The statistics about dog bites are awful but the stories are horrible.
➤ Four dogs fatally maul 7-year-old Idaho boy; mother injured while trying to protect son
➤ Man recalls harrowing tale of survival in vicious dog-pack attack in Jackson County
➤ Multiple dogs euthanized in Alabama after fatally attacking 27-year-old man as he left an acquaintance’s home.
➤ Dog attack leaves a woman dead, a man critically injured in Arizona
➤ Amazon delivery driver found dead after suspected dog attack at Missouri home
No pet owner is immune from the possibility their dog could bite someone, even the president of the United States.
President Joe Biden’s dog Commander bit a Secret Service agent, the agency confirmed this week. It’s the 11th known biting incident of an officer by the 2-year-old purebred German Shepherd.
Commander was a gift to the Bidens in December 2021 after the Biden family sent another dog, Major, to live with family friends following a series of biting incidents.
White House dog bites:Joe Biden’s dog bites another Secret Service agent. It’s the 11th time.
Here’s what you should know about dog bites, including how to treat a wound, who is most likely to get bitten and whether some breeds are more prone to aggression than others.
The injury rate from dog bites is the highest for children between the ages of 5 and 9, according to the Centers for Disease Control.
During 2011 to 2021, 468 deaths were attributed to being bitten or struck by a dog, for an average of 43 deaths per year, according to the Centers for Disease Control.
The annual number of deaths ranged from 31 in 2016 to 81 in 2021.
In 1994, the most recent year for which published data are available, an estimated 4.7 million dog bites occurred in the United States, and approximately 799,700 persons required medical care.
More attacks occurred in the summer and on weekends and 80.2% occurred at home, according to the National Institutes of Health.
Any dog can bite: big or small, male or female, young or old. It is not a dog’s breed that determines whether it will bite, but rather the dog’s individual history and behavior, according to the American Veterinary Medical Association
The important thing to remember is that any dog can be dangerous.
Dogs bite for a variety of reasons, but most commonly as a reaction to something.
This is a controversial topic, with strong opinions and statistics on both sides.
A study published in the journal Science found breed alone is not an accurate way to predict a dog’s personality, according to the Smithsonian Magazine.
The study found breed explains about 9 percent of the variation in an individual dog’s behavior.
“Breed-specific approaches to the control of dog bites do not address the issue that many breeds are involved in the problem and that most of the factors contributing to dog bites are related to the level of responsibility exercised by dog owners,” according to the National Library of Medicine.
“To prevent dog bite-related deaths and injuries, we recommend public education about responsible dog ownership and dog bite prevention, stronger animal control laws, better resources for enforcement of these laws, and better reporting of bites.”
Bottom line: Though some behaviors are more likely to pop up in some breeds, breed alone cannot predict the disposition of a particular dog. Instead, personality is shaped by a combination of factors, including a dog’s environment and upbringing.
You can take steps to help prevent dog bites. Educate yourself and children, never leave a young child alone with a dog, socialize your dog at an early age and remove your dog from escalating situations, advised the American Veterinary Medical Association
“If the dog is aggressive, you should observe where and when it happens and intervene,” said Hannes Lohi, Professor in Molecular Genetics in the University of Helsinki and Folkhälsan Research Center after conducting a study determining common factors behind aggression in dogs.
“It is important to try to learn the root cause of the aggression, not only the consequences. Since disease, pain, and sensory deterioration increase the likelihood of dog aggression, if your dog starts to act out, it’s worth consulting not only a dog trainer or behaviorist but also your vet.”
Educate yourself and children about how to have a good interaction with a dog. Some ideas suggested by the American Veterinary Medical Association include:
Dogs, just like people, have their own personalities and wagging its tail may mean happiness in some but for others it could mean anxiety, according to the American Veterinary Medical Association. But when the dog reacts by growling, snapping or biting, it’s definitely telling you that it wants to be left alone.
Under Florida law, a dog owner is liable for any injury caused by their dog if it bites another person on public property or on the dog owner’s property if the victim is there legally.
If a dog bites someone, the owner of that dog is legally responsible for damages and medical costs.
Florida dog owners also are liable for damage caused by their dog to another dog or animal.
If there is a sign conspicuously posted on the property warning of a “bad dog” or for people to “beware of dog,” the owner of the dog is not liable unless the victim is under age 6.
The dog bite must have happened on the dog owner’s property where the sign is posted.
More than 5,300 postal employees were attacked by dogs last year.
Not surprisingly, workers in other fields who come to homes and private property also are at risks, including food delivery workers, utility employees, service repairmen, yard care workers and dog walkers. Here are some tips to protect your letter carrier, or anyone else who may come to your home:
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Here are some suggestions from dogsbite.org:
Germs from dogs can cause a variety of illnesses, from minor skin infections to serious illnesses, according to the CDC.
One of the best ways you can protect yourself from getting sick is to thoroughly wash your hands after handling, caring for, feeding, or cleaning up after dogs.
According to the Florida Department of Health, take the following steps if you are bitten:
Only 15 to 20 percent of dog bite wounds become infected. Crush injuries, puncture wounds and hand wounds are more likely to become infected than scratches or tears. antibiotics for three to seven days is appropriate for dog bite wounds, unless the risk of infection is low or the wound is superficial, according to American Family Physician.
Tips for children and adults:
Tips for dog owners:
