The key to understanding the size of the problem is in recognizing a few statistics:
- 70% of dog bite victims are children.
- 61% of dog attacks occur at home or at a familiar place.
- 77% of bites are by a family dog or the dog of a friend.
- Any breed of dog can bite.
- The list of dangerous dog breeds changes each year based on the most popular breeds.
- 44,000 dog bites to the face are reported each year.
- Over 20% of reported dog attacks were by dogs that were chained or broke free from a chain.
- At least 16 documented attacks involved intact males attacking children near a female in estrus.
- Dog bites account for the 2nd highest number of children's injuries, behind baseball and softball.
- 25% of homeowners' insurance claims are bite cases.
- Of 4.7 million dog bite cases in 1999, 800,000 required medical care.
- 20% of bite case medical costs exceed $17,000 per case; 10% exceed $75,000.
- Insurance liability payouts for 2002 totaled over $345.5 million in dog bite related claims.
Sources:
www.dogbitelaw.com
www.cdc.gov/
www.workingdogs.com
Delise, Karen. Fatal Dog Attacks. Anubis Press,
Manorville, NY, 2002
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