Deaths and hospitalisations resulting from dog bites 2015 to 2023

FOI Ref: FOI-2023-1545

You asked

I can see there is information on the number of deaths from a dog bite between 1981 to 2015, which is available here: Deaths from dog bites in England 1981 to 2015.

Please can I have the information of the number of deaths from a dog bites from 2015-present.

Please could you also tell me:

a) I would like the data from the last 10 years from November 2013 - November 2023 on the number of dog bites in the United Kingdom that lead to a hospitalisation.

b) Of those bites that led to hospitalisation but not death, what was the distribution of dog breeds who attacked?

c) Of those bites that led to death, what was the distribution of dog breeds who killed?

d) Of all attacks that led to hospitalisation, how many of those dog owners had previous convictions of handling an aggressive or out of control animal?

e) Of all attacks that led to death, how many of those dog owners had previous convictions of handling an aggressive or out of control animal?

d) What evidence is there to suggest that XL bully dogs are genetically more aggressive than other breeds?

e) What evidence is there that Breed Specific Legislation makes a trackable decrease in dog attacks or deaths?

f) How many dogs in the last 10 year have been killed by the authorities for attacking or killing a person?

If possible I would like this information in a table.

We said

Thank you for your request. 

We are responsible for the production of mortality statistics for deaths registered in England and Wales. This is driven by information collected from death certificates at death registration. National Records Scotland (NRS) and Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA) are responsible for statistics pertaining to Scotland and Northern Ireland. They can be contacted at foi@nrscotland.gov.uk and info@nisra.gov.uk respectively. 

Causes of death are certified in most cases by a doctor, who records the sequence of medical conditions and relevant events leading to, or contributing to, the death, based on the deceased's healthcare records and other available information, such as laboratory tests or post-mortem investigation. Some deaths are certified by a coroner who determines the causes of death following an inquest, based on all the available evidence. It is unusual for wider contextual factors such as dog breed to be recorded on the death certificate.

Our mortality data comes from the information collected at death registration. All the conditions mentioned on the death certificate are coded using the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10). From all of these causes an underlying cause of death is selected using ICD-10 coding rules.   

The underlying cause of death is defined by World Health Organisation (WHO) as:  

a) the disease or injury that initiated the train of events directly leading to death, or
b) the circumstances of the accident or violence that produced the fatal injury  

Please see the associated download named 'Dog-related deaths in England and Wales - 2015 to 2023'.

We do not hold information on convictions due to handling aggressive dogs or the number of dogs that have been destroyed. This information may be available from regional police forces. 

We also do not hold any information on the number of people hospitalised by a dog attack. Information on people hospitalised following a dog attack in the UK may available from NHS England, NHS Wales or Public Health Wales, NHS Inform, and the Department of Health for Northern Ireland.

The Dangerous Dogs Act contains information on restrictions around specific breeds and destruction of an animal where an owner has committed an offence, which may be useful. 

Further information on breed specific legislation can be found on the RSPCA website.