Lead the Way: How you can support our campaign to protect children in Scotland from dog attacks

Clyde News has just weeks to convince MSPs from all five of Scotland's major political parties to support our Lead the Way campaign and we are asking for your help.

We found hundreds of children have been hospitalised with dog bite injuries in Glasgow and the West this year.

Between January and June, this year 205 children have been to A&E because of dog bites and in 2015, 1,939 people received treatment.

In 2016, the figure rose to 2,027 people.

A motion has been submitted to the Scottish Government on our behalf by former justice secretary Alex Neil calling for an urgent review of the Control of Dogs act following our investigation.

One thousand and fifty-seven children and adults went to hospital after being bitten in the NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde health board area in the first 6 months of 2017.

Twelve other MSPs have already given it their support.

They are: Richard Lyle (Uddingston and Bellshill) , Kenneth Gibson (Ayrshire, Cunninghame North), David Torrance (Kirkcaldy), Colin Beattie (Midlothian), Christine Grahame (Midlothian), Emma Harper (South Scotland), Fulton MacGregor (Coatbridge), Jenny Gilruth (Mid Fife), Neil Findlay (Lothian), John Mason (Shettleston), Claire Baker (Fife) and Clare Adamson (Motherwell).

They are all either SNP or Scottish Labour members and we need support from the Scottish Conservatives, Liberal Democrats and Scottish Greens to secure a debate.

You can help by writing to your local MSP to ask them to support our 'Lead the Way' campaign.

As part of the campaign Holyrood could debate proposals that would make it compulsory for dogs to be on leads in public places except for in designated dog parks.

Debbie’s 5 year-old daughter was bitten on the face by a terrier type dog in June 2016; she had to get a tetanus vaccination and has been left with a scar.

It was reported to Police Scotland who were unable to do anything because the animal is not considered a dangerous breed.

Debbie* said: “We are at a friend’s house and she was in another room and all of a sudden she came in and told us the dog had bitten her face. She was very calm. She was in shock.

“My first reaction was to get her to the hospital because her face was bleeding quite badly. It’s all a bit of a blur.

“She has a scar on her face. When you look closely you can see teeth marks and she was terrified of dogs afterwards.”

Joyce Botts husband Stevie was bitten on the face by an Alsatian-type dog in March last year.

He has been left with long-term damage, including no feeling in his bottom lip.

Joyce is a dog groomer who works with problem dogs and said: “I was at work when Stevie called me to say he’d be bitten. I didn’t really take it seriously, I just thought he’d have been nipped. But, I said I’d take him to the hospital and I was really quite shocked when I saw the mess he was in.

“Animals don’t have the same instincts as humans do but I also think it’s down to owners to make sure their animals are as well trained as possible, but also I don’t think any dog could be 100% trust worthy.

“We’ve got animals of our own, we’ve got dogs and horses. We’ve also got a grandson and we would never consider leaving him alone with any of the animals.

“You don’t know what is going through their heads. We’ve often wondered if the dog that bite Stevie saw his beard and thought it’d seen something it hadn’t. You just don’t know.

Have you been affected by an dog bite? Are you one of the hundreds of parents who have rushed their kids to hospital with bite injuries in Glasgow this year? Email the news team at clydenews@radioclyde.com

If you want to email your MSP we have provided a sample letter below.

Dear MSP

I am writing to you to request that you support the motion S5M-08686 submitted by Alex Neil MSP calling for an urgent review of the Control of Dogs act.

This is an important issue and the figures highlighted by Clyde News during their ‘Lead the Way’ campaign demonstrate that current legislation is not working and needs to be reviewed by the Scottish Parliament as a matter of urgency.

One child being bitten by a dog is one too many.

This is not about punishing responsible dog owners. It is about encouraging those who are not to be more consciousness of their animal’s behaviour.

You can find more information on the campaign from Clyde 1 on their website or at this link: https://planetradio.co.uk/clyde/local/news/lead-way-can-support-campaign-protect-children-scotland-dog-attacks/

Kind Regards,

Your constituent

If you do not know who your MSP is you can find out here.

*Names have been changed to protect identities.

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