Star comment: Owners of dogs should face rules

It happened in Leominster when a woman in her 30s was attacked by a Bullmastiff and a Staffordshire Bull Terrier. Screams rent the air.

Witnesses describe one of the dogs being covered in blood and as two people went to help they too were injured. The woman was airlifted to hospital where her condition is stable.

And so yet again we have another attack involving dogs and, in this case, one of the larger breeds. One witness talks of the Bullmastiff being "all over" the unfortunate victim.

What happened to this lady is bad enough, but it takes no imagination to realise what the consequences would have been if it had been a child who had been at the receiving end.

Dogs are faithful and much-loved pets but there have been many cases in which dogs which were thought completely docile have turned on their owners or other people. The territorial instinct is built into their DNA. Jealousy can trigger an outbreak of nastiness. Children play with dogs but also can tease them and wind them up in a way which puts their safety at peril.

In short, no dog, large or small, should be taken for granted.

What can and should be done? New measures are already on the table which strengthen the penalties for owners and broaden the circumstances in which they can be prosecuted. Two men in their 20s were arrested in the wake of the Leominster incident. The cogs of legal machinery will turn to decide on prosecutions and who is culpable for this incident, so it would be wrong to rush to judgment.

There are general points to be made. So long as people continue to keep dogs, there will inevitably be dog attacks. All that can be done to minimise the risk, should be done. Certain breeds considered particularly high risk are already banned and whether new breeds should be added has to be kept under review.

The best solution remains the same and it lies with the owners. The majority of owners are responsible dog lovers. There are some though who have dogs as trophies and a few who deliberately keep fierce dogs.

People who want to own guns have to prove they are fit. Dogs are also potentially dangerous weapons. Is the time coming when potential dog owners similarly have to prove they are fit and capable?