Hospital admissions for dog attack injuries hit record high of 9,424 last year after rising by a THIRD in a decade, NHS figures reveal

• Figures have emerged in the wake of a terrifying spate of dog attacks in the UK
• The Government has vowed to ban XL Bully dogs by the end of the year 

Hospital admissions for dog attack injuries hit a record high last year, new NHS data has revealed. 

The figures, which have emerged in the wake of a spate of terrifying incidents, show that there were an astonishing 9,424 hospital admissions for dog attacks last year with 39 per cent (3,682) reported as ’emergency’.

The spike in dog attacks has forced the Government to act – with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak vowing to outlaw the American XL Bully breed by the end of the year.

In a video announcement last Friday, Mr Sunak said he had to intervene following ‘pattern of behaviour [that] cannot go on’.

The announcement came after a man died in a suspected XL Bully attack in Stonnall, Staffordshire, the third incident involving allegedly out-of-control dogs in the West Midlands in less than a week.

New NHS data has revealed that there was a record number of dog attacks in the UK last year. Pictured: American XL Bully dog. The breed will be banned in the UK by the end of the year

The fatality occurred just a day after a ten-year-old boy was attacked by an out-of-control dog while playing football less than three miles away. Less than a week earlier, an XL Bully mauled an 11-year-old girl in Birmingham.

READ MORE: I love my XL Bully dog – owners should go out and prove how good they can be by walking them with pride 

NHS data has revealed that the 9,424 hospital admissions from dog attacks for 2022 is a record high and that they have risen by a third in a decade.

In 2021, there were 8,919 attacks, of which 3,491 were described as an emergency. The year before there were 7,505 hospital admissions, but in 2019 there was 9,027.

In 2018 there were 8,652 attacks of which 2,672 were an emergency. The year prior there were 8,151 and 12 months earlier there were 7,601. 

In 2015, there were 7,795 admissions, in 2014 there were 7,450 and in 2013 there were 6,957. In the last 10 years, the number of hospital admissions from dog attacks has risen by 2,467.

The data comes after a series of terrifying dog attacks that have seen people mauled by animals, resulting in individuals being rushed to hospital, sometimes with life threatening injuries, while some have sadly died. 

The XL Bully has been behind the majority of fatal dog attacks in the UK since 2021, being responsible for ten out of 14 of the fatal attacks. 

Just last week a man was mauled to death by two ‘out of control’ American Bully dogs that attacked him outside a West Midlands primary school. 

His death led to an outcry from campaigners calling for the breed to be banned.

Forced to act, the Prime Minister described American Bully XLs as ‘a danger to our communities, particularly our children’.

Mr Sunak said he has ordered ministers to convene a panel of experts, including the police, to define the breed so it can then be outlawed.

‘The American XL Bully dog is a danger to our communities, particularly our children,’ he said.

‘I share the nation’s horror at the recent videos we’ve all seen. Yesterday we saw another suspected XL Bully dog attack, which has tragically led to a fatality.

‘It’s clear this is not about a handful of badly trained dogs: it’s a pattern of behaviour and it cannot go on.

‘While owners already have a responsibility to keep their dogs under control, I want to reassure people that we are urgently working on ways to stop these attacks and protect the public.

The XL Bully has been behind the majority of fatal dog attacks in the UK since 2021, being responsible for ten out of 14 of the fatal attacks 

‘Today, I have tasked ministers to bring together police and experts to firstly define the breed of dog behind these attacks with a view to then outlawing it.

‘It is not currently a breed defined in law so this vital first step must happen fast.

‘We will then ban the breed under the Dangerous Dogs Act and new laws will be in place by the end of the year.’

While the ban has been welcomed by many, XL Bully owners have reacted angrily and rushed to defend their dogs.

Meanwhile, other owners are desperately  asking vets to change the breed their dog is registered under and ‘inundating’ animal shelters with requests to home their animals.

Large Breed Dog Rescue, based in Greenhithe, Kent, is urging people not to panic after having to turn down 25 American XL Bullies in the last week alone. The charity said owners have admitted they intend to put their pets down if they can’t get help.

Dogs Trust has also reported an uptick in the number of worried owners considering rehoming their dog in light of Rishi Sunak’s announcement.

Owners of the dog will not see their pets culled but will likely face new restrictions – including a requirement to have the dogs neutered and muzzled and on a lead when in public. They will also need to be insured. 

There are currently four banned breeds of dog in the UK: the pit bull terrier, Japanese tosa, dogo Argentino and fila Brasileiro. 

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