A
new report released today shows that a staggering 86% of the
UK population feels safer with a dog to ward off burglars
and attackers than any other criminal deterrent.
Leading specialist dog food Purina Pro Plan polled the nation
to find out how effectively our canine companions protect
their owners from intruders and attackers, and found that
dogs were the UK’s preferred method of crime prevention,
ahead of burglar alarms, security devices and security firms.
The Welsh were the strongest advocates of dogs as protectors,
with a massive 92% feeling safer with a dog to protect them,
while Scotland was the most skeptical about dogs’ ability
to deter crime, with a more modest 78% believing dogs protect
their owners.
%
of people who voted dogs as effective crime deterrents...
Wales 92%
South East/East Anglia 87%
North West 88%
Greater London 86%
North East/Yorks/Humber 87%
East & West Midlands 84%
Scotland 78%
The
report supports the launch of Purina Pro Plan’s ‘Protecting
the Protectors’ initiative which is dedicated to highlighting
the role of dogs in the fight against UK crime. The nationwide
scheme brings together some of the UK’s most prolific
protection dogs, and kicks off at Crufts on the 6-9th March
with the first ever combined display of professional protection
dogs recruited from around the country.*
Commenting on the Protecting the Protectors project, Claire
Parry-Baggott from Purina Pro Plan says:
"With the total number of recorded criminal offences
in the UK currently standing at 5.5 million, and up by 7%
over the last year**, protection and crime prevention has
never been a more pertinent issue for the UK public. We
have launched this initiative to highlight the increasingly
key role dogs are playing in protecting the UK population.
In fact each year £65m*** of banned substances such
as drugs are recovered by HM Customs & Excise dogs alone.
There are currently 2,000 protection dogs working across
the UK today equating to 1 dog protecting every 30,000 people.
Commenting on their role, leading Companion Animal Behaviorist,
Dr Peter Neville, comments:
"It takes a very special dog to make it into a protection
team. Not only do these dogs have to show overwhelming bravery
but they must be 100% predictable and reliable. Training
and handling is extremely important but the crucial element
of all in keeping these dogs in peak condition is diet.
Correct nourishment is absolutely vital - if these dogs
are not fed a high quality diet based on their specific
needs their performance will be affected immediately."
