A LEADING animal charity says owners need to do more to prevent dog attacks after Merseyside was named the dog bite capital of the UK for a second year.

More people were admitted to hospital after dog attacks in Merseyside last year than anywhere else in the UK, something the RSPCA says is down to the failure of owners.

The region saw 27 people out of every 100,000 having to endure a hospital stay last year.

Between March 2014 and February 2015, dog “bites and strikes” caused 322 admissions in Merseyside and 7,227 nationally – up from 6,740 last year.

Figures published by the Health and Social Care Information Centre (HSCIC) show that the number of people taken to hospital after dog attacks has soared by 76% in the past decade.

Wirral RSPCA Inspector Anthony Joynes told the Globe it is unfair for the dogs to shoulder all of the blame, with a lack of respect from owners only making the problem worse.

He said: “It has to be said that there are very, very few ‘bad dogs’ out there that are inclined to attack or bite unprovoked.

“In my experience, most dogs I have come across that I feel have the potential to be aggressive is almost always as a result of a failure of the owner with respect to not meeting their needs.”

Inspector Joynes – who works across Merseyside to crackdown on animal cruelty – said the shocking figures do not surprise him.

He added: “I am forever seeing for example unneutered dogs being left in cages all day, not walked, not socialised with other dogs or people and then people are shocked when that dog eventually snaps at someone.

“It is not a surprise to me at all. The only way to make a change is to make it more difficult for people to get their hands on a dog.”

Dogs are often sold online on sites including Facebook and Gumtree, something Inspector Joynes believes can make the problem worse.

He said: “I feel a lot of the time this is just a swapping place for un-socialised dogs that are being passed from pillar to post which unfortunately can make their behaviour worse.

“People should have to show some sort of knowledge and proficiency before they are allowed to have a dog at home.

“This would not only prevent so many bites from occurring, but would prevent their being so many unwanted dogs up and down the country as well as helping to reduce cruelty and neglect.”

Figures from the HSCIC also show that the most commonly affected age group was children under nine, with 1,159 admitted to hospital over the last 12 months.

Inspector Joynes described it as a “worrying” statistic.

“Yet again, a lot of the time this is down to a failure of the owner of the dog or parent,” he said.

“I am forever being told that the dog is ‘ok’ with the child pulling the dog’s tail or hanging off its ears or even sleeping in bed with the child.

“Within minutes of witnessing the dog’s behaviour towards the child it is clear that the owners are missing or completely unaware of things the dog is doing – such as pawing, licking lips, blinking – and I have to warn them that those are signs the dog is massively uncomfortable with what is happening and that a bite could result in the future.”

Merseyside was followed by Durham, Darlington and Tees and Thames Valley where 24.9 per 100,000 and 23.9 per 100,000 people were admitted respectively.

The most common injuries from dogs were open wounds of wrists, hands, head and forearm.

At least 21 people, including 13 children, have died in England and Wales in the past 10 years from dog attacks.

In May last year the Dangerous Dogs Act was updated to ring in new longer maximum prison sentences for dog owners, including raising the maximum from two to 14 years for a fatal attack and five for one causing injury.

There is also a three-year maximum sentence for allowing your dog to attack an assistance dog.

Trevor Cooper, the Dogs Trust’s law specialist, said: “Dogs Trust remains frustrated that legislation focusing on issues around dangerous dogs and dog attacks remains ineffective at preventing these incidents happening in the first place.

“It is the responsibility of dog owners to ensure their dogs are properly trained and socialised and Dogs Trust advises that young children should never be left alone with a dog.”