5 year anniversary of Respect The Lead Campaign

I launched Respect The Lead 5 years ago this month and it’s had so much coverage in that time, but there are still so many to be reached!

Last year I had the pleasure of appearing on Sounding Out Horsham, a local podcast about local people, and I discussed the campaign. This year I’m heading back to them to talk about our pets in more depth, but I am reminded, we still need to reach dog owners about respecting the lead, recall and how to introduce dogs safely to one another.

Worrying trends

From January to July 2020 there were 7,790 dog attacks across the UK. For the same period in 2022, that figure was 9,834; a 26% increase. Respect The Lead was born from my own experiences of a dog attack after a dog off the lead bit an owner who was trying to protect his own dog that was on a lead.

Emma Whitfield, whose son died from an attack by an XL bully at a house in Wales is campaigning for strong sentences for those who are in control of dangerous dogs. “There is no such thing as a dangerous breed of dog. Any dog, irrespective of breed, can become aggressive if it isn’t cared for properly. The very fact that the UK has seen a 154% increase in dog bites in the last 20 years and that most fatalities are not caused by banned breeds shows that the legislation as it stands is flawed.”

Evidence points to owners, not dogs

A three-year research project by Middlesex University, commissioned by Defra, suggests dog attacks could be reduced through promoting responsible dog ownership. Angus Nurse, who led the research, said: “The research evidence indicates human behaviour as a key factor in dog bites incidents and that not all dog incidents should be seen as aggressive behaviour. If we consider a range of situational factors and focus on helping dog owners to develop skills to understand their dogs and potential warning signs for incidents, this should help prevent dog attacks.”

The report also found evidence pointing to human behaviour as a key factor in dog bite incidents. It suggested many attacks are preventable if owners are alert to problems when dogs are placed in the wrong situations and handled inappropriately. The report also points to owners who unwittingly put dogs in situations where dog attacks could occur and indicated that many owners lack the skills to control their pets.

The government have established the Responsible Dog Ownership working group to consider recommendations and identify potential reforms that could be taken forward in a holistic way. They will also be considering the effectiveness of dog control regimes internationally and what learnings could be taken from these approaches. They expect the working group to make its recommendations later this year.

Sharing Respect The Lead

So, I now feel the Respect The Lead campaign is still important as ever. Recently a post popped up on our Facebook page from someone in Gloucestershire, who saw the campaign and had printed out a poster and put it up to highlight the issues, and you can do that too!

Print out a poster, share the Facebook page and ensure you are a responsible dog owner.