Aggressive or out of control animals
Some animals may be dangerous, this can happen for a number of reasons including: medical issues, being protective, anxiety, trauma, being poorly treated etc.
If an animal has been poorly treated it can be dangerous to the public or other animals. Find out how to stay safe from aggressive or neglected animals, report them and help us bring their owners to account.
Some owners of animals, particularly dogs, train them to be aggressive and use them to threaten or intimidate other people. This could be while they are walking the animal, or by putting the animal in a position where it causes danger to members of the public, either deliberately or by not having the animal under control.
If a member of the public or another animal went into its reach, or if the animal broke loose etc., this could represent a serious danger to the public.
If you’ve witnessed an aggressive or out of control animal, or an owner using an animal to intimidate people, please report it to Lincolnshire Police.
You should also contact the Public Protection and Anti-Social Behaviour Team.
Animals used for illegal activities
Some animals are bred and trained to take part in illegal activities such as dog fights, hare coursing and badger baiting. Not only can this harm the animal in question, it often leads to other animals being persecuted, abused, injured and killed for sport. These activities should be reported to the RSPCA or Lincolnshire Police.
What is the impact?
Like all forms of violence, if left unchecked this situation could get worse. More people would buy and raise aggressive animals so as not to be intimidated by other people’s animals.
Not only would this make for more intimidating and less safe communities it would mean a huge increase in the numbers of abused and tormented animals. We can’t let this happen.
General advice
- Do not approach a strange dog, especially one which is tied up or confined
- Before you attempt to approach a dog, ask permission from the owner. Let the dog become familiar with you by allowing it to see and sniff the back of your closed hand
- Never leave children unsupervised with any dog, no matter how trustworthy
If threatened by a dog:
- Stand still
- Do not scream
- Avoid eye contact, but don’t lose sight of the dog. Try to remain motionless
- Keep your hands reasonably high. Moving hands tend to be the first to be bitten
- Use any object in your hand, like a shopping bag, to block the approach of a dog. If you are a cyclist, dismount and position your bicycle between you and the dog
- If you are knocked down, curl into a ball and play dead
- Do not ever turn your back on the dog
- Never, ever, run