🐾 Rise in Dog Bite Incidents – Keep Children & Pets Safe🐾

Staffordshire Police is urging dog owners and families to be extra vigilant following the increasing number of dog bite reports across the county, and we’d like to remind everyone that responsible dog ownership and safe interactions with dogs are everyone’s responsibility.

Recent data shows that incidents involving young children are rising, and believed to be linked to the school holidays due to children spending more time at home. During term time, the family dog would usually have a break from young persons in the household, but school holidays can mean frequent visits from friends, family, or visiting other households where dogs present. Ultimately, there are more opportunities for unsupervised interactions.

It doesn’t matter what breed a dog is – any dog has the potential to bite under the wrong circumstances.

Dogs are members of our families, but like people, they can have bad days, a dog may react if they are feeling unwell, in pain, frightened, overwhelmed, startled, protective of something they value, or simply want to be left alone. Learning to recognise when a dog is uncomfortable can help prevent incidents before they happen.

When it comes to children and dogs, we should always advocate for both - Children should be taught how to behave safely around dogs, and dogs deserve to have their boundaries respected, as is the same for children.

Always:

🐾 Supervise all interactions between children and dogs – no matter how well you know or trust the dog.
🐾 Teach children not to disturb dogs while they are eating, sleeping or resting.
🐾 Help children recognise when a dog wants space by learning their body language, such as moving away, lip licking, yawning, a tucked tail or a stiff body.
🐾 Give dogs a safe place where they can rest without being disturbed.

If a dog bite does happen:

• Move yourself and others to a place of safety.
• Seek medical attention immediately, even for what appears to be a minor bite, as bites can become infected.
• If safe to do so, make a note of the dog, owner and location.
• Report dangerous dog incidents to the police. If someone is in immediate danger, always call 999. For non-emergency incidents, report them via 101 or online: www.staffordshire.police.uk 

What not to do:

❌ Don’t approach or attempt to restrain an aggressive dog unless it is absolutely necessary for someone’s immediate safety.
❌ Don’t put yourself at risk trying to separate fighting dogs.
❌ Don’t assume a dog “would never bite” because of its breed, size or previous behaviour.

The vast majority of dogs are loving, loyal companions, and we know how much they mean to their families. By understanding canine behaviour, respecting boundaries and supervising interactions, we can help keep people and dogs safe.

Let’s work together to reduce preventable dog bite incidents and promote responsible dog ownership across Staffordshire.