How many dangerous dogs have been seized in West Yorkshire?

The figures were revealed through a Freedom of Information (FOI) request to West Yorkshire Police.

Police have the authority to seize a dog if it belongs to a type that has been bred for fighting, or if they feel it presents a serious danger to the public.

The FOI revealed that since 2019, 585 dogs were seized by West Yorkshire Police under the Dangerous Dogs Act.

American Bulldogs, American Bull Cross, Staffordshire Bull Terriers, and crossbreeds made up the majority of that figure.

In 2019, 137 dogs were seized. The figure fell to 112 in 2020 and rose in 2021 to 123.

The following year saw a slight dip to 120 and as of September 11 this year, 93 dogs had been seized.

A total of six American XL bully dogs - a breed set to be banned in the UK following recent attacks - were seized by West Yorkshire Police as of September 11.

That’s in comparison to one in 2022 and none before that, according to the FOI data.
Since 2019, 244 dogs seized by West Yorkshire Police were destroyed - with more dogs put down by September 11 this year (45) than altogether last year (43).

In 2019, 67 dogs were destroyed. This fell to 43 in 2020 and rose to 46 in 2021.

West Yorkshire Police guidance says that if a dog “poses an immediate threat to the safety of the public, the police or other responsible person (e.g. vet/local authority) can order that the dog be lawfully destroyed”.

In Bradford, there have been several recent examples of dog attacks. Earlier this year, Bradford Crown Court heard how a toddler suffered fractures to her skull after wandering into a yard and being attacked by an Akita dog which was chained there.

The youngster’s horrified mother saw her child’s head in the guard dog’s mouth and screamed, fearing for her life.

As a result of the attack the toddler suffered “grave injuries” in the form of three fractures to the skull, one of which penetrated the brain area, Bradford Crown Court was told.

A victim impact statement from the little girl’s mother was read out to the court, which described how the aftermath of the attack was an extremely worrying time for the family.
In another incident, a horrified mum spoke to the T&A after a dog attacked her young twins on the school run. 

It unfolded as Habiba Memi walked along Hollingwood Lane with her daughters Fatima and Firdaus Sheikh.

She described it as a “really horrific incident” and added: “My daughter woke up and she had a dream about the dog, that the dog was going to come. They are going to be traumatised. Everytime they see a dog they’ll be absolutely terrified. They’ve got their whole life ahead of them.”

Giorgi Fulbirg-Taylor, 10, was also attacked by a dog in Bradford earlier this year, in a field off Bierley Lane

His mum, Kimberley, spoke of her devastation at her son’s horrific injuries.

She told the T&A at the time: “We do have to deal with the mental effect of it all.”

The issue of dangerous dogs was brought to the fore recently amid a spate of attacks across the country, particularly by American XL bully dogs.

Last month, the Prime Minister said the dogs need to be banned because they are a “danger to our communities”.

But Rishi Sunak would not be drawn into whether plans to ban the breed would be enough to prevent further harm caused by the dogs.

Following a spate of attacks involving the dogs, the Prime Minister announced a ban on the breed would be brought into law by the end of this year.

Speaking to the BBC, Mr Sunak described the dogs as a “danger to communities” and said the Government was working on ways to “stop these attacks and to protect the public”.

He said police and experts have been brought together to define the breed of the dog.

Once that is done, the breed will be able to be banned under the Dangerous Dogs Act.

“Those new laws will be in place by the end of the year,” he said and added that the transition was something being worked on between police and experts.