FOI reference: FOI-2023-1631
You asked
Please can I have the information of the number of deaths from a dog bites from 2015 to 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?
We said
Thank you for your request.
Unfortunately, we 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 be available from NHS England, NHS Wales or Public Health Wales, NHS Inform, and the Department of Health for Northern Ireland.
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, therefore we do not hold that information.
The accompanying tables provides the number of deaths where the underlying cause was bitten or struck by a dog. Figures are for England and Wales and cover deaths registered between 2015 and 2023 (provisional).
The Dangerous Dogs Act holds information on restrictions around specific breeds and destruction of an animal where an owner has committed an offence.
Further information on breed specific legislation can be found on the RSPCA website.