DOG BITE STATISTICS

PUBLIC SAFETY CONCERN OR MEDIA HYPE?

by Ms. Jade, TheDogPress Legislative Reporter
 

How many times have we heard someone in the media spotlight making inflammatory statements about dog bites statistics in an interview, without ever disclosing their source? Even when the comments seem highly suspicious, few people question their validity. (Especially editors and news directors it would seem.) 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gave a list of resources, but no footnotes as to which source any given statistic came from and many were significantly out of date.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 of the statistics I read. 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” unless proven other wise. 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 and:

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.

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, and 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. …The only way to determine if chaining will cause aggressive behavior is to have a control and a study group, both of which receive equal amounts of attention, food, time, and exercise, and have one group "tethered" and the other either penned or crated. And that would only answer the question as to whether the chaining method chosen caused aggression: it would not answer questions related to longer or shorter chains, less or more attention, etc.”

Additionally, the study specifically states that "Bite report forms indicated where 101 {...out of 991} (56.7%) of the incidents. Of these 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 by 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 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 (chained?)
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.)

They also mention a study by Pickney and Kennedy (Pediatrics 1982) listing DBRF from May of 1975 through April of 1980 which 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, and fatal bites are rare at the usual political level where bite regulations are promulgated and enforced, we believe that fatal bites should not be the primary factor driving public policy regarding dog bite prevention.”

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. However, as pointed out by Dr. Peter Borchelt, the number of dog bites, “the numerator” as he calls it, is irrelevant without having exact statistics as to “the denominator”, the number of dogs in existence. Candidly, this court feels that much of this statistical information, as will be seen is irrelevant. 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. For an in depth discussion of why, see: Understand-A-Bull

To put all of this into perspective I offer some additional information that I discovered. In the United States, approximately:

1 out of every 37 people in the U. S. is a convicted felon
there are a half million registered sex offenders, many whose whereabouts are unknown…
50 people every DAY are murdered (humans are certainly a dangerous animal)
25, 000 people die each year because of drunk drivers
17,000 people fall to their death
3,000 deaths caused by accidental drowning
3,000 women a year die of spousal abuse
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. “we’re talking about maybe ten fatal attacks on people annually” he says. “Is this really something we should be putting our public policy efforts toward?” 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. As a public health researcher, I want to prevent all mortality and morbidity. But the truth is that with just over 60 million dogs in America, and who knows how many millions of pit bulls, it’s not a statistically significant issue.”

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.

Ms. Jade

Handy links: __________________________________

More Columns by Ms. Jade:

Backyard Breeder

I Vote on Behalf of My Dog
Media Bias - Pit Bull Sensationalism

"Chicken Soup" - Leaves a bad taste

Best Friends History Exposed!- Part One

Best Friends Part Two...

T'was the Night Before X-mas

Still Life Pets 

Pass The Ammunition

Dog Bite Stats