Dog seized after fourth fatal attack in England and Wales this year
Mon 22 Jul 2024 18:41 BST
A woman in her 30s has been killed by her dog in Coventry, the fourth fatal dog attack in England and Wales this year.
West Midlands Police said they attended her home in Wexford Road, in the town, at around 12.15pm on Monday after calling 999. The woman was treated by the ambulance service at the scene but died a short time later.
The dog was seized and its breed has not yet been confirmed, but police said they do not believe it is a banned breed. The woman’s family has been informed and the death has been reported to the coroner for further investigation.
Chief Inspector David Amos, from the local neighbourhood policing service, said: “We understand this is a tragic and upsetting incident and we would like to thank the local community for their support as well as our emergency service colleagues who responded to this incident. Our thoughts are with the family and loved ones of the woman who has sadly passed away.”
“Although the breed of the dog has not yet been confirmed, we do not believe at this stage that it is a prohibited breed. However, a full assessment will be required before this can be confirmed.”
West Midlands Ambulance Service said its first ambulance arrived at the property within six minutes of a 999 call and found the woman in a critical condition.
A spokesperson said: “With the assistance of police, the woman was quickly removed from the property for safety. Ambulance staff provided intensive care but, tragically, despite their best efforts, nothing could be done to save the woman and she was confirmed dead at the scene a short time later. No one else was injured in the incident.”
The death comes just over a month after seven-month-old Elle Doherty was bitten by her family dog in Coventry. She suffered serious head injuries in the incident on June 16, which police said did not involve any criminal offence. The dog was a Belgian Malinois, which is not a banned breed, and was humanely put down.
The woman’s death on Monday is the fourth fatal dog attack in the UK in 2024, following a record 16 deaths in 2023 – up from six in 2022, according to data from the Office for National Statistics.
Most of the recent deaths have been of American XL Bully dogs, which were added to the list of banned breeds in England and Wales earlier this year. They have been banned in Scotland since August 1.
Animal welfare organisations including the RSPCA and Blue Cross have argued that banning the breeds does not improve public safety and that dog attacks have increased year on year despite the breeds being banned.
