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LETTERS: Katherine M Clarke Education of dog owners is key to reducing attacks BMJ 2007; 334: 489 [Full text]

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Dog owners should acknowledge the problems

Steve Chaplin   (9 March 2007)

Dog owners should acknowledge the problems 9 March 2007
Steve Chaplin, Medical writer Hexham, NE46 3JH Send response to journal: Re: Dog owners should acknowledge the problems	As someone who has more than once stood between my 4 year-old son and a snarling pet dog, while its owner ineffectually runs around proclaiming it won't bite, I don't think Ms Clarke's faith in education is enough. Many dog owners are besotted by their pets and blinkered by their feelings. Some even seem to believe these animals have rights which come before the wellbeing of people. Things won't improve unless these views are changed. Education has a role in changing attitudes but there should also be penalties. Owners who cannot control their dogs in public should have them taken away and pay a fine for their return. Dogs that attack people in public or private should be destroyed. I grew up in a family of dog owners so I know how sentimental they can be about their animals. Penalties will encourage them to acknowledge the morbidity and mortality associated with their pet's behaviour and their part in it. Competing interests: Not a dog owner