Dog Bite Injury Statistics

[Content Updated Feb 7, 2021] – According to the CDC dog bite injury statistics, California animal bites attorneys report that someone in the United States must get medical attention for a dog bite every 40 seconds. California dog bite laws often come into play. At least 800,000 people receive dog or pet bites yearly in the U.S. Ehline Law Firm Personal Injury Attorneys, APLC has provided some crucial figures for you to consider before becoming a dog bite victim.

Table of Contents:

• Dogs Bite Stats
• Personal Injuries
• Guard Dogs
• Avoid Dangerous Zones

So if you aren’t interested in thwarting dog attacks, you could become injured. Also, most of these dog bites need immediate medical care and emergency treatment. Most of the bite victims are children. Most human victims get mauled or bitten on their faces, with $165 million spent annually treating dog bites. 70% of dog bites occur on the animal owner’s property.

CDC Dog Bite Injury Statistics.

Necessary:  Dog bites result in approximately 44,000 facial injuries each year. So this represents between 0.5% and 1.5% of all hospital emergency room visits. Male patients outnumber females only slightly. Unfortunately, children are 60% of all dog bite victims. In children less than ten years of age, severe injuries occur almost exclusively.

The most frequent target is the face (77% of all casualties). 97% of attacks to mail carriers happen to lower extremities like the legs or feet. Each spring brings a new crop of horrible injuries. The average stay of severely injured patients is 4.2 days. Eighteen deaths a year are caused by dog bites. https://www.caninejournal.com/dog-bite-statistics/

What’s Your Risk Of Receiving A Dog Bite?

Drilling Down the Dog Bite Statistics

Even the calmest and the most well-trained pet may still present a risk to the general public. Each year, hundreds of dog attacks result in even more injuries. Mainly at risk are young children, who are most commonly bit by dogs. In other cases, dogs are also responsible for fatal attacks, especially among kids. Unfortunately, some people will single out certain dog breeds as dangerous from their notoriety in popular culture.

Understanding the Rates of Deadly Dog Bites

Forbes researched the topic and found significant differences in frequency and severity of dog bites by breed. Dog breeds generally considered aggressive, such as the Pit Bull and the Rottweiler, were top among the risk of severe injury or even death.

• The First Place Award For Most Biting Dog Goes To Pitbulls

A CDC study found similar results, publishing that Pitbull breeds make up just 6.5% of all dogs in the United States but remain responsible for 66% of dog bite fatalities. In the CDC analysis, the Pit Bull was more likely to bite than other breeds. In that study period, this dog breed caused 60 highlighted biting incidents.

CDC dog bite data shows:

• The Rottweiler took second place for most bite prone dog, with 29 edges, and
• The German Shepherd placed third, with 19 bites.

In a CDC study, calm seeming dogs were also killers, with the Labrador Retriever being among the top ten dogs causing bite wound fatalities.

On Forbes lists of most fatalities caused by dog breeds: 

• Pitbull: 284
• Rottweiler: 45
• German Shepherd: 20
• Mixed-breed: 17
• American bulldog: 15
• Mastiff or Bullmastiff: 14
• Husky: 13 
• Labrador Retriever: 9
• Boxer: 7
• Doberman Pinscher: 6

What Are The Various Types Of Dog Attack Personal Injuries?

Dog bites usually result in cuts and lacerations, abrasions, crushing wounds, degloving, punctures, broken bones, crushed eye sockets, crushed skulls, and even severe brain injuries. These types of damages often result in permanent scars. Among the areas of the face targeted include the lips, nose, chin, and cheeks. As dog ownership increases, so do the number of dog attacks and maulings.

Most owners are unaware of adequately caring for larger, more aggressive dogs, and many do not want to know. Several owners keep larger breeds for the “gangster” stigma attached. So they breed and keep them around the premises as a status symbol. Consequently, most biting incidents involve places where folks have gathered socially.

Important: Did you know that 61% of the time, the attack occurs close to the dog’s home or where the victim lives? Most dog attacks are by a “friendly” dog known to them.

No one can accurately predict what provokes a friendly dog to attack. Sometimes, the dog is in pain, sick, panicked, threatened, frightened. But it could involve any number of factors. Small children may unknowingly provoke a dog to attack. That is why parents and dog owners should never leave children unattended around dogs of any breed or size.

Sporting breeds are more likely to attack rather than hounds. Immature, new puppies are more likely to inflict injury than adult dogs. As mentioned, there are social “gangster” trends towards keeping and aggressively training dangerous breeds. Again, tough guys and gangster types, as other immature owners, keep the trend going.

What is a “Guard Dog”?

“Guard Dogs” are aggressively trained to protect property and premises. Any dog can bite.

But as noted above, some breeds are trained to be aggressive, like:

• Rottweilers
• German Shepherds
• American Stafford-shire Terriers
• Huskies
• Dobermans
• Akitas
• Chows
• Pit Bulls.

As the population of large dog breeds has increased, so has the severity of bite injuries, with 44% of victims claiming larger German Shepherd breeds bit them, even though studies show this breed equals 22% of all licensed U.S. dogs, with “toy” breeds causing less than 20% of dog attacks, and licensed strains equaling 40% of dog attacks.

Bull Terriers and Kids!

Bull Terriers remain among the most common culprits when it comes to dogs attacking children in urban areas such as Los Angeles, with 94% of these attacks classified as “unprovoked.” When a negligent dog owner allows its animals to roam neighborhoods freely, unsupervised, any dog can and will bite, with several factors remaining at play in each attack. Some dogs will be explicitly bred for their aggressive tendencies, but their early, proper socialization with humans and other animals will help lower unprovoked biting tendencies.

Important: As wise men have said: “there are no bad dogs, just bad owners.” Mistreated, abused, malnourished dogs remain more likely to bite than dogs cared for properly.

Dangerous Zones to Avoid With Dogs

If you invade the dog’s “territory,” threaten its family or make it jealous, you create a danger zone between you and the dog. Avoid these situations with potentially vicious canines.

It would be best if you tried to avoid:

• If they are lying quietly, avoid approaching or bending over dogs,
• Also, immediately after entering their territory, avoid approaching the dog,
• Don’t tease or wake a sleeping dog,
• Avoid playing with a dog to the point of over-excitement or annoyance.

Never Do The Following:

• Allow your dog to roam the streets or go unleashed,
• Go up to a strange dog without speaking with the owner,
• Tease a dog,
• Startle a dog,
• Disturb a dog caring for puppies,
• Leave a small child unattended around a dog of any breed,
• Ignore aggressive behavior warning signals,
• Forget to keep up with all vaccinations,
• Hold your face close to a dog,
• Eat from a dog food dish to be funny while the dog is eating.

Essential Things To Remember About Attacking Dogs:

• A threatened dog will attack,
• Don’t run from or scream at a dog,
• Don’t stare a dog right in the eye; it will take that as a threat,
• If approached by an unfamiliar dog, do not try to pet or be familiar with it,
• If a large dog knocks you over, go into the fetal position, and stay still!

Steps to Stabilize a Dog Bite

If a dog bit you or a loved one, there are several steps you should take. Make sure to wash out the affected area and seek medical attention. Even house dogs are at risk of carrying diseases, including rabies. Document the injuries well and contact a skilled legal professional. To speak with an experienced and noteworthy dog bite attorney, contact our injury lawyers in Los Angeles at (213) 596-9642 or fill in our online contact form to learn about receiving maximum compensation for your bite wound.