Sir, – Daniel R Collins (August 5th) suggests that serious dog-related injuries, are “not uncommon” and shares his hunch that “many” public spaces are intimidating for children and those afraid of “often dangerous” animals.
In fact, despite frenzied media reporting, dog attacks are rare. As a proportion of the population, attacks in 2012 stood, nationally, at 0.007 per cent. His own council, Dún Laoghaire and Rathdown (DLR), records an average of 42 attacks per annum between 2009 and 2012, although– astonishingly – there is no standardised definition of “attack”, which can therefore generously encompass an over-exuberant dog jumping up on someone, as well as more serious bites. Dr Collins laments the lack of safety on beaches, yet there hasn’t been a single report of injury to anyone on any DLR Co Council beach over the past three years. The long-term solution to the peaceful co-existence of dogs and humans in public spaces lies squarely in education and legislation, not the kind of inductive reasoning which suggests that to eradicate dog waste, and relatively rare dog attacks, we should simply eradicate dogs. – Yours, etc,
LIZ NELIGAN ,
Chairperson,
Dogs Unleashed,
The Beeches,
Monkstown Valley,
Monkstown,
Co Dublin.
