Dog bites 18% more likely on hot, sunny days when air pollution levels are high, study finds

Dogs are 18% more likely to bite people on hotter, sunny days when air pollution levels are higher, new research suggests.

Scientists found that interactions between humans and dogs on “hot, sunny, and smoggy days” are “more hostile”, and concluded that “the societal burden of extreme heat and air pollution includes the costs of animal aggression.”

Some research has linked increased aggression in humans with hotter weather and higher levels of air pollution, prompting researchers to assess whether the same rings true for dogs.

Clas Linnman and colleagues at Harvard Medical School in the US looked at data on dog bites in eight US cities between 2009 and 2018 including Dallas, Houston, Baltimore, Baton Rouge, Chicago, Louisville, Los Angeles, and New York City.

The study found that dog bites increased by 11% on days with higher UV levels, 4% on days with higher temperatures and 3% on days with increased levels of ozone.

By comparison, dog bite incidents slightly decreased by 1%, on days with higher levels of rainfall.

The authors said there were no changes to the amount of dog bite incidents on days with higher levels of fine particulate matter PM2.5 - an air pollutant.

The researchers cautioned that the dog bite records did not include information that can affect a dog’s risk of biting such as its breed, sex, or whether it had been neutered or spayed.

There was also no information about interactions between the dog and the bite victim including whether the person was familiar with the dog or not.

The scientists said more research is needed to confirm and explore the relationship between aggression in dogs and higher temperatures and levels of air pollution.

The research comes after it was found dog attack hospitalisations hit record highs in England.

NHS data revealed hospitals had to deal with an average of four dog bite cases among children per day between 2021 and 2022.

According to figures seen by NationalWorld last year, there were 1,516 cases of children under the age of 15 having to attend hospital for dog-related injuries between April 2021 and March 2022.

As well as an increase in dog attack hospitalisations involving children, admissions also reached record highs across several adult age groups.

An average of 20 adults per day in England received care for injuries sustained as a result of an incident involving a dog.

On Monday 5 June a woman was bitten in the face by a dog in Swindon leaving her with cuts and bruises. The victim was walking when she was approached by the dog which was on a lead with its owner.

The owner of the dog left without making any attempt to ensure the well-being of the victim and Wiltshire Police issued an appeal for information.