Doggie defence!

22.02.12

The RSPCA has joined forces with the UK’s largest mail auditing company, Postal Audits, to help tackle the problem of how to deal with 'dangerous' dogs.

The company, that provide mail auditing, measurement and postal consultancy services, have donated £20,000 to help fund a role within our companion animal science department, to look at how to work with dogs with aggression or other behavioural problems.

At first the research will be used to help staff and volunteers working with animals in rescue and rehoming centres, but in the long term we hope the advice can be used by anyone coming into contact with dogs on a daily basis – such as postmen, district nurses, utility workers, home care and social workers.

6,000 postal workers injured a year

Derek Fairhurst, managing director of Postal Audits said:

The startling fact is that at least eight people have been killed in the last four years, and over 200 more have been seriously injured by dogs.

What we also see in our line of work is the staggering number of postal workers who are injured – around 6,000 a year. That is why we have funded this work with the RSPCA to try and tackle the problem head on.

Tackling the problem

The RSPCA is often the one left picking up the pieces when people fail to train and socialise their dogs properly. Irresponsible dog ownership leads directly to abandonments; injuries to both dogs and humans and a rise in so-called status dogs – where owners buy dogs that make them look tough or that can be used for fighting.

James Yeates, head of the RSPCA’s companion animal department said:

It is heart-breaking to have to deal with the fall-out of poor dog ownership and this donation will help us make a real difference to tackling this problem.

We know that dogs can show aggression because they feel threatened or have had negative experiences in the past, so we hope that this vital research will help protect both animals and humans in the future.

Scientific officer Jenna Kiddie has already started work at the RSPCA and has been out and about working with dogs in our centres across the country.

More information

• Find our more about understanding dogs' needs in our dogs pages.
   
• Read more about dog behaviour and check out our advice about dog aggression.
   
• Improving dog ownership and welfare - find out what irresponsible dog ownership actually means.