FATAL DOG ATTACKS IN NORTH AMERICA: WIKIPEDIA

Existing studies[edit]

There are a limited number of studies concerning the number of human deaths caused by dogs in the United States, and the number of attributed fatalities is difficult to validate or cross-compare with other study results because:

• studies dependent on surveying news reports may not find all the relevant news items
• different studies use different data collection methodologies and evaluation criteria
• breed identification requires a subjective evaluation based on observation of outward physical attributes against imprecise breed standards.^[5]

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: 1974–1975[edit]

The first epidemiological study of dog-bite fatalities in the United States was conducted by an epidemiologist with theCenters for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in 1977.^[6] The study reported that all but one of the cases involved male dogs. The breeds reported in these incidents were St. Bernard, German Shepherd, Dachshund, Basenji, Collie, Husky, and Great Dane. Most incidents involved victims who were smaller or weaker than the dog. Thus, children under 5 years old accounted for the majority of victims. The study concluded that human behavior which the dogs perceived as threatening was the single most important factor contributing to these incidents.

University of Texas Study: 1966–1980[edit]

A study^[7] conducted at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School identified fatal dog bites during the period 1966–1980. They identified 74 incidents from newspapers and the medical literature. They found that the most (23) fatalities occurred in infants under 1 year old, and in most cases the dog was owned by the victim's family. In only 3 of the incidents was the dog reported to have been provoked by kicking, hitting, or having stones thrown at it. However, several incidents involved a child attempting to pet or hug the dog.^[7]

In 6 of the incidents, there was no information available about the breed of dogs involved.

Of the remaining 68 fatalities, many involved large and powerful molosser breeds: eight Saint Bernards, six Bull terriers, six Great Danes, as well as two attacks by Boxersand one by a Rottweiler.

In contrast to the time period covered by the CDC study, which found pit bulls and Rottweilers to be the most commonly involved breed in such attacks during that time period, this study found no fatal pit bull attacks at all in the US during its time period, and only one Rottweiler attack.

Ancient and spitz breeds also committed a significant minority of the attacks. These were mostly sled dog breeds (nine Husky breeds and five were Malamutes), but there was also one Chow Chow and one Basenji.

Herding dogs attacks included (16) was German Shepherdattacks and two collies, although the breed was not specified.

There were multiple retriever attacks, including threeGoldens and one Labrador.

The authors found two fatal doberman pinscher attacks, and two attacks by very small breeds: one Dachshund, and oneYorkshire Terrier, which is among the smallest of all dogs.

In ten fatal attacks, the dogs were only described as "mixed breed".^[7]

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: 1979–1998[edit]

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) published a study in 2000 on dog bite-related fatalities (DBRF) that covered the years 1979–1998. The report concluded that relying on media coverage of dog-bite-related fatalities presents a biased view of the dogs involved. They stated that media reports are likely to only cover about 74% of the actual incidents and that dog attacks involving certain breeds may be more likely to receive media coverage. They also reported that since breed identification is difficult and subjective, attacks may be more likely to be "ascribed to breeds with a reputation for aggression".^[8]

The study found reports of 327 people killed by dogs over the 20-year period. Some breed information was available for 238 (73%) of the fatalities. Of 227 incidents with relevant data, 133 (58%) were unrestrained dogs and on the owners' property; 55 (24%) were loose off the owners' property; 38 (17%) were restrained dogs on their owners’ property; and only one (less than 1%) was restrained off the owners' property.^[8]

The study defined dog attacks as "a human death caused by trauma from a dog bite". Excluded from the study were deaths by disease caused by dog bites, strangulation on ascarf or leash pulled by a dog, heart attacks or traffic accident, and falling injury or fire ant bites from being pushed down by a dog. The study also excluded four deaths by trauma from dog bites by police dogs or guard dogsemployed by the government.

The study found that Pit bulls and Rottweilers alone accounted for 67% of deaths, but there were also severalBullmastiffs, Boxers, Bull Terriers, Great Danes, St. Bernards, a Rhodesian Ridgeback, a bulldog, and aNewfoundland.

Working dogs, however, were also frequently implicated, mostly German Shepherds and Doberman Pinschers, but there were also several herders, including Australian shepherds and Collies, and one identified only as a “sheepdog”.

Spitz and Primitive dogs comprised a substantial minority, including multiple Chow Chows; native Japanese dogs (mostly Akita Inus); and sled dogs types: Huskies,Malamutes and others. One incident involved a Basenji.

Wolf–dog hybrids killed 14 people during the study period, and dogs identified only as “mixed breeds” or "unknown" killed 15.

Fatal attacks by retrievers rarely but somewhat regularly occurred, including several Labrador Retrievers and aChesapeake Bay Retriever.

There were also a comparatively small number of fatalhound attacks (including a Coonhound and twoDachshunds) and terrier attacks (including two of the smallest ratters: a West Highland White Terrier and aYorkshire Terrier, which is among the smallest of all dogs). The study also mentioned one fatal attack by a cocker spaniel.^[4]

Wilderness & Environmental Medicine: 1979–2005[edit]

This 27-year study collected data from the CDC Wide-Ranging OnLine Data for Epidemiologic Research (CDC WONDER) program.^[1] It looked at cases in which the cause of death according to International Classification of Diseases (ICD) codes was dog bites. It did not include fatalities secondary to an infection from a bite. During those 27 years, the study found 504 deaths due to dog bites. They estimated that there were likely many additional deaths due to dog bites that were not reported by the CDC WONDER program.

They found that the most of the victims were male (58.1%). Alaska had by far the greatest incidence per capita at 11.83 deaths per 10 million population. The rest of the states ranged from 0 to 2.56 deaths per 10 million population. The majority of victims (55.6%) were less than 10 years old. Regarding race of the victim, they found that 14.3% of the victims were black, despite the fact that only 3% of dog owners are black. 2005 had the most attacks during the study, with 33 deaths. 2003 had the next most with 32, reflecting the fact that populations of both humans and dogs increased during the study period.

Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association: 2000–2009[edit]

The most recent study of the epidemiology of fatal dog bites in the United States was published in the Journal of theAmerican Veterinary Medical Association in 2013.^[9] While earlier studies were based on television and newspaper reports, this was the first study to be based on law-enforcement reports, animal control reports, and investigator statements. It identified preventable factors in the fatal incidents. They found that the most common contributing factors were: absence of an able-bodied person to intervene, no familiar relationship of victims with dogs, owner failure to neuter dogs, compromised ability of victims to interact appropriately with dogs (e.g. mental disabilities), dogs kept isolated from regular positive human interactions versus family dogs (e.g. dogs kept chained in backyards), owners’ prior mismanagement of dogs, and owners’ history of abuse or neglect of dogs. Furthermore, they found that in 80% of the incidents, 4 or more of the above factors co-occurred.

The authors found that in a significant number of DBRFs there was either a conflict between different media sources reporting breed and/or a conflict between media and animal control reports relative to the reporting of breed. For 401 dogs described in various media accounts of DBRFs, media sources reported conflicting breed attributions for 124 of the dogs (30.9%); and where there were media reports and an animal control report (346 dogs), there were conflicting breed attributions for 139 dogs (40.2%)

According to this study, reliable verification of the breed of dog was only possible in 18% of incidents.

Media reports of fatal dog attacks in the United States[edit]

This is an incomplete list that may not be able to satisfy particular standards for completeness. You can help byexpanding it with reliably sourced entries.

This list of fatal dog attacks in the United States reported by the news media supplements those compiled from scholarly papers.

Criteria for inclusion[edit]

• This list is not meant to be exhaustive, as news reports about other attacks have not yet been found and included. Furthermore, there may have been fatal dog attacks during these years that were not reported in the news. For example, the 2012 Dixie Jennings attack was only reported by the media several days after the incident, when local residents heard rumors and asked the media to report on the incident.^[10] Similarly, the 2001 William Kirsch fatal attack is only known from a brief mention in an article about a different attack.^[11]
• This list is not meant to be conclusive. News reports or summaries may contain errors or omissions, not all information in the reports may be complete or correct, not all reports contain enough information to determine what actually happened, and errors may have been made in selecting or transferring information from the sources into the articles.
• Not all attacks listed here were determined by medical authorities to be the primary cause of death. For example, Diane Jansen suffered a hemorrhagic strokewhen attacked by a dog. The Medical Examinerdetermined the stroke to be the primary cause of death, but listed heart disease and dog bite as contributing factors.^[12][13][14]
• The "Category of Dog" column reports the breed, group, type, or other dog descriptions found in the news media.
  • In some cases this is a specific dog breed. However, even when a single breed is listed, the dog may not have been a purebred individual of that breed. For example, an author of the CDC study summarized above found that any medium-sized black and tan animal was likely to be recorded as a German shepherd.^[15]
  • Some terms, such as "Husky", "Pit Bull", or "Retriever" refer to multiple breeds of a single bloodline.
  • Some terms, such as "sled dog" or "sheepdog" may refer to specific bloodlines or simply what the dog was bred or trained to do.
  • The construction "(breed)-mix", as in "retriever-mix", may refer to a mix of breeds of one type, or a mixed dog that shows characteristics of one breed more clearly.
  • The term "Pit Bull" may refer to a dog which is purebred American Staffordshire Terrier,Staffordshire Bull Terrier, American Pit Bull Terrier, or another breed of the same general type.^[16] It may also refer to a dog which is a mix of Pit Bull breeds, a mix of Pit Bull and other dogs, or—erroneously—a mix of similar breeds (e.g. American bulldog, Boxer), especially if pit-bull morphology predominates.
  • The term "mixed breed" may refer to a dog which is literally a mix of breeds, or unbred mongrels whose ancestors have never been bred by humans.
  • The term "stray dog" may refer to one which has literally strayed from its owners, or to feral dogswhich have never had an owner.