In March 2011 Norwich Magistrates’ Court heard that a woman was bitten twice by a tied up Rottweiler outside a bakery in Costessey, Norwich. This report comes at a time when the term ‘dangerous dog’ strives to find a clear definition as it is used in both legal and general speech with greater consistency, particularly in reference to dog bites. The court heard that the Rottweiler was tied up outside the bakery as the victim walked passed and bent over to say ‘hello’. The woman suffered two separate dog bites in this incident, one on the elbow and one on the thigh. Melissa Renouf, a single mother of four and the owner of the dog, pleaded guilty to leaving her Rottweiler unsupervised in a public place. The court ordered that she would be able to keep her pet under the strict conditions that she kept it on a lead and muzzled at all times when in public places. The defence said, “The dog is four and they have had it since it was a puppy. This was an isolated incident. Since it happened steps have been taken to ensure that the dog cannot get out the house.”

This incident acts a commentary, contributing to the growing concern about dog bites and what exactly constitutes a ‘dangerous dog’. As recent figures and statistics show, dog bites have risen by over 400% in the last seven years. These are based on the number of people being admitted by hospitals as a result of dog bites, so the number could well be higher if victims who are not admitted are taken into consideration. These growing statistics have raised the question in many counties and cities as to how the term ‘dangerous dog’ should and can be applied.

The above incident may not be that surprising. Rottweilers feature as the second most dangerous dog (second to Pit Bull terriers, which are now an illegal pure breed) in the UK. The term ‘dangerous dog’, then, may be applied to the type of breed an animal is. A Rottweiler, even though it individually may have not attacked anybody before, will be considered more dangerous than other breeds based on the amount of dog bites other Rottweilers have done previously. For example, an elderly pensioner living in West Norwood recently reported that he was ‘frightened’ of the Rottweiler living in the house adjacent to his own, before he suffered a minor attack from the same dog. The elderly man later reported that it was the specific breed of the dog that had made him initially nervous. The attack itself happened as the victim was taking out his rubbish on a Sunday evening. The owner was allegedly coming back from a walk with his dog without a lead, when the Rottweiler began to stiff and scratch at the full bin liner the victim was holding. Trying to stop the bag from splitting, the elderly man tried to ‘shoo’ the dog away. This resulted in the dog biting the victim’s thumb. The owner was cautioned to keep his dog on a lead at all times when walking his dog. The victim also gained compensation for being intimidated and, finally, attacked by the dangerous breed.

However, it is not only the breed that must be considered when the term ‘dangerous dog’ is used. Disregarding the obvious issues of purposeful attacks and dogs trained by owners to be violent, neglectful ownership should also be taken seriously in its contribution to rising dog bites in the UK. As with the above two case studies, the dogs involved were not under sufficient supervision when the attacks occurred. A similar contributing factor to the dog bites received by a young female victim in Manchester come into play. A primary school teacher, recently graduated from the University of Manchester, was attacked by a Presa Canario on her way to the school she was teaching in at the time of the attack in March 2011. She sustained various dog bites, the most serious being to her left knee and forearms. She was taken to hospitals as passers-by witnessed the attack and later recalled being ‘nervous when she first saw the stray approaching’. The Presa Canario was not, in fact, a stray, but had escaped from its owner’s nearby home. The owner was prosecuted and the victim received compensation for her injuries sustained.

The two main things to consider when defining a ‘dangerous dog’ would seem to be breed and how the dog is treated by its owner. It is important that in any situation involving a dangerous dog that the victim seeks both medical and legal advice.