DNA dog control

ANDREW FENTON, DOUG ROBERTSON

August 27, 2007 02:15am

COUNCILS will collect dog DNA samples and are considering a database of dangerous canines to deal with the growing number of attacks.

Almost all South Australian councils are now equipped with DNA kits to help them track down the dogs responsible for attacks.

More than 2000 dog attacks are reported to SA councils each year, but it's often impossible to prove which dog is responsible, particularly when owners deny their pet was involved.

While eyewitnesses can often identify the breed of dog, some have difficulty identifying the particular dog responsible for an attack, especially when there are a lot of animals around.

Dog DNA can be extracted from blood, clothing or skin wounds of a victim. The data can be stored indefinitely, and some councils are examining the prospect of building a DNA

While the DNA kits are yet to be used, rangers are equipped to take swabs from a dog to compare with swabs from a victim to determine whether it was the culprit.

The Dog and Cat Management Board advises dog attack victims to contact the local council where an incident occurs, as they are entitled to claim damages and costs incurred as a result of an attack.

Councils have authority to collect evidence of dog attacks and can issue a warning to the dog's owner or order its destruction.

Executive Officer of the Dog and Cat Management Board Deb Kelly said the DNA kits, which cost about $35, would be useful for rangers investigating dog attacks. A typical laboratory test costs about $100.

Dr Kelly said the DNA kit was not only used to identify dangerous dogs. It was used in Victoria to identify the person responsible for killing a dog with a tyre lever.

The technology is being deployed at a time when the number of dog attack victims requiring hospitalisation and reconstructive surgery is increasing, with 189 cases last year, up from 182 the year before.

More than a quarter of the 660 dog-attack victims who present at SA emergency departments each year are children aged under five.

However, Ms Kelly said she believed the number of people bitten each year was 10 times more than official figures show.

Director of Epidemiology at the Department of Health, Ron Somers, said dog attacks were a serious public health issue "particularly for children who are more likely to be injured in the face".