Dog Bite Statistics

Federal government statistics show that there are more than 68 million dogs in the United States. The American Veterinary Medicine Association estimates that 41.9 percent of all Missouri households have dogs, with an average of 1.8 dogs per household. Most of these dogs are harmless, even friendly and trusted companions. But when dogs attack without warning, "man's best friend" becomes a mindless predator that can cause serious wounds, infections, amputations, or even death.

Several federal agencies track the dog bites that are reported to U.S. health authorities. According to estimates produced by the Department of Health and Human Services, dog bites cause 386,000 emergency room visits per year in the United States, 6,000 hospitalizations and 17 deaths. And according to that study, medical bills for dog bite patients may total more than $164 million a year.

A study of fatal dog bites by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that 80 percent of the 25 dog bite deaths in 1995 and 1996 were the deaths of children under 12 -- including three deaths of infants under 30 days, all of whom were killed in their sleep by the family dog. Senior citizens were the victims in four of the five deadly attacks on adults. Forty-eight percent of the deaths involved unrestrained dogs that were off their owners' property; all of those attacks involved multiple dogs. The same study found that there were five dog bite deaths in Missouri in a 17-year period.

A study undertaken in 2001 by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission added that of the 0.13 percent of Americans who went to hospitals that year for nonfatal dog bites, the vast majority -- 42 percent -- were under 14 years old. Of those children, boys were ten times more likely than girls to be the victim, and the injuries were far more likely to be serious injuries to the head and neck, with almost 65 percent of injuries to children under four being head and neck injuries. By contrast, when adults were the victims, 86.2 percent of the bites were to the extremities. And almost 8 percent of adult dog bites were work-related, sustained while delivering mail, packages or food; performing home repair or installations; or working in a veterinary clinic.

All of the authorities that study dog bites agree that despite their frequency, almost all dog bite injuries and deaths are preventable with proper education and responsible dog ownership. If you or someone you love has been seriously injured by a dog bite, you have the right to seek compensation for your injuries, medical bills and suffering. The experienced dog bite attorneys at PageCagle can help you decide whether to file a legal claim.

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