Posted on January 7, 2010 by Colleen Lynn

2009 U.S. Dog Bite Fatality Statistics - DogsBite.org

Fatal Dog Attack Statistics
DogsBite.org recorded 32 fatal dog attacks in 2009.1 Citations of each victim's story are located on the Fatality Citations page. The last year the CDC recorded human deaths by dog breeds was 1998. Likely due to pressures from animal advocacy groups, the CDC stopped further research into this area. Since 1998, pit bulls alone have killed 140 U.S. citizens. The only other known entity, in addition to DogsBite.org, that tracks this vital data publicly is Animal People.2

2009 Dog Bite Fatalities

32 U.S. fatal dog attacks occurred in 2009. Despite being regulated in Military Housing areas and over 600 U.S. cities, pit bulls led these attacks accounting for 44% (14). Pit bulls make up approximately 5% of the U.S. dog population.3
In 2009, the combination of pit bulls (14) and rottweilers (4) accounted for 56% of all fatal attacks. In the 5-year period from 2005 to 2009, this same combination accounted for 70% (105) of the total recorded deaths (149).
The combined breakdown between the two breeds is substantial. From 2005 to 2009, pit bulls killed 84 Americans, about one citizen every 22 days, versus rottweilers, which killed 21 Americans, about one citizen every 87 days.
2009 data shows that 63% (20) of the attacks occurred to children (11 years and under) and 38% occurred to adults. Of the children, 60% (12) occurred to ages 2 and younger. In all attacks, males were more often victims, 59%, than females.
2009 data also shows that 38% (12) of all fatal attacks involved multiple dogs, and 19% (6) involved chained dogs. 75% (24) of these deadly attacks occurred on the dog owner's property and 25% (8) occurred off the owner's property.
The state of Texas led fatalities in 2009 (5) followed by Georgia and Illinois (each with 4) and California and Virginia (each with 3). Of the Texas deaths, the combination of pit bulls and rottweilers (4) accounted for 80%.

1At least seven additional victims died due to dog bite-related injuries in 2009. These deaths involved non-dog bite injury, minor dog bite injury or lacked a "reasonably clear" determination of death due to dog bite injury and are not included in the DogsBite.org statistical fatality: Dolly Newell, 80-years old (Alameda, CA), Vida Isabel Silver, 32-years old (Hayward, CA), Israel Pope Jr., 96-years old (Pickensville, AL), Gregory Isaacson, 58-years old (Kelso, WA), Beverly Head, 62-years old (San Jose, CA), Theresa Foss 47-years old (Plainfield, CT) and Timothy Niemeyer 56-years old (Indianapolis, IN).
2Dog attack deaths and maimings, U.S. & Canada, by Merritt Clifton, Animal People.
3Decade of Adoption Focus Fails to Reduce Shelter Killing, by Merritt Clifton, Animal People, July/August 2009

Posted on January 3, 2010 by Colleen Lynn

Announcement: Wishes for the New Year from DogsBite.org

DogsBite.org - The dawning of a new decade is upon us. The year 2010 will bring many changes to DogsBite.org as we relocate our organization to the state of Texas. Instead of tracking new U.S. nonfatal pit bull attacks and police and citizen shootings of dangerous pit bulls in 2010, we will focus on analyzing the data documented in both areas from 2009. Additionally, once the relocation has occurred, the majority of energies must be focused on building a funded organization.

New Year's Wishes for 2010:

That each of 2009's pit bull attack victims and their families are not forgotten by their local and state government officials.
That in 2010, no innocent humans have to suffer through the most horrific manner of death conceivable to man -- being attacked, bitten, and ripped apart by powerful pit bulls with strong jaws and a tenacious demeanor that would prevent the average person from being able to stop the attack.
That in 2010, no innocent humans suffer significant bodily injury, such as the loss of a limb, facial disfigurement, or mobility through a pit bull attack.
That in 2010, no innocent owner of a domesticated companion animal or livestock will have to witness, experience, or have to respond to a pit bull attack upon their animal, suffering either their death, their significant injury, the necessity for emergency veterinarian services and expenses, or the trauma of such an event.
That in 2010, more organizations invested in protecting human lives will become fully informed about the real and present danger posed by pit bulls in American society and will take positive steps to take formal positions in favor of legal restrictions against pit bulls.
That in 2010, major humane organizations will address the alarming pit bull euthanization problem -- nearly 1 million pit bulls were estimated to be euthanized in 2009 -- and support mandatory pit bull sterilization laws to reduce these deaths.
That in 2010, enlightenment comes to local and state government officials about the hidden agenda of pit bull breeders, dogfighters, and organized criminal conspirators to support anti-BSL efforts.
That in 2010, enlightenment comes to "misguided" pit bull advocates that support dogfighters and breeders of fighting dogs -- people heavily invested in the continuation of creating violent dogs -- and instead, focus their attention on breeding safer dogs.

Readers, please leave your own New Year's wishes in the comments area.

Posted on December 23, 2009 by Colleen Lynn

2009 Dog Bite Fatality: 2-Year Old Killed by Family Dog in Cape Coral

Liam Peck, 2-years old, was fatally bitten by a family dog.

Family Dog Kills Boy archived
Cape Coral, FL - A toddler died Tuesday morning after being bitten by one of the family's dogs. According to officials, the family's 8-year old male Weimaraner fatally bit Liam Peck, 2-years old, in the neck. Connie Barron, spokeswoman for the Cape Coral Police Department, said EMS transported the boy to Cape Coral Hospital, where he was pronounced dead less than an hour later. Lee County Animal Services seized the dog from the home, along with a female Weimaraner.

Incredibly, yet commonly, this article spends more time talking about what might happen to the seized dogs, one of which killed Liam Peck, rather than focusing on the innocent dead victim. The article also inappropriately includes a quote by Dr. Robert South, an epidemiologist with the Lee County Department of Health. "It really comes down to the ability of the owner to have a well-trained dog and to teach children to be appropriately cautious around animals," he said.

How many 2-year old children understand "appropriately cautious?"1

Weimaraner Safety Record

According to the Merritt Clifton report, "Dog Attack Deaths and Maimings, U.S. & Canada, September 1982 to December 22, 2009," and including this most recent fatality, Weimaraners have been involved in one fatal dog attack in the last 27 years. Of the two attacks involving Weimaraners in this period -- attacks serious enough to make the Clifton report -- both involved children. During this same period, pit bulls (excluding pit bull-mixes) accounted for 153 deaths and 777 maimings.

2009 Dog Bite Fatality: Great-Aunt's Rottweiler-Mix Kills 20-Month Old Boy

Dallas Walters, 20-months old, was mauled to death by a rottweiler-mix.

"Dog Just Attacked"
UPDATE 12/15/09: Just before the burial service of Dallas Walters, the boy's father clarified a few issues: "There was no cookie. My son was eating potato salad and the dog just attacked him." Essentially, the rumored "cookie" story was just that -- rumored. According to the Pasco County Sheriff's Department, the investigation into what happened is still ongoing. They say it doesn't appear anyone, including the dog's owners, will face any charges.

Dallas was at a family birthday party at his great-aunt's house Saturday night. That's when a Rotweiller-Labrador mix belonging to the great-aunt and her husband attacked the child.
Some reports said the dog was going after a cookie the boy dropped. His father says the attack was unprovoked.
"There was no cookie. My son was eating potato salad and the dog just attacked him." - Erik Waxler, ABC Action News, December 15, 2009

12/15/09: Dog Purchased Two Months Ago
New information has been released in the death of Dallas Walters. The year old rottweiler-lab mix that killed the boy was euthanized just hours later. The dog belonged to Lisa and Preston Evans -- Lisa is Dallas' mother's great-aunt. The male dog was unregistered and unaltered. The couple said they got the dog about two months ago from someone in Tampa who had placed a newspaper ad. Authorities are trying to contact the sellers of the dog.

The owners surrendered the dog, named Willie, along with a 3-month old rottweiler puppy; it is unclear from the article if the puppy came from the same seller. According to Pasco Animal Services director Denise Hilton, "[The dog's owners] said the dog had been playing all day with the kids at the party with no problems at all." Yet Andrew Walters, the father of Dallas, said that Willie was a dog he had not seen before that day and was supposed to be chained in the backyard.

Walters said his family is taking the loss "second by second." He added that he had yet to talk to the Evanses. "I can't,'' he said. "I don't trust my actions.'' Walters wants criminal charges filed. Kevin Doll, the spokesman for the Pasco County Sheriff's Office, said the death is under investigation. Yet the incident looks to be another "tragic accident," despite the fact that rottweilers have the second worst safety record regarding fatal attacks, dwarfed only by pit bulls.

12/13/09: Boy Killed by Dog at Birthday Party
New Port Richey, FL - In a chilling story, Dallas Walters, 20-months old, was killed after being mauled by a pet rottweiler inside his aunt's New Port Richey home Saturday night. According to the Pasco County Sheriff's Office, a birthday party was going on at Dallas Walters' aunt's house in Moon Lake when the incident occured. Deputies say the boy was eating a cookie then dropped it on the floor. When he went to reach for the cookie the aunt's pet rottweiler attacked.

"I ran over there, pulled the dog off him," said the boy's father Andrew Walters, "I tried to beat the hell out of him."

This horrific scenario is very familiar readers: 1.) An aunt, uncle or grandparent's dangerous dog, often a pit bull or a rottweiler, with likely little to no experience with children. 2.) A young child visiting the dog owner's home, possibly for the first time. 3.) It's either the "cookie" (or food related) story, which blames the child for the life-altering or deadly attack or it's the "warming a bottle" story, where the adult steps away briefly and the pit bull or rottweiler kills the child.

View the DogsBite.org Google Map: U.S. Fatal Rottweiler Attacks By State

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