LOCAL AUTHORITIES HAVE reported a sharp increase in recorded attacks on people by dogs last year with a total of 442 people reporting being physically injured by aggressive dogs.
New figures published by the Department of Rural and Community Development show the number of cases of people suffering injuries in dog attacks in 2023 is up 44% from the 308 incidents recorded the previous year.
The largest number of dog attacks last year in which people were injured, including damage to clothes, was in Dublin city with 63, followed by Cork county (54), Louth (46), and Fingal and Mayo (both 32).
Only two local authority areas – Wicklow and Roscommon – recorded no incidents of people being injured by dogs.
The latest figures also show there was a 75% increase in the number of incidents of aggressive dog behaviour reported to local authorities last year – up from 791 in …