The council aims to raise awareness among dog owners and to remind anyone considering rescuing or purchasing a dog that some breeds carry with them a higher degree of risk, with an attack having a much greater chance of resulting in a fatality.

Since 2020, there have been 21 cases of dogs fatally attacking humans in the UK, with fifteen of these fatal attacks were carried out by bull terriers and bull terrier crosses, including the recentlyintroduced breed known as XL Bullies. Statistics from the USA show that only six per cent of dogs in the USA are pitbull types, but they are responsible for two thirds of all fatalities.

‘We do not want to make certain breeds of dogs villains or unnecessarily panic the public,’ said Ciaran Doran, Environmental Health Manager at CCGBC, ‘but it is important to understand why certain dog breeds are higher risk.

‘In terms of bulldog breeds and crosses, the simple explanation for the reason they present a higher risk should they attack is because they are physically strong powerful dogs and have a history of having been bred for fighting.

‘Bulldogs are so called because they were traditionally used for the now outlawed sport of bull baiting, where a bull would be tied up in public and packs of dogs set on them until the bull collapsed due to exhaustion or injuries.

‘Many dogs will go through several warning stages before attacking such as growling, barking, freezing still, showing heckles on their backs, licking lips all of which can indicate to humans to back off before an attack takes place.

‘Fighting breeds may not necessarily show these warnings and anecdotal stories of fighting breed attacks show dogs that were perfectly placid one minute and the next carried out a savage attack, seemingly out of the blue.’

‘Dog owners should also research dog behaviour, such as pack mentality,’ Ciaran concluded, ‘and have as much information as possible to allow them to be responsible dog owners who keep safe and happy pets.

‘Finally, all dog owners should ensure they keep their dogs in secure premises to prevent straying and always keep your dog under control in public.’