Dog Bite and Attack Facts
- It's a fact - neutered dogs are three times less likely to bite. (Source:
AVMA)
- From January 1, 1965 through June 30, 2006 there have been at
least 540 fatal dog attacks in the United States. (Source:
National Canine Research Council)
- In a survey of the sex of the dogs involved in the last 6 years
(Jan. 2000 thru Dec. 2005) of fatal dog attacks revealed the
overwhelmingly majority were males (over 91% of these cases a male dog
was involved, i.e. either a single male dog or a male dog accompanied
by other males and/or female dogs). Of the cases examined, the
overwhelming majority of dogs involved were unaltered (92% of the dogs
involved were unaltered - not spayed or neutered). (Source:
National Canine Research Council)
- The AVMA estimates 4.5 million people are bitten by dogs each
year, (Source:
AVMA pdf file) but according to the U of M, another 1 million are
estimated to go unreported. (Source)
- Every 40 seconds someone enters an emergency room in the U.S. for
a dog related injury. (Source)
- Of these each year, 800,000 Americans seek medical attention for dog bites;
half of these are children. Of those injured, 386,000 require
treatment in an emergency department and about a dozen die. (Source:
CDC) Over 450,000 are seen in other medical type settings.
Still another group of injuries are not reflected in this (such as
secondary injuries - i.e. a jogger fleeing from a dog who trips and
falls, breaking an arm or leg, etc.) (Source:
AVMA)
- The rate of dog bite-related injuries is highest for children ages
5 to 9 years, and the rate decreases as children age. Almost two
thirds of injuries among children ages four years and younger are to
the head or neck region. Injury rates in children are significantly
higher for boys than for girls. (Source:
CDC)
- People more than 70 years old compromise 10% of the bites and 20%
of the fatalities. (Source:
AVMA)
- 81% of the fatal dog attacks in 2006 were caused by dogs
maintained in semi-isolated conditions (chained/penned/yard dogs) (Source:
National Canine Research Council)
- The Humane Society of the United States reports that small
children, the elderly, and Postal Service letter carriers - in that
order - are the most frequent victims of dog bites. Recent statistics
show the annual number of dog attacks exceeds the reported instances
of measles, whooping cough, and mumps, combined. In addition, dog bite
victims account for up to five percent of emergency room visits.
(Source:
USPS)
- In 2003, the number declined to just above
3,400, but that still means that an average of 11 letter carriers
suffer dog-related injuries each delivery day. Many of the bites
reported occurred despite pet owners' insistence that their dogs would
not bite. (Source:
USPS)
- Direct costs of dog bite injuries are high. In 2001, the insurance
industry estimates it pays more than $1 billion per year in
homeowners’ liability claims resulting from dog bites. Hospital
expenses for dog bite-related emergency visits are estimated at $102.4
million. There are also medical insurance claims, workmen’s
compensation claims, lost wages, and sick leave-associated business
costs that have not been calculated in these numbers. (Source:
AVMA)
- In 2005 dog bites cost insurers $317.2 million, little changed
from $321.6 million in 2003 but down 8 percent from $345.5 million in
2002. While the number of claims paid by insurers fell from
approximately 20,800 in 2002 to 15,000 in 2005 -- a decrease of 28
percent -- the cost of the average dog bite claim rose sharply, from
roughly $16,600 in 2002 to $21,200 in 2005. Liability claims account
for approximately 4 percent of homeowners claims. Dog bite claims in
2005 accounted for about 15 percent of liability claims dollars paid
under homeowners insurance policies. (Source:
Insurance Information Institute)
- In addition to educating children properly, prevention efforts
should encourage responsible dog ownership, including training,
socializing, and neutering family pets. Previous research has
indicated that the majority (80%) of dog bites incurred by persons
aged <18 years are inflicted by a family dog (30%) or a neighbor's dog
(50%). (Source:
Non-Fatal Dog Bites, CDC)
- Intact (unneutered) male dogs represented 80% of dogs presented to
veterinary behaviorists for dominance aggression, the most commonly
diagnosed type of aggression. Intact males are also involved in 70 to
76% of reported dog bite incidents. (Source:
AVMA)
- According to the American Medical Association, dog bites are the
second leading cause of childhood injury, surpassing playground
accidents.
- The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention document that a
chained dog is 2.8 times more likely to bite than an unchained dog.
- The age group with the second-highest amount of fatalities due to
a dog attack are 2-year-old children. Over 88% of these fatalities
occurred when the 2-year-old child was left unsupervised with a dog (s)
or the child wandered off to the location of the dog. (Source:
National Canine Research Council)
- A dog’s tendency to bite depends on at least 5 interacting
factors: heredity, early experience, later socialization and training,
health (medical and behavioral), and victim behavior. (Source:
AVMA)
- The public health costs inflicted on the community by intact male
dogs are enormous, especially for the larger breeds. Intact dogs make
up only about 40% of the household dog population but account for more
than 80% of all dog bites and an even higher percentage of serious
mauling. (Source:
Best Friends)
- The breeds most often involved in fatal attacks are Rottweilers
and Pit bulls. In the United States, pit bulls make up one to three
per cent of the overall dog population and cause more than 50 per cent
of serious attacks. (Source)
- Dog bites occur more commonly in the warmer months when there is a
greater opportunity for outdoor contact between human beings and pets.
The incidence begins to increase in March, and peaks between June and
August. Most dog bites occur in the afternoon and evening, with the
peak between 3 PM and 7 PM. Recreational activities such as
jogging or cycling that are pursued during these times tend to provoke
dogs to attack. (Source:
JAVMA)
- In a study reported by a retired professor from California State University at Chino, Robert Plum, it was found that one dog in 55 will bite someone seriously during the course of a year. With respect to breed differences in the tendency to inflict serious injury, Plumb estimates that when a pit bull bites a human, one in 16 (e.g. 1/16) will inflict serious injury; this contrasts with a ratio of 1/296 Dobermans, and 1/156 German shepherds. (Source)