Cops share warning over why you should NEVER let your kids hug a dog
COPS have shared an urgent warning over why you should never let your kids hug a dog.
Experts have warned of activities that may seem harmless but could actually agitate our beloved pets.
Inspector Katie Wilkinson, who works for Merseyside Police's dog unit, launched the force's Taking the Lead campaign yesterday in a bid to reduce dog bites.
Last year there was a record number of deaths and over a seven-month period alone more than 2,000 people in the UK required surgery after being savaged by dogs.
Cops said the campaign aims to reduce the number of bites by offering important safety tips to help our furry friends.
Insp Wilkinson said that one common misconception is that dogs enjoy hugs.
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And they may well react badly if grabbed in an inappropriate manner - especially by children who don't know better.
She said: "A lot of information on keeping children safe around dogs includes you don't leave them unattended and we teach children how to behave appropriately around dogs.
"Things like don't approach dogs when they're sleeping, don't take food off a dog, don't approach a dog when it's eating.
"Don't take toys off a dog and also don't hug a dog, dogs don't actually like being hugged.
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"That's something we as humans like, but dogs don't actually like that and often children will go and hug a dog and a dog is not comfortable with it and the dog's response is to bite."
Insp Wilkinson also said people breeding "status dogs" across the country are not putting the animal's welfare to the forefront.
She said illegal and unregistered dog breeding is also linked to organised crime.
Insp Wilkinson added: "We're also really keen on raising awareness on some of the illegal and unregistered dog breeding that's taking place in Merseyside and we know those are linked to organised crime.
"A lot of the people we see breeding status dogs are not putting the animal's welfare in the front of what they are doing.
"So if you're going to buy a dog then check the breeder is registered with the local authority, you need to make sure you see the dog with its mum when it's a puppy and then we need to understand how best to train dogs to make sure they are safe."
For large breed dogs, cops said people need to make sure their "dog is well exercised, it's well-trained and well-socialised" to avoid incidents of dog bites.
Animal welfare experts previously blamed the UK’s dog mauling epidemic on lockdown “impulse buys” – as the rise in killer cases has more than doubled.
It comes as Britain's most dangerous spots for dog attacks were revealed with thousands rushed to hospital after maulings.
New figures released this week by the NHS show medics are being forced to carry out daily operations to save people's lives and limbs.
It showed how the most were carried out in Kent and Medway, with doctors there carrying out 250 operations last year - equivalent to around five a week.
Just last month MPs called for the American Bully XL to become the fifth breed added to the UK’s banned list after a spate of maulings.
This comes as one woman was left hospitalised for a week after a savage attack which left a "chunk of flesh" ripped from her arm.
Laura Walker, 39, was walking her miniature poodle Ted near her home in Epping in Essex when her neighbour's XL Pitbull-type dog leapt out at them.
Meanwhile, a seven-year-old needed plastic surgery after a stray Alsatian dog attacked him.
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Freddie Turner was playing with his sister, eight, and other kids in a friend’s garden when the loose dog tried to tear him to pieces.