400 per cent increase in dangerous dogs seized by South Yorkshire Police

Brian Todd shows his injuries after he was attacked by two dogs, 230127-3

THE number of dangerous dogs seized by South Yorkshire Police skyrocketed by 400 per cent in the three years.

In 2019, there were 43 but this increased to 215 in 2022.

Twenty-one dogs were destroyed in 2019 — this surged to 98 in 2022.

Sheffield had the highest number of dogs seized last year with 79, followed by Doncaster (67), Rotherham (38) and Barnsley (31).

The four-fold increase in the number of dogs seized comes despite just a 15 per cent rise in dog ownership nationally.

Rachael Attwell, South Yorkshire Police’s dog legislation officer said: “In incidents involving a dog, our priority will always be to protect the public from harm, or further harm.

“Where there is an ongoing risk to public safety, we will seize the dog and assess whether it can be rehabilitated and rehomed.

“The decision to destroy a dog is not one taken lightly and will always be the last resort.”

A number of high profile incidents have taken place across South Yorkshire in the last year, prompting the force to issue a warning to owners to check their fences and gardens to ensure dogs are kept secure.