One in six South West children 'bitten by a pet'

A survey shows 37% of children who have been bitten need medical attention

One in six children in the south-west of England have been bitten by a pet - with 37% of those requiring medical attention, research has suggested.

Eight animal welfare charities working together as the Pet Education Partnership (Pep) said a survey of more than 1,000 children aged seven to 11 suggested 17% had been bitten, with 54% involving a dog.

Following the research, Pep has urged parents not to leave their children unsupervised with pets and be aware of how to prevent dog bites in particular.

Dr Sam Gaines, of the RSPCA, said: "These shocking figures are understandably worrying and highlight why it's so important that parents and guardians are aware of how to prevent dog bites."

Pep is a coalition of Blue Cross, Cats Protection, Dogs Trust, PDSA, RSPCA, SSPCA, USPCA and Woodgreen charities.

The organisations have been providing sessions at primary schools to help teach children how to stay safe around animals.

The charities hope if young people have a better understanding of the way animals behave, they will know when they are happy and in turn lead to fewer incidents.

Asking for consent

David Allen, from Pep, said said the coalition had used the research to develop the training course.

"A lot of the time, owners just think about themselves," Mr Allen said.

"There's plenty of evidence that suggesting having a pet is great for humans.

"What we're trying to do is counterbalance it so that it is great for pets as well."

Children from Bishop Henderson Primary School in Taunton said they found the session they did at the RSPCA centre at West Hatch very useful.

"We've learned lots about how to approach a dog safely and how to ask for consent from both the owner and the dog," said 10-year-old Zara, who has a pet dog at home.

Louisa, 11, who also has a pet dog, added: "I didn't know all of it, so it is really helpful people telling us how to understand dogs and approach them."