"Young boy mauled by dog", "Child attack dog to be destroyed", "Women hurt in vicious dog attack"; we've all seen the headlines, but what really pushes a dog to bite a human?  Though the mass media would be quick to blame the dog, trainers and those who have an understanding of canines say that, in most cases, the buck stops with us, and the anthropomorphic pressures we place on dogs.

Scaremongering
Irresponsible reporting by the media has deepened the public's stereotyped view and associated mistrust of some dog breeds.  Fear-inducing images of children with scars on their legs and faces from dog bites, or menacing-looking pictures of dogs, plaster the opening page of many a news article, yet the circumstance behind what led the dog to attack is rarely revealed - not even after months of investigation.

The reason for this unbalanced reporting simply boils down to profit: dog attack stories sell papers.  Reporters frequently have a field day with such articles, using them as an excuse to mount the soapbox and spout off sweeping anti-Rottie and/or Staffie statements.  Unfortunately this does nothing for the reputation of such breeds which, on the other side of the coin, regularly make superb family pets.

Why Dogs Bite
A dogs mouth is his main instrument for play, attack and defence.  He is not as dextrous as humans and has limited other equipment to use.  It is important to remember that all dogs, first and foremost were bred as hunters - even the small terrier types which were predominantly used for ratting and ferreting.  Training over the years has endeavoured to suppress this natural instinct as we have shaped dogs to amicable family friends.

A well-trained dog will usually only bite when he feels threatened, as with most other animals such as hamsters, cats and horses.  An untrained dog, however, will have fewer boundaries imposed on him by humans, and be less predictable.  Poor or ignorant handling can predispose a dog to apprehension and worry.  If a pet feels this way, he will be more defensive and this could lead to a nip.

Unfamiliarity can breed contempt, and a lack of socialization around humans will not do a dog any favours.  In its Annual Review of Cases 2005, the Association of Pet Behaviour Counsellors found that one in three dog bites are triggered by dogs being patted or stroked by a stranger.  This is why so many breeders, trainers behaviourists and canine charities, such as the PDSA, push the importance of socialization from the very early stages of a pup's life.  This stops a pup growing up to be a danger to himself and/or to members of the public.

Senior veterinary surgeon for the PDSA, Sean Wensley, says "The socialization period is a critical time in a puppies development when he learns how to interact with other dogs and people.  This important time starts at about three weeks of age and ends at about twelve weeks.  The more a puppy experiences other dogs, people, sights and sounds, the more relaxed and well-adjusted he will become as an adult.  Without this, fear of the unknown can lead to aggression in later life."

Experienced dog trainer Colin Tennant says "Dog biting or growling is normal behaviour.  If they become fearful - which is why most dogs bite - then they will give a warning, or retreat.  If they can't, and this is usually because a human is imposing on them, then they bite.  Dogs have no understanding of consequence as we do.  When dogs interact with one another, they have a repertoire of behaviours.  They play with their teeth and, if a dog accidentally bites too hard, the other will snap at him to tell him off and apprehend him.  It's instant and may look vicious."

Incompetent advice and ineffective training can have a huge bearing on a dog's behaviour.  Colin continues: "Trainers who sign up to a mission statement of using no discipline on a dog condemn a large proportion of those dogs to future euthanasia or dumping by future owners because they become unmanageable.

"There has to be some element of discipline when it comes to training.  We all train kindly and effectively but when everything you do that is positive has no effect, you must do something else.  It is important to note that "discipline" does not mean hurting a dog and using violence.

"If you set yourself up as an expert - part-time amateur or professional - and invite people into your arena of training and you cannot manage a dog, it's incumbent on you to have a list of expert professionals that you can refer to.  If you don't do that, you are condemning the owner and dog to a sad end because you are not aware of your limits."

The Blame Game
A poignant case, which sparked a national outcry and made the media sit up to the potential scope of dog attack stories, was that of five-year-old Ellie Lawrenson, who was killed by her uncle's Pit Bull Terrier Type on New Year's Day 2007.  There was much debate about who was responsible for the tragedy and the story was followed by the media for many weeks.

It was reported that Ellie was at her grandmothers house in St Helen's, Merseyside, when the dog bit her and she died.  The dog had previously attacked and consequently, there was a "family rule" that Ellie was not to be left on her own with him.  Jacqueline Simpson (45), Ellie's grandmother, was responsible for supervising her.  She was blamed for allowing the dog into the house but argued she was unaware of the rule.

She was cleared of manslaughter and the blame, it seemed, rested with the dog - despite evidence reported, weeks after the investigation, that Mrs Simpson had drunk wine and smoked cannabis prior to the attack.

It was reported that Ellie's uncle, Kiel Simpson (24) had been warned by St Helens Council about the dog's behaviour after it had attacked another dog.  Mr Simpson, who has been previously convicted of drug dealing, was jailed for eight weeks for owning the dog illegally under the terms of the 1991 Dangerous Dogs Act.  The Judge at the hearing reportedly said Mr Simpson should never have owned such a dog and should have foreseen the attack.  He said the dog was left in the care of people unable to control it, including its owner, who was responsible for it.

It is a sad fact that this type of attack, and many others like it, could have been prevented by proper training and responsible ownership.  The dog was shot dead by police marksmen.

Colin Tennant believes that dog attacks on humans are mainly caused by ignorant ownership - with a lack of socialization as a pup - and ineffective training methods.  He says that there are certain groups of people attributed to such problems. One such group are the "hoodies".  Colin says "These are young lads who buy a dog that they perceive looks aggressive.  Again, they are often ignorant and do not socialize a dog.  Another much smaller group are the people who innocently rehome dogs with a bad background and don't know how to handle them.

Born Bad
The current Dangerous Dogs Act highlights the Governments  stance on certain breeds being predisposed to aggressive behaviour.  Four breed types are banned: the Pit Bull Terrier, Japanese Tosa, Dodo Argentino and Fila Brasileiro.  The Government states that these types were bred for fighting and are dangerous.  Other types of dogs can be added to the list id considered dangerous by a court.  There is some lenience to the ban, however, and where a breed type is not considered a threat by a court, he can be put on the Index of Exempted Dogs and stay with his owners.

In the Ellie Lawrenson case, one member of the family described the Pit Bull-Type that bit her as "evil" and having "eyes(that) were just evil (and) anyone who came into contact with it would say it looked evil".  The dog was also blamed for being jealous of Ellie: a situation which, it seems, was left to fester as no effort to retrain the dog was reported.

The Lawrenson family believed their dog had a bad personality and blamed him for the attack.  They may also have argued that the dog had been premeditating the attack - as a human killer might - for some time due to its jealousy of the child.

Colin Tennant believes this concept is unjustifiable.  He says: "If we were to look at a situation from a dog's point of view, he does not have the forethought to plan an attack: neither does he account his behaviour to be wrong - unlike a human.  We still seem to expect dogs to act as we would and know their behaviour is wrong.  I attend court and give my opinion on dog behaviour.  As soon as an ignorant owner is charged, the first thing they do is blame the dog.

"There are some breeds which are predisposed to forceful and dominant behaviour; they are sometimes known as guarding breeds.  These types of dog need careful upbringing, so they are told what they can and can't do.  They must receive proper training and be owned by people who understand the requirements of the breed.

"Very occasionally I will come across 'despite' dogs.  These are dogs that cannot be helped despite what we do.  These dogs are very strong willed and will assert constant dominance as a pup, which becomes more aggressive.  The dogs that don't fit in are those with the strongest wolf characteristics still retained in them from their wolf ancestor."

Attack Statistics
Most of the media coverage would have us think that dog attacks are very much on the up.  Indeed, the NHS Hospital Episode Statistics reported a rise in dog 'attacks' from 2,683 in 1996/7 to 4,658 in 2006/7.  The accuracy to the statistics, however, is highly questionable as the 'attack' recordings also include strikes such as accidental knocks without bites.

One report says that NHS statistics show a 40 per cent rise in people attending hospital accident and emergency (A&E) departments due to dog bites.

Another report, by the Coventry Telegraph, found that hospital staff and A&E departments across Coventry and Warwickshire were baffled by figures which stated the number of under 18's who required hospital care after dog attacks in the West Midlands had soared by 80 per cent over the past four years.  It was reported that many felt the number of dog bite cases they received were actually falling.

Binta James, a staff nurse for Hospital of St Cross, Rugby, is one of them.  Binta said the massive increase in dog bite statistics didn't really reflect the reality of the situation as she sees it on a day-to-day basis.

She said " In three years in this department, I haven't seen many dog-related accidents come in.  If anything, it's adults that come in but, not many.  Most of the child related accidents come through play injuries unrelated to dogs."

Celia Kendrick, lead nurse for A&E for Peterborough District Hospital, agrees: "The perception in the accident and emergency department is that there has not been an increase during the past four years in the number of people coming to accident and emergency with dog bites or dog strike injuries.  We do not see a high number of people with dog bite or strike injuries and those we do generally have fairly minor injuries."

Educating Owners
Luckily there are some organisations that recognize more has to be done to educate dog owners on how to handle and train their pets.  Brent Action for Responsible K9's (BARK) was officially launched in September 2007 to tackle the irresponsible use of dogs in the Brent borough.  The joint partnership, involving the RSPCA, Metropolitan Police Service (MET), The Mayhew Animal Home, Brent Council and Brent Housing Partnership (BHP), works together to educate the community on dog welfare and responsible pet ownership.  Its aim is to reduce antisocial behaviour, dog welfare issues and the risks of dogs attacking people.  The Mayhew Animal Home, one of the busiest animal sanctuaries in London, sends its animal welfare officers into the community to educate people.

Angela Moruzzi, animal welfare officer for Brent Council, says: "BARK was set up in the aftermath of the Ellie Lawrenson case.  Each member of the partnership was reporting an increase in complaints related to dog barking and animal welfare, and the Met also reported a rise in dangerous dog cases.

"Information is shared between all organisations in BARK and it conducts monthly patrols.  We are the first borough to do this, and now others are following suit.

"BARK is all about educating dog owners on how to look after and control their pets so as to prevent problems, such as dog attacks.  It is a positive organisation which enforces the law but primarily wants to help people; we will do everything we can to help individual cases and offer free dog tags and microchipping for some breeds.

"Overall, we have had a good response from members of the public because they realise we want to help them to keep their dog responsibly.  We don't want to prosecute and enforce; however, if there is a case where someone is repeatedly offending, then we have to.

"When it comes to dog attacks and problems with out-of-control dogs, it is always the owner who is to blame.  Half of the Pit Bull Type dogs I see are lovely animals; its the owner's lack of knowledge and responsibility that causes problems.

"WE provide owners with a booklet packed with information on animal welfare, vet contacts, training establishments, health information - and more."

BARK also helps rehabilitate children and adults who have suffered a dog bite.

Reality Bites
Everything we teach a dog, from learning to walk on a lead, to pooping outside and knowing how to behave in our homes, is unnatural.  Effective and correct training helps a dog to establish what is required of him.  If we get this wrong, or are irresponsible, then his behaviour is going to be unacceptable - and potentially aggressive.  Yes, there are occasions when a dog will bite unexpectedly - and we must remember that our pets are not machines and can sometimes be unpredictable.  And there are those who are beyond any trainer's help.  These cases are happily very rare.

With any animal, no guarantee of their actions can be made - though much can be done to prevent bad behaviour.  A horse owner cannot promise their animal will not kick, in the same way a dog owner cannot guarantee their pet is perfect around young children.  Dogs are animals, and we cannot expect them to uphold human values; equally, we should not get angry with them when they don't.

The national newspapers appear to have a love/hate relationship with dogs, and the good that so many of our four legged friends do for society - such as guide and hearing dogs, search and rescue and sniffer dogs - often goes unreported.

The number of dog attacks (including strikes) in the UK went up by 1,975 in 10 years.  Compare this to the British Crime Survey estimate that there were over two million violent incidents against adults in England and Wales in 2007/08.  This puts the problem we have with dogs into sobering perspective.  The anti-dog lobby may well have it that this statement compares dogs to people - but are they not doing the same by saying dogs shouldn't bite?