109 treated for dog bites

Between 2008 and 2022, 109 people were admitted to local hospitals with dog bites or dog injuries.

Sixty of those treated were children under 16, making up a majority of the victims.

Ten of the patients treated for dog-inflicted injuries were aged 16-30; eight were aged 31-45; 21 were aged 46-65; three were aged 66-75; and seven were aged over 75.

More women and girls (66) were hospitalised over the 15 year period than men and boys (43).

The largest number of hospitalisations occurred in 2020 when nine females and three males were treated for injures.

In 2021 six females and no males were admitted to hospital and in 2022 three females and six males were treated.

READ MORE: 11 people attacked by dogs across Derry and Strabane

The ‘Journal’ recently reported how 11 people were attacked by dogs across Derry and Strabane in the first three months of 2023.

There were 11 attacks on people and seven attacks on other domestic pets between January 1 and March 31, 2023.

The Northern Ireland Ambulance Service (NIAS), meanwhile, responded to 275 emergency calls involving dog attacks across the North between 2020 and 2022.

The attacks involved emergencies where someone was mauled, bitten or attacked by a dog.

Ninety-one incidents were recorded in 2020, rising to 101 in 2021, and falling back to 83 in 2022.

The information for the years 2008 to 2022 was released by the Western Trust in response to a Freedom of Information request.

Coding was only available up to September 2022.

Ambulance service responded to 275 dog attack emergency calls