This year three people have died from dog attacks: in February, a 67-year-old woman who was bitten by her pitbull in Valencia; a week ago, a 96-year-old woman was attacked by two dogs, also of potentially dangerous breed, in Murcia, and a 27-year-old girl who came across several dogs, three of them mastiffs guarding a flock, on October 23. These are very tragic cases that make headlines, but many other injuries occur due to dog attacks. The lack of a centralized registry makes it impossible to know the number of attacks that occur in Spain for this reason, the reasons that cause them or the breeds of the dogs involved and their situation, both health and management of the owners. The lack of this data complicates the development of studies and the implementation of standardized protocols to minimize damage.
The Ministry of the Interior only has statistics on criminal offenses for injuries to dangerous animals by autonomous community, without breaking it down by species, so it could be a dog or another animal. In 2022 there are 275 injuries recorded, with Andalusia in first position, with 71, and Madrid in second, with 47. In the autonomous communities they know the number of dogs, but it does not go much deeper. And to find out the number of deaths, it is necessary to review the news in the media, which gives an approximate estimate of 25 people killed from 2010 until now.
The General Directorate of Animal Rights encountered the problem when developing the animal welfare law, which came into force this September 29. “There is no tool that coordinates this information and, furthermore, the autonomous communities do not collect the breeds or the injury,” explains Sergio García Torres, general director of Animal Rights. The new standard provides as one of its “fundamental axes” the creation of a registry coordinated with the different territories, which will provide reliable and comparable data on the situation of dogs and attacks. But, like other points of this law, it is waiting for the regulations that develop it to be approved and this will not happen until the Government is no longer in office.
Since each attack is different, that type of information would be very valuable, experts highlight. “There is no fixed rule in assaults, it depends on the genetics and handling of the dog, especially when it is a puppy,” explains Javier Rodellar, president of Anerpa, an animal protection and rehabilitation association. She was one of the first people to respond when the two pitbulls attacked the 96-year-old woman in Alguazas (Murcia), and she died a few days later. The dogs belong to neighbors and did not have a microchip, license, or liability insurance, as required by the law on the possession of dangerous animalsand their vaccinations were not up to date, the investigation indicates.
“The case of the woman who died in Zaragoza is completely different,” says Rodellar. Three of the dogs involved were mastiffs guarding a flock of sheep. They are herding animals, which were excluded along with hunting animals from the animal welfare law. Nor are they on the list of dangerous breeds contained in the 2002 regulation that develops the law on the possession of dangerous animals. The list includes seven races, although there are regional governments and city councils that add others. In this way, situations occur as incongruous as the one Rodellar relates: “In Aguazas [donde murió la mujer de 96 años] The Doberman is not considered a dangerous dog, but it is in Molina de Segura, two kilometers away, and that means that there you have to keep the dog on a leash, muzzle, have a license and insurance. The intention of the new law is to eliminate this list of breeds with the regulations that develop it.
Sergeant Fernando Cuello, agent of the Nature Protection Service of the Civil Guard (Seprona), explains that cases as serious as those that have occurred in recent weeks are “something extraordinary; “It is normal for lighter bites to occur either to people or between dogs.” The agents tell the victims in their interventions that they can file a complaint and, in the most serious incidents, the dogs are under surveillance by the veterinary services of the autonomous communities, which keep them in quarantine.
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If the animal has killed a person, its fate is decided by the veterinarian. “First they study their behavior to rule out that it is an isolated event. It does not have to end in euthanasia, although it is the most normal thing,” responds Antonio Vadillo, a lawyer from the Animal Rights section of the Madrid Bar Association. As for the responsibilities of the owners, it also depends on the case. For example, in the death of the young woman in Zamora, the shepherd to whom the dogs belonged faces reckless homicide. “The owner is always responsible for how the animal is maintained, for keeping it in good order and for any damage it causes,” he warns.
María Luisa Fernández, member of the Council of the College of Veterinarians of Spain, corroborates that serious cases are “very specific, especially taking into account the number of dogs in Spain.” There are around 10 million dogs and three cats, according to the database prepared by the Spanish Companion Animal Network (REIAC), a non-profit association that gathers information from the communities. But it is estimated that there are many more, given that more than 70% of abandoned dogs do not have an identification microchip and escape control, according to the General Directorate of Animal Rights.
Responsible ownership
Apart from the importance of the data, the fundamental thing is that society understands that owning a dog entails a series of obligations. Jaume Fatjó, veterinarian and director of the Affinity Animals and Health Foundation chair, at the University of Barcelona, agrees that there is a lack of information to delve deeper into the attacks. “The deaths that occur are terrible and everything must be done to avoid them and with the current law on dangerous animals there continue to be accidents,” he comments.
The risk factors are identified. “The most important ones have to do with responsible ownership, the conditions in which the animal is found and the control measures so that it does not bite,” Fatjó lists. There are subtle warning signs, for example when a dog growls or shows its teeth, preventing people from approaching. “The responsible thing would be to go to the veterinarian, because there may even be a physical illness that has not been detected,” she warns.
The member of the veterinary association points out another problem: “Sometimes dogs are treated as if they were people, but they have another way of behaving and you have to educate them, if only out of respect for the animal in front of you.” And, in general, “it’s easy, as long as you know four guidelines.” She also warns that it is very important that the puppies remain with their mother until they are two or three months old. “It is the basis of socialization and is fundamental for behavior for the rest of their lives,” she says.
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