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Letter: Could clothes be why dogs bite faces of dead owners?

Published 27 November 2024

From Bob Denmark, Garstang, Lancashire, UK

On the issue of whether grief motivates a pet dog to bite the face of a dead owner, I have seen a few human bodies that have been partly eaten by animals. I suspect most target the face because it isn’t clothed and there are easy routes to the soft interior, such as eyes, ears, nose and mouth. I doubt whether emotions play much part. Domestic pets may have more complex motivations, but clothing may be a factor for them, too (16 November, p 29).

Issue no. 3519 published 30 November 2024

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