Protect the person who is hurt from further injury while minimising risk to yourself (first aid principles)
Look for the owner to place their animal under control
Have a first aider treat any injuries - first aid kits are available in the cafe and the kit sheds at training or pitch side at games.
If the injury is serious and requires immediate medical attention call 999 (All Club location details to provide to emergency services)
Call the Heath Constabulary on 020 8340 5260 explaining that an incident occurred with a dog
If the injury is serious then the Heath Contabulary can also facilitate access for emergency vehicles, so let them know if an ambulance has been called
Try to get the animal owner's details (name, address, type of dog) to provide to the constabulary
Failing that, a picture of the owner and their dog may help the authorities
If something has happened to a child, report the incident to the Club's CWO detailing what happened, any injuries that occurred and actions taken

If a dog is out of control but has not caused an injury, then a call to the Heath Constabulary should be made on 020 8340 5260, again getting the owners details if possible or taking pictures to provide to them.

Why is this article being written now?
As a club we are very lucky benefit from use of Hampstead Heath. It is a public space though that does get busy at times.

For some specific context, a couple of weeks ago the u15s were having a full contact session on Parliament Hill. There was a lot of tackling and rucking that required lots of concentration by all for it to be done safely.

A dog came onto the field with no obvious owner around, (s)he was looking for someone to play with and had a ball. Dog was not on a lead, and no-one was heard calling the dog back. One of the kids picked up the dogs ball to throw it to clear the dog out of the way. The dog (probably excited) jumped and bit the child on the inner thigh. It was a significant bite causing pain but luckily did not break the skin, probably due to the thick shorts he was wearing. The thigh was bruised, so ice was applied, and child walked it off.

I was the coach at the time, and I really didn't know what we should do in these situations. The owner was with her child and was concerned and apologetic when she eventually came down from halfway up the hill. I ended up firmly advising the owner not to have their dog off-lead until it was well trained and specifically had very good recall, and not to be around Parliament hill on a Saturday morning. I walked away thinking I hadn't really done enough nor did I have the tools to know what to do

This article is looking to provide some information as to what you can do in these circumstances (steps above), having taken advice from our CWO and the heath constabulary. For the record I am a dog owner. It is also important to note that this is the first time that an animal related injury has happened to anyone in the club since the junior club started 10 years ago, though there have been many annoying instances of dogs not in control.

The main issues with dogs not in control during training or a game are:
1. A child or other club member gets hurt by a dog
2. A dog gets hurt by someone in the club while training or playing rugby

Obviously our main concern as a club is issue 1. Issue 2 can also lead to someone getting hurt, and the same steps should be taken if either of these occur.

Basic information on responsibilities of dog ownership:

A dog owner is responsible for having their dog under control.
A dog doesn’t have to have bitten or physically injured someone for an offence to take place. If a person feels your dog may hurt them, they may still be considered ‘dangerously out of control’. This applies to all dogs of all sizes, breeds and types.
For club members with dogs, the club requests that they are on a lead during training or games