Police issue advice on 'what constitutes a dangerous dog' after spate of incidents in Kent

Kent Police is reminding dog owners of their responsibilities after revealing the county sees the highest number of dog bites and dog-on-dog attacks between May and August.

The warning comes after a dog injured a child while in the owner’s garden in Charing, and another dog was reportedly attacking other dogs in Margate earlier this month.

In 2022 there were 98 reported in July, with just 44 in February the same year.

May 2023 saw 124 reported incidents including dog bites and dog-on-dog attacks, with 44 so far in June (up until 12 June).

What constitutes a dangerous dog?

It is against the law to allow your dog to be dangerously out of control, in a public place, in a private place, for example a neighbour’s house or garden or in the owner’s home.

This includes the dog injuring someone, or just making someone worried that they might be injured and where the handler has no control of the dog.

The owner is also liable for the same offence even if not present.

This law applies to all dogs.

What to do if you want to report an out of control dog

If you see an out of control dog, you can report it to the police or local council.

If your dog attacks someone's animal or the owner of an animal thinks they could be injured if they tried to stop your dog attacking their animal, you can be fined or even sent to prison for up to six months.

If you let your dog injure someone you can be sent to prison for up to five years - and if you allow your dog to kill someone you can be jailed for up to 14 years.

What to do if a dog attacks

If a dog attacks you, it's because it considers you to be a threat in some way, according to the RSPCA.

If it does start to attack, the advice is to stop moving towards the dog, stand stilland let it sniff. Don't touch it, or make sudden movements, but speak reassuringly, and try to stay calm.

Angle your body away from the dog to give the impression you are leaving calmly, and don't try to shoo away, hit or kick the dog.

Get something as solid as possible between you and the dog such as a chair, coffee table or even a cushion, or even a bag or your coat.

Don't stare at the dog, but turn your head slightly to one side and downwards. If the dog doesn't start to attack, walk slowly backwards or sideways and do not make sudden movements or run, just walk slowly away from the dog.

If it does continue its attack, fend off rather than try to fight back and try not to not scream or yell.

An RSPCA spokesperson said: "If you know there are people within hearing distance,call to them for help.

"Stay on your feet and do not corner yourself. Continue to walk slowly away, backwards or sideways, looking down and sideways, talking reassuringly, fending off if necessary and aiming to place solid objects between you as you leave."

Can I own any breed of dog?

It is illegal to own certain dog breeds including Pit Bull Terriers, Japanese Tosas, Dogo Argentinos and Fila Brasileiros.

If you are caught with a banned dog, police or local council dog wardens can take it away and keep it, even if it's not acting dangerously.

Whether your dog is a banned type depends on what it looks like, rather than its breed or name.

According to the Government's housing and local services department, if your dog matches many of the characteristics of a Pit Bull Terrier, it may be a banned type.

Inspector Ian Warner said: "Whilst the majority of people are responsible there is still a small minority who are not.

"Preventing anti-social behaviour and ensuring everyone remains safe is part of the force’s Safer Summer initiative.

"Earlier this month officers received a report that a dog had injured a child while in the owner’s garden in Charing.

"And another report was received that a dog was attacking other dogs in Margate. The dog was seized, two dogs were injured with one found deceased. Two people were also injured during the incident.

"Both of these incidents are being investigated and we will carry out a full and thorough investigation.

"They also serve as a timely reminder that dogs can be unpredictable when confronted with unexpected situations and incidents can lead to the harming of livestock too.

"Under Section 3 of the Dangerous Dogs Act a person in charge of a dog, and/or the owner, commits an offence if the victim fears that the dog’s actions will lead to them being injured, whether or not they actually are injured.

"This can be from a dog running up to a person, jumping up at them and causing fear or doing the same thing but then also causing an injury.

"It’s also important to ensure children in the home are safeguarded. As we have seen dogs can be unpredictable so should be closely supervised around children.

"We want everyone to ensure they take responsibility for their actions."

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