Sharp increase in dog bite incidents recorded in canton Zurich

There is no apparent reason for the increase in incidents, according to Zurich’s Veterinary Office. Keystone / Gaetan Bally

Significantly more cases of dogs biting people, other dogs or other animals were recorded in Zurich last year compared with 2022, an increase the cantonal Veterinary Office has said it cannot explain.  

There is no apparent reason for the rise, according to an annual report recently published by the canton of Zurich’s Veterinary Office. It said it remains to be seen whether the number of reported dog bite incidents will continue to rise – and if so, to what extent.  

Medical, veterinary and police professionals, as well as private individuals, submitted around 24% more reports in 2023, with the total climbing from 1,356 to 1,661 cases.

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The most frequent reports were about biting incidents involving humans, for which the number rose from 659 to 839. A further 673 cases involving other dogs or other animals were registered compared to 532 the previous year, while 144 reports concerned dogs with aggressive behaviour, an increase on 125 in 2022.

The Veterinary Office also received 25 other reports, for example about stray dogs or hunting, compared to 40 the year before. 

Letter of reprimand

For all reports of biting incidents and overly aggressive behaviour, the Veterinary Office clarifies whether the dog in question is registered in the national database and if the owner and animal have attended any mandatory courses, according to the report.  

If necessary, the office also obtains further opinions, carries out risk analyses and orders training and compulsory muzzling or other measures. However, this is rarely necessary, it said, as “most cases can be concluded with a letter to the dog owner, in which they are reminded of their supervisory responsibilities”. 

The report says that animals are only occasionally taken away as an immediate or definitive measure for safety reasons, and a ban on keeping dogs issued. In 2023, the office issued just one such ban on keeping animals and monitored 35 existing bans. 

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Many enquiries  

Dogs also kept the Veterinary Office busy in other areas last year. For example, a quarter of the 10,300 phone enquiries logged were about dog training, prohibited breed types or compulsory registration rules.  

In addition, dog instructors ran 244 courses with kindergartens and elementary school classes on behalf of the Veterinary Office, educating more than 4,000 children in the correct behaviour when in contact with dogs. These courses, which are free of charge for schools, help to better protect children from dog bites.  

The Veterinary Office also monitored special licences for banned dogs. In the canton of Zurich, the keeping of dog breeds with an increased risk potential, such as pit bull terriers and bandogs, has been prohibited since 2010. However, animals already in ownership at that time could be kept. These legally kept animals from the banned ‘Breed Type List II’ are now slowly dying out, as shown by the report: their numbers have fallen from 28 to ten.

Adapted from German by DeepL/kp,dos 

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