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Characterizing deaths from dog attacks
Injury Center researchers examined data about deadly dog attacks that occurred during 1979–1998. They found that at least 25 breeds of dogs had been involved in the fatal attacks. However, pit bull-type dogs and Rottweilers were involved in more than half of the deaths for which the breed was known. Of the 227 fatal attacks for which data were available, more than two-thirds of attacks involved a single dog, and more than half involved dogs that were unrestrained on their owner's property. The findings of this study provide insight into the circumstances surrounding deadly dog attacks that may help shape prevention efforts.
http://www.kerrysteigerwalt.com/publ...ite/stats.html
Dog Bite Statistics and News
There are approximately 65 million dogs in the United States in 2006
Of the 4.7 million people are bitten every year, 800,000 need medical attention.
Every day an estimated 914 people seek emergency medical treatment due to dog bites.
On average, between 15 and 20 people die each year from dog maulings.
Children are the most common victims of dog bites, and half of the injuries they suffer occur on the face.
Economic losses from dog bites regularly exceed $1 billion, only a third of which is covered by insurance.
Between 1979 and 1996 there were 304 fatal dog attacks.
Most (77%) dog bite injuries occur to the friends or family.
Pit Bulls, Rottweilers, and German Shepard Dogs account for half of the fatal dog attacks between 1979 and 1998.
Dog bites rose 33% according to a study of a 7 year period in the 1990s.
There were 30 dog bite-related fatalities in California between 1979 and 1996.
In 2002 homeowner insurance claims paid on average $16,600 to victims of dog bites, up from $12,000 in 1998.
http://www.medicinenet.com/script/ma...articlekey=572
The National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Humane Society of the United States recently updated data on fatal dog bites for the period 1989 to 1994. In the 6-year study published in the medical journal PEDIATRICS (Vol.97 No. 6, 891-5), Jeffrey J. Sacks, M.D. and associates reported the finding of 109 bite-related fatalities. They found that 57% of the deaths were in children under 10 years of age. 22% of the deaths involved an unrestrained dog OFF the owner's property. 18% of the deaths involved a restrained dog ON the owner's property, and 59% of the deaths involved an unrestrained dog ON the owner's property. The researchers also found that 10% of the dog bite attacks involved sleeping infants. The most commonly reported dog breeds involved were pit bulls (24 deaths), followed by rottweilers (16 deaths), and German shepherds (10 deaths). The authors point out that many breeds, however, are involved in the problem. The death rate from dog bite-related fatalities (18 deaths per year) in the 6-year study period remained relatively constant compared with the prior 10 years.
