James McNally is the dog bite solicitor and is once again in the news
James, who has been dubbed by the British media as ‘The Dog Bite Solicitor’ has been featured in the Daily Mail and interviewed on BBC 5Live, following the tragic death of a little girl who was attacked in her garden by a dog.
He has also appeared in an article in The Sun about the rise in dog attacks reaching epidemic proportions.
As an animal law expert, James was asked to contribute to a review by DEFRA (the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) in 2018 when the government was looking at reforms to the Dangerous Dogs Act. Regrettably, none of the recommendations of the committee were implemented
In response to the latest attacks the Government has indicated that it is monitoring the problem and DEFRA says it is looking at promoting responsible dog ownership in order to reduce the number of dog attacks.
There seems little doubt that the problem is getting worse and has been accelerated by the pandemic.
When James told the BBC that he receives half a dozen enquiries every single day from people who have been bitten or attacked by a dog, the 5Live presenter, Laura McGhie, said she was shocked, describing the figure as, “incredible”.
James made the point to the Daily Mail, the BBC and The Sun that this is not just about a limited number of breeds that are classed as dangerous. “Almost any breed,” he says, “is capable of inflicting serious injury at any time.”
The problem is being exacerbated by unscrupulous dog breeders selling dogs that haven’t been socialised, and unregulated rescue centres who fail to properly vet animals before placing them with a family.
He says that disaster is inevitable when you have the wrong dogs, bred by the wrong people, going to the wrong homes.
Asked by the BBC why so many children were being injured, James explained that it was partly down to their physical vulnerability, but that families also played an important part. Dog owners are frequently too trusting, too complacent; treating dogs like just another member of the family.
In the phone-in that followed on Radio 5Live it was clear that the public are very concerned, with many saying they feel threatened by dogs, especially those who owners allow to run around in public spaces off-lead.
