Dog Bite Statistics

Each day, about 1,000 U.S. citizens require emergency care and treatment for dog bite attacks and subsequent injuries.

September 1982 to June 25, 2010

By compiling U.S. and Canadian press accounts between 1982 and 2010, Merritt Clifton, editor of Animal People, shows the breeds most responsible for serious injury and death. The combination of pit bulls, rottweilers, Presa Canario, and their mixes:

* 80% of attacks that induce bodily harm

* 70% of attacks to children

* 83% of attack to adults

* 69% of attacks that result in fatalities

* 75% that result in maiming

Following are USPS dog bite statistics from fiscal years 1995 to 2005:

 

Year Bites

1995

1996

1997

1998

1999

2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

 

2,851

2,795

2,798

2,541

2,729

2,721

3,158

3,070

3,743

3,429

3,249

 

Injuries and Deaths

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), there are currently 74.8 million dogs in the USA. 

  • Every year 4.7 million Americans are bitten by dogs, 60% of these victims are children. (CDC)
  • Each year nearly 800,000 dog bites require medical attention. Of those, approximately 386,000 people require treatment in an emergency department. (CDC)
  • Approximately 12 people die from dog bites every year. (CDC)
  • Almost half of typical dog bite victims are children younger than 14 years of age. (CDC)
  • Injury rates are highest for children age 5-9 years, especially boys. (CDC)
  • In recent years, among purebreds, Rottweilers were most commonly involved in fatal attacks, followed by Pit bull-type dogs, German Shepherds, Husky-type, and Malamute.5 Among crossbreds, Wolf- Dog Hybrid and Mixed breeds were the most commonly involved in fatal attacks. (CDC)
  • Un-neutered dogs are more than 2.6 times more likely to bite than neutered dogs. Male dogs are 6.2 times more likely to bite than female dogs. (CDC)
  • Hospital expenses for dog bite-related emergency visits are estimated at $102.4 million. (CDC)
  • Dog bites send nearly 368,000 victims to hospital emergency departments per year (1,008 per day). (CDC)
  • Every year 2,851 letter carriers are bitten.(USPS)
  • Manufacturers Association estimated that there were approximately 73.9 million owned dogs in the United States, with thirty-nine percent of all U.S. homes, or 43.5 million households, owning at least one dog.
  • Most dog bites victims are children. In 2000, dog bites ranked twelfth among the causes of non-fatal injury treated in emergency departments for all age groups in the United States, but for children aged 14 and younger, dog bites ranked fifth. (CDC) 

Key Pit Bull Facts and Stats

  • Pit Bulls and Rottweilers were responsible for 60% of human deaths by dogs in the USA from 1979–1998
  • The AKC does not recognize Pit Bulls as a separate breed of dog, but rather a ‘type’ of dog
  • Pit Bulls are believed to have killed 26 Americans in 2018
  • According to a five-year review of dog-bite related injuries from the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, 50.9% of all attacks came from Pit Bulls. Over 42 breeds of dogs have been implicated in fatal dog attacks since 2016
  • There are around 4.5 million Pit Bulls in the US
  • Dogs labeled as Pit Bulls spend three times longer in shelters than other dogs
  • Half of all Pit Bulls are euthanized in shelters
  • Pit Bulls are the types of dogs most commonly used in dogfights
  • Pit Bulls are the most abused dogs
  • Pit Bull-type dogs and Pit Bull mixes accounted for 22% of all dogs put up for adoption in shelters, Pit Bull statistics for 2018 show. This number jumped to 31% in July 2019.
  • Today, Pit Bulls and Pit Bull mixes make up 50% of total canine intakes in shelters.
  • It has been reported by Petpedia.co that around 800,000 Pit Bull-type dogs are euthanized in shelters every year. In other words, Pit Bull euthanasia statistics reveal that about 40% of all dogs killed in the animal shelters are Pit Bulls
  • Chihuahuas top the list of biters, with Pit Bulls being third, right after Bulldog
  • Over 900 cities in the US have implemented some form of breed-specific legislation, with Iowa and Kentucky leading the pack
  • Stats show that Pit Bulls are identified as the main culprits in the majority of dog attacks and fatalities
  • Dog genetics are the most manipulated animal species, originally artificial selected and bred to fight and kill