Abstract
As dog bite injuries are a considerable problem in modern society, in order to reduce such injuries, breed-specific legislation has been introduced in a number of countries. Whilst many studies have shown a lack of effect with such legislation, the commonly used methodology is known to be flawed. Therefore, the aim of this study is to investigate the effect of the Danish breed-specific legislation on the number of dog bite injuries using more credible methods. A time series intervention method was used on a detailed dataset from Odense University Hospital, Denmark, regarding dog bite injuries presented to the emergency department. The results indicate that banning certain breeds has a highly limited effect on the overall levels of dog bite injuries, and that an enforcement of the usage of muzzle and leash in public places for these breeds also has a limited effect. Despite using more credible and sound methods, this study supports previous studies showing that breed-specific legislation seems to have no effect on dog bite injuries. In order to minimise dog bite injuries in the future, it would seem that other interventions or non-breed-specific legislation should be considered as the primary option.
Highlights
Dog bites are a considerable problem in modern society
Since all dogs that are covered by the law are required to be muzzled in public places, there should be an instant effect in public spaces that goes beyond this average effect. To test these hypotheses empirically, we apply a novel time series intervention method to a detailed dataset from Odense University Hospital, where we explore the effects of the breed-specific legislation on dog bite injuries in both private and public spaces with minimal modelling assumptions
This result is specific to private spaces, which by the nature of the new law should be less affected than dog bites occurring in public spaces
Summary
Dog bites are a considerable problem in modern society. The risk of receiving a dog bite severe enough to require medical attention is 3-4/1000 population per year [1], meaning that globally, dog bites are amongst the top 12 causes of nonfatal injuries [2]. The risk factors of dog bite injuries can be subdivided in to personrelated, dog-related and environmental factors. Bites can occur both in the public and the private. When it comes to dog-related factors, the risk appears to vary by breed. Due to large populations, popular breeds are often represented in the data
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
