The Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 was introduced following a media storm and public outcry over news reports of dog attacks. Despite legislation being in place that is supposed to protect the public, reported numbers of dog bites and fatalities continue to grow and public health costs directly attributable to dog attacks are rising. At the same time, dogs who have done nothing wrong other than look a certain way are seized, euthanised or subject to harsh restrictions, and their owners face possible criminal charges.
Led by Professor Claire Parkinson, a research team (Dr Lara Herring and Dr David Gould) from the Centre for Human Animal Studies (CfHAS) at Edge Hill University have undertaken research into public perceptions of dangerous dogs and dog risk in the UK. In this talk, Professor Parkinson will discuss the failures of the current legislation and the findings of the research which examined where the public get information about dog behaviour and dog risk, what is understood as dangerous dog behaviour, and situational awareness of bite risk. The event will launch the publication of the research report and will include recommendations that arise from the research findings.
Who is this event for?
Speakers
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Professor Claire Parkinson
Professor of Culture, Communication and Screen Studies & Co-Director, Centre for Human Animal Studies
Claire is Professor of Culture, Communication and Screen Studies, Co-Director of the Centre for Human Animal Studies, and Associate Head of the English and Creative Arts department. She has held academic posts at Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool Hope University and University of Brighton. She joined Edge Hill University as a professor in 2012 and was the founding Director of the Institute for Creative Enterprise (ICE). She established the Centre for Human Animal Studies (CfHAS) in 2014. Claire’s publications include the monographs Memento (2010), Popular Media and Animals (2011) and Animals, Anthropomorphism and Mediated Encounters (2020).
Enquiries
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