DOG BITE STATISTICS

• Approximately 5 million dog bites occur each year in the United States.
• In 2016, there were an estimated 78 million dogs in the U.S.
• In 2016, there were 41 U.S. dog bite-related fatalities, which means 0.00000053% of dogs caused fatalities.
  • Pit bulls alone contributed to 22 of these deaths.
  • Labradors, Rottweilers, American Bulldogs, Belgian Malinois, Doberman Pinschers, German Shepherds and mixed-breeds each contributed to 2 deaths.
  • 31% of deaths were infants ages 3 to 6 days.
  • 42% of deaths were children ages 9 and younger.
  • 58% of deaths were adults ages 30 and older.
• Pit bulls and Rottweilers have accounted for 76% of all fatal dog attacks between 2005 and 2016
• You have a 1 in 112,400 chance of dying from a dog bite or strike
• The majority of all dog bites involve dogs who are not spayed or neutered
• 25% of fatal attacks were inflicted by chained dogs.
• The insurance industry paid more than $530 million in dog bite related claims in the year 2014 alone.

HOW TO PREVENT A DOG BITE

Just like when people become angry, there are always good pets that may attack. Even if the dog never displayed an aggressive demeanor, and even though the dog may not be provoked at all to attack, there are still many instances where dogs will attack out of fear or in order to protect another dog or a person. When you are around any dog, you should maintain confident, but establish cautious body language. Below are a few things you can do to make sure you don’t accidentally trigger an attack from a dog:

• Do NOT approach an unfamiliar animal, even if they have a collar on.
• NEVER run away from a dog, panic or make loud noises around them.
• If an unfamiliar dog does approach you, it is important to remain still and calm. Avoid direct eye contact and do not run from them or scream.
• Do NOT disturb a dog while they’re eating, sleeping, or taking care of their puppies.
• Before you attempt to pet an animal, make sure that you allow it to sniff you first, and afterward be careful scratch the animal under the chin and NOT on the head.
• Do NOT encourage your dog or any others to play aggressively.
• If you are somehow knocked over by a dog, roll yourself up into a ball and remain still. Be sure to cover your ears and neck with your hands and arms and remain calm.
• DO report strays in your neighborhood or dogs that are displaying odd behavior to your local animal control center.