It’s hard to find accurate and consistent statistics about dog attacks and dog bites and one of the main reasons why this is so is because many dog bite cases are not usually recorded. Sometimes even the most serious of cases are easily ‘forgotten’ for a variety of reasons. This leads to misinformation.
As a result of the myths, dog bite victims are sometimes not willing to seek compensation and justice for the injuries caused.
This blog post is intended to clear up some of that misinformation.
Facts Surrounding Dog Attacks and Bites
Below are some of the most solid facts regarding dog bites:
- There are more than 4.5 million dog bite cases reported each year in the U.S. alone.
- 40% of dog owners in America acquired the pets with protection as the primary purpose.
III. Carriers of the U.S. Postal Service suffered 3,423 attacks and bites by dogs in 2003.
- American Medical Association reports dog bites as the second most common cause of injuries among children. Surprisingly, it surpasses accidents on the playground.
- Males are twice as likely to be victims of dog bites and dog attacks as females.
- Licensed dogs are more likely to be involved in attacks than stray dogs.
VII. Only 10% – 20% of reported dog bites were by a dog not familiar to the victim.
VIII. Dogs that are five years old or younger cause more attacks and bites than those over six years, and male dogs are more likely to be involved in dog bite situations than female dogs.
- Mixed breeds are more likely to be involved in attacks and biting incidents than pure bred dogs. The pure breeds that get into most incidences are Rotweillers, Pit Bulls, Chow chows and German Shepherds. However, this changes yearly and also depends on the location and what breeds are popular in those states.
- According to a CDC report, a chained dog is 2.8 times more likely to be involved in an attack than an unchained dog.
- In 2010, approximately 4.7 million citizens suffered dog bites. 800,000 of these people sought professional medical care. 332,000 were treated in emergency rooms. 6,000 of them were hospitalized.
XII. On average, dog bite victims who need medical care spend 3.6 days for injury treatment in hospital.
