The attack on Freddie the seal was not an isolated incident – we need tough new curbs on dog owners

Over the last year, Britain has been through a national trauma unprecedented in modern history. It has had a profound impact on all our lives.

Within days of the prime minister telling the nation we must stay at home to save lives, millions of us were forced into a period of enforced isolation. But as the roads and skies fell silent and birds sang out in the clean spring air, we suddenly realised how precious the natural world around us really is. For many of us, our companions in exploring these new found wonders were not only our immediate family members, but our dogs.

As the weeks of the pandemic turned into months, dog ownership skyrocketed in Britain, with millions of households deciding they needed four-legged companions to help lift the gloom and bring some happiness and fun to adults and children alike.

However, dog ownership comes with significant responsibility and cost burden. Despite the love and joy they bring, dogs that are poorly trained and not under tight control outside of the home can pose a serious threat to people, domestic animals and wildlife.

The sad death of Freddie the seal on a Thames slipway near Hammersmith this week has brought this issue to national attention.

Our rivers and estuaries have become an increasingly important haven for wildlife during the pandemic, with dolphins, seals, porpoises and otters being regularly seen. Freddie was one of several seals that have regularly been spotted in recent months in the area of the Thames between Twickenham and Hammersmith. The 10-month-old seal was sunning himself on a slipway near Hammersmith bridge on Sunday afternoon, when he was attacked by a dog.

Several people, including a vet, went to the seal’s rescue and managed to prise the dog off Freddie, but unfortunately his wounds were so severe that he had to be euthanised by rescuers at the South Essex Wildlife Hospital in Tilbury.

Unfortunately, the attack on Freddie the seal is not an isolated incident. Across Britain, a growing number of poorly controlled dogs are causing havoc to wildlife and domestic animals.

As a result of lockdown, wildlife criminals who train and trade dogs for fighting, badger baiting and hare coursing have increased their activities, fuelled by a growing demand for illegal online gambling. This is resulting in huge suffering to dogs, badgers and hares and is becoming a major policing challenge for hard pressed constabularies across rural areas of Britain.

On average, over 15,000 sheep are reported killed by dog attacks every year but this figure is believed to have rapidly increased during the pandemic as more dogs are left to roam fields off the lead. This causes huge suffering to sheep, as well as financial and emotional impact on farmers, who are already under significant pressure as a result of Brexit and the pandemic.

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Horse riders are also coming under increasing threat of dog attack with numerous incidents being reported in the last year of riders encountering out of control dogs on beaches and bridleways, some of which have resulted in injuries to both horses and riders.

Even the deer of Richmond Park have had to run the gauntlet of aggressive out of control dogs, which has resulted in a number of injuries to deer in recent months.

The beauty and wonder of the natural world and wildlife has given us a huge boost in these most difficult of times and dogs have helped us to enjoy this experience. Nevertheless, as a society we must do more to make these areas safer for both humans and animals alike.

Dog owners should be legally required to not only register the ownership of their companions with microchips, but also to ensure they take them to training classes to avoid aggressive behaviour and to obey recall commands.

Dogs should be kept on the lead in all busy parks and on river banks, towpaths and bridleways. There must be harsher penalties for anyone inflicting cruelty on dogs as a result of wildlife crime or allowing their animals to endanger the public, domestic animals or wildlife through a lack of control.

Many dog charities are increasingly worried that as the economy worsens in the months ahead, thousands of dogs purchased during the pandemic, will be given up by their owners who can no longer afford to keep them.

Many of these dogs could be taken to veterinary surgeries and euthanised without any checks being made on their microchip to confirm the ownership of the animal or back up rescuers. Conservative MP Jamey Daley is currently sponsoring a Private Members Bill called “Tuk’s Law” to address this problem by making it mandatory for vets to check microchip details before dogs are put to sleep. This has the backing of the MPs across all Parties as well as the prime minister and his fiancée Carrie Symonds, who have their own rescue dog Dilyn.

Ultimately, there are no bad dogs, just bad owners. We need more responsible dog owners, but we also need to protect healthy dogs from being put to sleep simply because they are no longer convenient or affordable.

Dominic Dyer (@domdyer70) is a wildlife and animal welfare campaigner and author. His book, Badgered to Death: The People and Politics of the Badger Cull, is available now