MORE than 40 dogs have been seized by Dorset Police following attacks in recent years.

The dogs were seized by the county force following attacks or bites on either humans or other animals.

A Freedom of Information (FOI) request submitted by the Daily Echo uncovered data from the past four years.

Last year, there were a total of 11 dogs seized by Dorset Police, with four impounded in June.

The same number of dogs were also seized in 2022, with two dogs seized in each of May, June, July and October.

In total, 41 dogs were seized throughout 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023.

Once a dog is seized, police do not order or recommend the destruction of dogs.

This is done by a court order, or by the police with the permission of the owner.

Dorset Police said that while the numbers over the past four years are “relatively low”, the decision to seize a dangerous dog is “one that is never taken lightly”.

The welfare and safety of members of the public is the force’s “main driving factor” behind any decision to seize a dog.

A spokesperson for Dorset Police said: “There are a range of measures put in place when we deal with reports of dogs that are dangerously out of control.

“As part of Operation Indie which was announced recently, when being notified that a dog has bitten a human or killed another animal, dog handlers are deployed to the offending dog’s home address to carry out a risk assessment on the dog and give advice that has been written up by a top dog behaviourist in the UK in order to keep the dog from being seized.”

Dorset Police said this helps to put onus on the owner to prove they are looking after the dog responsibly.

The spokesperson added: “Seizing a dog is the last resort and so if people can show that they are doing everything to ensure that the dog cannot bite again, then we prefer the dog stay at home for its own welfare.

"However, if a bite is so bad then it would leave us with no option but to seize.”