DOG BITE STATISTICS
by
Ms. Jade, TheDogPress
Legislative Reporter
From 1955 to
Current: Rising rate of dog bites, dog bite fatalities,
number and ages of children bitten, and comparison rates of unprovoked attacks.
How many times have
we heard someone in the media making inflammatory statements
about dog bites statistics without
ever disclosing their source? Even when the comments seem highly
suspicious, few people question their validity. Researching this
subject on the Internet has uncovered some enlightening
information.
According to CBS News, the Early Show (2002) “About 4.7
million people are bitten by dogs each year. One million of
those need medical attention. About 750,000 children are bitten
by dogs each year; in most cases, these bites are from “familiar
dogs” – not strays. Approximately 12 people die each year from
dog bites.” When I tried to cross-reference these statistics
I encountered a problem that was to become typical. The “4.7
million” appears to come from a JAVMA article evaluating data
from 1994, almost six years earlier!
Most of the studies and references that I found gave a list of
resources, but no footnotes as to which source any given
statistic came from and many were significantly out of date.
This makes it difficult to guarantee the accuracy of many statistics. However, the motivation of the source must be
taken into consideration as well as the fact that many sources
derive their data from news reports instead of county health
records. My personal experience has shown that only about half
of the dog bites reported as “pit bulls” actually are, as many
mixed breed dogs are called “pit bulls”. Also, many studies quoted each other’s data as a premise
for their own. Since there does seem to be a consensus of
opinion on some of it, I will repeat only what I believe to be
credible.
“Fatal Dog Attacks in the US, from 1965-2001”, analyzed 431
cases over 35 years:
10% involved leashed dogs or misc. circumstances -
17% resulted from attacks by dogs roaming off their owners’
property -
73% involved dogs within the boundaries of the owners’ property
-
(25% chained dogs, 25% dogs in yard, and 23% dogs inside the
home)
Surprisingly, it made no difference whether or not the dogs
were chained as 75% involved in fatalities were not chained,
and
yet this has been frequently cited by animal rights proponents
to cause aggression. (At least a chained dog can’t chase
you!) Currently, the AVMA has no official position on tethering
and a 2001 study conducted at Cornell University comparing
tethered dogs to those in pens stated “the behavior of the dogs
in this study did not indicate an improvement in welfare in
pens”. No other controlled study has ever been conducted on this
subject in spite of the oft quoted statistic that chained dogs are 2.8 times more
likely to bite is, based on my research, a specious assumption.
Derived from “Which dogs bite? A case-control study of risk
factors” (Pediatrics 1994) which uses only 178 hand picked cases
out of 991 reported bites, there are no statistics as to how
many dogs within Denver Metro Animal Services jurisdiction were
tethered full time, part time or not at all in the total dog
population. In regards to contributing factors, especially
tethering, I would have to say that this study has no scientific
merit whatsoever because, as one of my peers stated: “The study uses one of the most UN-reliable methods there is:
Survey. Worse, sampler bias can be introduced to the study
because samplers know which are control dogs and which are study
dogs. They admit that Chows and GSDs are most common, and then
announce that these two breeds are responsible for most of the
bites! Worse, they rely on the owner's id of the breed, even in
mixed breeds.…"
Additionally, the study specifically states that
"Bite report
forms indicated (dog bites) 51 (51.5%) took place on the sidewalk,
street, alley or playground...;30 (29.7%)in the owner's
yard;14(13.9%) in the owner's house; and 4 (4%) in the victims
yard." And data on whether the bites were PROVOKED was NOT
systematically reported.
Further, it goes on to state: "Biting dogs were significantly
more likely to reside in homes with one or more children (less
than age ten) and to be chained while in the yard. Of the 83
dogs chained while in the yard (cases plus controls), 44 (53%)
had growled or snapped at visitors to the house. (Maybe that’s
why they were chained?) This behavior was also reported,
however, of 116 (44%) of 263 dogs not chained while in the
yard". It seems to me that given the ridiculously small sampling
(178 cases out of a national dog population that easily exceeds
60 million), lack of both numerator and denominator for
containment figures, failure to separate tethering from the
presence of children as contributing factors and control group
methodology, I personally feel it would be a far more adequate
conclusion that the contributing factor
in tethered dog
bites is unattended children.
Fatal Dog Attacks appears to support my assumption, stating
that:
68% of fatalities were inflicted by a single dog,
79% of victims were children under the age of 12,
09% were ages 13-64 years old,
12% were elderly, 65-94 years old. Children under the age of one year accounted for the
highest number of dog bite fatalities, at 19%. Over 95% of these deaths
occurred when an infant was left unsupervised!
The group with the
second highest number of fatalities was 2 year olds, at
11%. Over 87% of these fatalities occurred when the child was
left unsupervised! Boys, ages 1-12 years old were 2.5 times more likely to be the
victims of a fatal attack than girls of the same age.
Of the 28 single dogs responsible for a fatal attack between
200-2001, 26 were males and only 2 were females.
The Fatal Dog Attacks study concludes, “While at times
informative, statistics on fatal dog attacks can also be
misleading. For example, a number of cases where a Pit Bull,
Rottweiler or German Shepherd Dog were counted as causing a
human fatality, in reality the direct result was from gross
human negligence or criminal intent”. (Hmmm…you don’t say?)
The American Veterinary Medical Association publication Vet Med
Today: Special Report, also compared DBRF (dog bite related
fatality) statistics, collected from 1971-1998. Their findings
were similar but the percentage of chained dogs dropped
significantly. During 1997 and 1998, a total of 27 DBRF were
reported. (NCRF reported a total of 29 fatal bites for the same
time period.) 19% resulted from attacks by dogs roaming off their owners’
property -
67% involved unrestrained dogs on the owner’ property -
11% involved restrained dogs on the owners’ property -
4% involved restrained dogs off the owners’ property -
67% were single dog attacks
“Some breed information was reported for all 27 attacks. As in
recent years, Rottweilers were the most commonly reported
breed involved in fatal attacks, followed by pit bull-type
dogs.” (What was the criteria to determine ”type” when even ”pit
bull” is a slang term that may include several breeds?) “The
denominator of a dog breed specific human DBRF rate requires
reliable breed-specific population data. Unfortunately, such
data are not currently available.” And, “Finally, it is
imperative to keep in mind that even if breed-specific bite
rates could be accurately calculated, they do not factor in
owner related issues.” (Ninety cases were excluded from the
overall study because the breed involved could not even be
determined.)
A study by Pickney and Kennedy (Pediatrics
1982) listing DBRF from May of 1975 through April of 1980 lists German Shepherd Dogs as the #1 killer for that time
period, Husky type dog second and Saint Bernard third. “Indeed
since 1975, dogs belonging to more than 30 breeds have been
responsible for fatal attacks on people, including Dachshunds, a
Yorkshire Terrier, and a Labrador Retriever.”
This article also discusses nonfatal dog bite statistics. In
1994, 1.8% of the population reported a dog bite, but only 0.3%
of the population sought medical care. (An estimated 99% of
treated bites fall into category 1, defined as quick recovery
with no lasting impairment, and category 6 being fatal.) Citing
a “36% increase in medically attended dog bites from 1986 to
1994 draws attention to the need for an effective response,
including dog bite prevention programs.
Because fatal bites
constitute less than 0.00001% of all dog bites annually, fatal
bites have remained relatively constant over time, whereas
nonfatal bites have been increasing.
The National Canine Research Foundation offers the following
annual figures:
1955 ten fatal dog attacks (for comparison with current data) -
1994 fourteen, 1995 thirteen, 1996 seventeen, 1997 twenty, 1998
nine, 1999 twenty six, 2000 nineteen, 2001 twenty three, 2002
fifteen, 2003 twenty four, and in 2004, twenty two fatal dog
attacks. From January 1st, 1965 to June 30th, 2005 at least 513
reported fatal dog attacks.
NCRF
also has information on canine genetics and behavior.
Pertinent to this discussion is the conclusion that un-neutered
males are responsible for a disproportionate amount of dog
attacks. Again, exact numbers of altered versus un-altered dogs
are needed within a given study population to make an accurate
evaluation and it must be taken in consideration that
un-neutered males are more inclined to roam. However, neutering
dogs has never been proven to stop learned or innate aggressive
behavior, but it does make them less likely to roam.
In “ISSUES REGARDING CASTRATION IN DOGS” (BREEDERVET ©2003),
Mary Wakeman DVM writes “Politically correct conventional wisdom
is not necessarily biologically correct. Also, old wives tales
regarding testicles and behavioral matters are often
just that. The only true justifications for castrating dogs are
1) aggressive behavior toward other dogs in the same household,
and 2) perianal adenoma in old dogs. Aggression to other dogs in
situations outside the house is pretty normal dog behavior.
Appropriate behavior. Since your dog will be on lead or inside a
secure fence at all times, there should be no problem with dogs
outside your household. However, if male house mates fight, and
both need to stay with you, castration of one or both may solve
the aggression problems. If you fault your dog for being
aggressive to acquaintances while being walked on lead, you
should not. He is guarding you. That simple. Honorable behavior.
If you fault your dog for aggression in a 'dog park' where he is
running free, or on the beach, or in the woods, well shame on
you; you're the one at fault for risking his life in such an
uncontrolled situation. Dogs that can manage such encounters
without aggression are fine, but you cannot automatically expect
a dog to have friendly relations with animals from outside his
own 'pack'. It goes against his whole evolution.” She goes on to
list several medical problems associated with castration. The
connection to tumors is discussed by Myrna Milani DVM in “Spay,
Neuter, and Cancer”
Municipal Court Judge, Francis X.
Gorman (7-8-2004 Toledo, OH) stated: “Obviously the ratio of dog
bites per dog versus dog population seemingly would be relevant
in this case. .. Candidly, this court feels that ... Pit
Bulls do not cause the most bites in the United States.
Certainly the bites of mixed breed dogs far exceed those of the
Pit Bull because there are many more mixed breed dogs than Pit
Bulls. Moreover, even local statistics indicate that, for
example, the Chow bites more frequently than the Pit Bull.”
A recent study of the medical charts of minors seeking medical
attention for dog bites did actually reference the breed
involved (as identified by the veterinarian providing proof of
rabies vaccination) to the total breed population as could
reasonably be determined by administrative district records (Pediatrics,
March 2006). The resulting risk index showed that German
Shepherd Dogs were 5 times more likely to cause bite trauma than
“pit bulls” over a ten year period. It also stated that “we
did not identify any of these fighting breeds to be likely to
attack more frequently than the average.”
The website for the Centers for Disease Control has a disclaimer
about their own, often misused and misquoted statistics. "A
CDC
study on fatal dog bites lists the breeds involved in fatal
attacks over 20 years (Breeds of dogs involved in fatal human
attacks in the United States between 1979 and 1998). It does not
identify specific breeds that are most likely to bite or kill,
and thus is not appropriate for policy-making decisions related
to the topic. And "There is currently no accurate way to
identify the number of dogs of a particular breed, and
consequently no measure to determine which breeds are more
likely to bite or kill." Since the source for their
statistics was news reports (see “Media
Bias”) and data supplied by an animal rights organization
with a frightening political agenda the study is all but
useless.
To put all of this into
perspective I offer some additional information that I
discovered. In the United States, approximately: 2,000 children are killed every year by their parents, through
abuse and neglect (A child is 800 times more likely to be killed
by their adult caretaker than by a “Pit Bull”)
Dog bite related fatalities did not even make the
National Geographic
magazine's August 2006 issue feature “Ways
to go” chart which is based on the National Safety Council’s
Odds of Dying statistics.
Dr. Ian Dunbar, a veterinarian and behaviorist from Berkeley,
CA. believes the entire issue is overblown. He maintains more people are killed
annually by tripping over their own slippers than all fatal dog
attacks combined, regardless of breed. Even Dr. Julie Gilchrist
of the CDC agrees. “The truth is that SUV’s are far more
dangerous than pit bulls, and they’re still on the road."
It is estimated that around 5,000,000 dogs per year are killed
in shelters. In many places “Pit Bulls” make up as much as
30-50% of the shelter population, and sadly, are less likely to
be considered for adoption than any other breed. Assuming that
25% of the shelter dogs killed are “Pit Bulls”, then
approximately 1.25 million “Pit Bulls” are killed in shelters
every year.
Therefore, it is at least a hundred thousand times more likely
that a “Pit Bull” will be killed by a HUMAN, than the other way
around.
http://www.thedogpress.com/Columns/Dog-BiteStatisics-09_Jade.asp
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