5 Eye-Opening Statistics About Dog Attacks

It’s next to impossible these days to browse any social media network and not come across a picture of a cute cat or dog within the first 5 minutes of scrolling. Most of us will enjoy these posts and find that many people respond to them with the question of, “how could you not love dogs?” This is a great question – but it overlooks the percentage of our population who have a strained relationship with dogs. There’s no arguing that dogs are cute, but does everyone love them? Not entirely! These 5 eye opening statistics about dog attacks can help us better understand the reason behind the fear and hesitation of those who may apprehensively enjoy dogs:

1. There are over 13,000 reported dog bite incidents per day and 4.7 million incidents reported each year in the United States.
2. However, 80% of those incidents don’t end up requiring medical treatment.
3. Over 70% of dog bite fatalities involved children 10 years of age or younger. Newborn infants are 370 times more likely to be involved in an attack.
4. Boys 15 years of age or younger are more likely to suffer a dog attack than their female counterparts.
5. Studies have shown a 300% increase in dog attacks over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic.

It can be difficult to read these statistics and then immediately look over to your sweet-natured canine pal and still wonder how anyone could ever be fearful of them. If you don’t understand from first person experience, that’s okay – consider yourself lucky! It’s important to be aware of others’ experiences and perspectives, as well as be prepared in the event of it happening to you or a loved one. Follow these helpful tips:

• Avoid approaching unfamiliar dogs.
• If approached, stay calm in both body language and tone.
• Avoid making eye contact with the dog.
• Create distance between yourself and the dog.
• Express your discomfort to the dog owner and request that they retrieve their dog.
• In the event of escalation, record audio or video of the event.
• Ask for help from a passerby and call the authorities to report the incident.
• Seek medical care if necessary and contact an experienced dog attack attorney.

Contact Tiemann Law Firm, at our Sacramento office to speak with an experienced attorney who will know how to handle your dog bite case.  Contact us today at (916) 999-9000 to schedule your free consult today.