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An interdisciplinary team from the University of Liverpool and Slee Blackwell solicitors, has published pioneering research on dog-related injuries.
The team comprises Dr John Tulloch, Lecturer in the Department of Livestock and One Health, Dr Gemma Ahearne, Senior Lecturer in the Department of Sociology, Social Policy and Criminology, and solicitors Jasmine Moxey-Butler and James McNally of Slee Blackwell Solicitors. Their study, ‘Using civil claim enquiry data to understand the context and impact of dog-related injuries in England and Wales between 2017 and 2024’, has been published online in Injury Prevention (BMJ).
This research is the first to bring together veterinarians, criminologists and legal professionals to examine dog bites and dog strikes using a solicitor database. A policy briefing paper based on the findings has also been submitted to inform future interventions.
Key findings
- Analysis of the data showed that 816 dog-related incidents, comprising 842 individual claims, were recorded between January 2017 and March 2024.
- Most (94%) incidents occurred in England and primarily involved dog bites (just over 91%), with 7% being dog strikes.
- The three most common locations for dog bites were in front of a private residential property (just over 34%), on a highway or pavement (18%) and inside a private residential property (11%).
- Almost all of bite incidents (98%) and 78% of non-bite incidents ended up with a physical injury.
- Psychological consequences were reported by 90% of bite victims and 76% of those who suffered other types of injuries.
- For non-bite incidents, these were primarily described as fractures (72.7%), muscle, tendon or ligament damage (9.1%) and soft tissue damage (9.1%).
Read more
- Access the full study in Injury Prevention
- Contact the researchers Dr John Tulloch or Dr Gemma Ahearne