Keep dog attacks all in perspective
In Fairlight a consultation exercise was held about Wood Field Recreation Ground.
There was little support for the proposition that dogs be kept on leads, a finding which must have been repeated across much of Rother, judging from the few places covered by the Order.
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Hide AdThere is clearly a need to educate the public in dog handling, and legislation has its place. However, we need to keep a sense of proportion. According to the Office of National Statistics the average number of human deaths caused by dogs per year has been 2.3 (two point three).
That compares with nearly 3,000 deaths on the roads. An individual is twice as likely to have the winning ticket for the National Lottery as to be killed by a dog, and you are about 1,300 times more likely to be killed on the roads than by a dog. I would imagine that injuries are in proportion.
Sheep worrying is an ugly business, but don’t let us leap from that report to a policy not justified by the statistics.
Andrew Mier
Shepherds Way, Fairlight