Posted on April 18, 2023 by Colleen Lynn

Macro-Level Forces Report: Covid Impacts of 2021 U.S. Dog Bite Fatality Capture Rate of Nonprofit

Dog Bite Fatalities Surged in 2021; a 69% Increase from 2019

DogsBite.org - Last September, we published the 2020 Macro-Level Forces Report for U.S. dog bite fatality data. During 2020, the first Covid year, our nonprofit had a 15-victim deficit compared to CDC Wonder underlying cause of death (UCD) data, a 28% difference in the number of deaths. The victim deficit during the second pandemic year is even higher. CDC Wonder data shows there were 81 dog bite fatalities in 2021. Our nonprofit only recorded 52 deaths, a 44% difference.

81 fatal dog attacks in a single year are the most ever recorded by CDC data. This is a 69% increase from 2019 and a 131% increase from 2018.

Prior to these two pandemic years (between 2005 and 2019), the largest deficit of unreported deaths our nonprofit had compared to CDC data was 4 each for the years of 2005 and 2010. During the 2021 Covid year, there was a deficit of 29 unreported deaths. The disparity during the second year of the pandemic is greater than the first year, even though media reports only fell by 35% in 2021, compared to falling 47% in 2020 from the pre-Covid baseline year of 2019.

A regional breakdown of dog bite fatalities in 2021 shows that the South and West had the most unreported deaths. According to CDC data, 51% (41 of 81) of the victims in 2021 were ≥ 45 years old. Our nonprofit only captured 20 of these deaths, 49%. However, we already knew the 50 and older age group was underrepresented in media reports. We discussed this disparity in the 2020 discussion notes (Comparing 15-Year Data Sets - DogsBite.org Data and CDC Wonder Data)

2021 macro-forces report - dog bite fatalities

U.S. dog bite fatalities during the 2021 pandemic crisis by Census region and age group.

Characteristics of Unreported Fatal Dog Attacks (2005 to 2021)

Over the last decade, we have uncovered 20 unreported deaths through FOIAs or other means. The most likely unreported fatal dog attack from 2005 to 2021 is an adult ≥ 40 years old (14) killed in an attack involving a single or pair of pit bulls (12 of 14) in an urban area (11 of 14) within a state that prohibits or limits breed-specific laws. Of the 20 total deaths, 80% (16) involved pit bulls, and of that, 75% (12 of 16) involved a single or pair of family pit bulls killing a household member.

80% (16) of the total unreported fatal attacks involved family dogs killing a household member, and 70% (14) involved a single dog attacking.

During 2021, the 2 unreported deaths we uncovered involved infants in a rural area. Both infants were killed by a male family dog, a pit bull, and an American bulldog. Of the 5 total unreported deaths of children, including the ones just mentioned, 3 were killed by pit bulls, and 2 were killed by American bulldogs. The only other unreported death -- outside of the 14 deaths in the ≥ 40 years age group -- is a 21-year old male who was killed by his roommate's pit bull in 2017.

Nonprofit dog bite fatality data compared to CDC Wonder data over 17 years (2005-2021).

Discussion

Initially, the chart appears to reflect the pandemic kicked off a visible increase in year-to-year deaths. However, the largest increase is from 2018 to 2019, a 37% rise, which occurred pre-Covid. From 2019 to 2020, there was a 29% rise in deaths, and from 2020 to 2021, there was a 31% rise. The chart also shows that during the 37% rise in deaths from 2018 to 2019, our capture rate was not impeded. When Covid-19 macro-forces erupted in 2020, our capture rate declined.

The chart also shows that between 2005 and 2018, the average number of deaths per year captured by our nonprofit was 33.79, compared to CDC Wonder data of 33.64. The annual number of deaths during the period gradually increases but otherwise has slight variation. After two years of Covid conditions, between January 1, 2020, and December 31, 2021, the average number of deaths captured by our nonprofit rose to 49.5, and CDC Wonder data shot up to 71.5.

Thus, one must ask what happened between 2018 and 2021, when the number of deaths per year rose by 131% (from 35 CDC Wonder deaths to 81)? The number of dog bite fatalities increased during that period much faster than from 2005 to 2018. After years of annual deaths in the 30s range, CDC data skips deaths in the 50s range and skips deaths in the 70s range. CDC data shows that in 2019, there were 48 deaths; in 2020, 62 deaths; and in 2021, 81 deaths.

Pre-Covid Trends

In our nonprofit's data, several trends were rising before 2019. Between 2005 to 2018, the ages and genders of victims between the first and third periods (2005-2009 and 2015-2018) show that the percentage of fatal dog attacks involving adults, 50-69 years old, rose 82%. This rise was largely driven by females, 30-49 years old, which rose 108%, and females, 50-69 years old, which rose 91%. During this same period, the percentage of fatal attacks involving pit bulls rose by 30%.

While the number of "known" rescue dogs involved in dog bite fatalities is relatively small, the percentage of people killed by rescue dogs jumped from 2% of fatal dog attack victims during the first period (2005-2009) to 14.7% during the third period (2015-2018). Owner-directed deadly dog attacks rose from 10% during the first period to 16.8% during the third period. Those were some trends heading into 2019, which began the steep ladder increase in CDC data from 2019 to 2021.

Covid 2021 Conditions

By mid-April 2021, over 200 million Covid vaccines had been administered in the U.S., according to the CDC. Stay-at-home orders were over, and indoor gatherings and air travel had rebounded. Possible Covid conditions contributing to the disparity of 29 unreported dog bite fatalities in 2021 aren't as straightforward as in 2020. Though there continued to be a reduction in media reports and a reduction of media releases from police, which impacted our ability to capture more deaths.1

Previous report:
Trends: 14 Years of U.S. Dog Bite Fatalities in 3 Periods (2005 to 2018) - DogsBite.org

Summary

During the 2021 Covid year, there was a 35% reduction in dog bite fatality media reports, according to our citations. There was a surge in unreported fatal dog attacks, 29 deaths, and a rise in the total number of fatalities to 81 -- the highest ever recorded in CDC wonder data. This is a 69% increase from 2019 and a 131% increase from 2018. Victims ≥ 45 years old accounted for the most unreported fatal dog attacks, and most attacks occurred in the South and West regions.

Given the increase of fatal dog attacks during pre-Covid 2019 and the surge that followed, we predict another rise in unreported deaths in 2022.

Though there was a significant increase in deaths during the 2020 and 2021 Covid years, the growth began ramping up in 2019. The largest increase occurred between 2018 and 2019, with a 37% rise in dog bite fatalities. What drove that growth likely continued through the Covid years, combined with being impacted by Covid conditions (2- and 3-fold increase in dog bites2). At the same time, our nonprofit's capture rate declined due to lowered media reports instigated by Covid.

1"More than 6,150 news workers were laid off amid the COVID-19 pandemic," by Hana Joy, Columbia Journalism Review, December 10, 2021 (cjr.org) | "After increasing in 2020, layoffs at large U.S. newspapers and digital news sites declined in 2021," by Elisa Shearer and Emily Tomasik, Pew Research Center, October 13, 2022.
2At least in pediatric studies. No studies about adult dog bite injuries during the pandemic have been published so far. | Dixon, et al., Dog Bites in Children Surge during Coronavirus Disease-2019: A Case for Enhanced Prevention, J Pediatr, 2020 Oct; 225: 231–232. | Tulloch et al., Paediatric emergency department dog bite attendance during the COVID-19 pandemic: an audit at a tertiary children’s hospital, BML Pediatrics Open, 2021;5:e001040.

Posted on April 15, 2023 by Colleen Lynn

2023 Dog Bite Fatality: Man, 22, Killed by Brother's Four Pit Bulls While Dog Sitting in Brooklyn Center, Minnesota

Dezmond Trawick, 22-years old, was killed by his brother's four pit bulls while dog sitting.

Pit Bulls Kill Man
Brooklyn Center, MN - On Thursday afternoon, a 22-year old man was killed by a pack of four pit bulls he was dog sitting, according to the Brooklyn Center Police Department. The violent attack occurred in the 5700 block of North Halifax Avenue. Upon arrival officers found the victim "had most of his clothing ripped off and had extensive bites on a majority of his body." The victim was "intubated at the scene" and transported to a local hospital. He did not survive his injuries.

Brooklyn Center Police Department - April 13, 2023

Earlier this afternoon Brooklyn Center Officers responded to a report of a dog attack in near the 5700 block of Halifax Ave N. Upon arrival officers found four (4) dogs attacking someone in a backyard, they then deployed a less lethal round, striking at least one of the dogs, which dispersed all of the dogs back into the residence. Officers were then able to secure a garage door and begin to render aid to the victim. The victim had most of his clothing ripped off and had extensive bites on a majority of his body. The victim was then intubated at the scene and transported to a local area hospital where he was immediately brought to surgery. The victim will likely be hospitalized for an extended period of time (possibly several weeks).

All of the dogs were transported to PUPS and are quarantined pending a dangerous dog evaluation process. There was a very large police presence in the area. We were assisted by Brooklyn Center Fire Department, City of Crystal Police and Community Service Officers, Hennepin County Sheriff's Office and North Memorial EMS Paramedics.

This concludes the information about this case that we are able to share with the public.

Police initially believed the man would be hospitalized for several weeks, but he died at the hospital overnight. The Hennepin County Medical Examiner identified the victim as Dezmond Thomas Trawick. A police news release said, "The four dogs were of American Pit Bull Terrier dog breed," reports KARE. Investigators are in contact with the dogs' owners and say criminal charges could be filed. Police said they are unaware of any additional incidents involving the dogs.

Brooklyn Center authorities said the four pit bulls did not live at the home where the attack occurred, but were staying there for the day. The man was dog sitting the animals for a family member at the time. The victim's mother posted on her Facebook page, "I CANNOT LIVE THIS LIFE WITHOUT MY SON Dezmond Trawick." She also states the attack was unexplainable. "YES, DEZMOND LOVED THOSE DOGS AND THEY LOVED HIM... UNEXPLAINABLE," she wrote.

Police confiscated all four pit bulls, which were transported to Pets Under Police Security (PUPS) for quarantine and are "pending a dangerous dog evaluation process," according to the police news release. The KARE news video states that neighbors told them the dogs "made them feel uncomfortable." One female neighbor told KARE, "She would keep her kids in the house whenever the dogs were outside." Indicating the pit bulls had a history of being at Trawick's home.

The Star Tribune reports that Trawick died due to "complications of dog attack," barely an hour after arriving at North Memorial Hospital Health, according to the Hennepin County Medical Examiner's Office. The manner of death has preliminarily been classified as an accident. Brooklyn Center Police Cmdr. Tony Gruenig said the dogs lived elsewhere with a brother of Trawick, who was caring for the dogs that day. No one else was home at the time of the attack, Gruenig said.

KSPT reports the time of the attack, 12:45 pm, and audio dispatch logs from Broadcastify. "Dogs are attacking a person he is unconscious and bleeding," dispatch states. KSPT also spoke to a neighbor who heard Trawick screaming in the backyard. "He just kept screaming, and his voice kept getting lower and lower and I’m like are you okay but he couldn’t hear me,” said Lisa Yang, who lives next door. “I’m very shocked that the dog would attack the family, I’m really sorry."

KMSP-TV also spoke to a neighbor who witnessed the attack. Jerry Nelson, Trawick's neighbor, who is wearing U.S. Postal Service uniform during the interview, said that he saw Trawick tossing a tennis ball to the four pit bulls in his backyard. As we have heard witnesses say before, at first he believed the dogs were playing, "you know, jumping on him," Nelson said. As Trawick began fighting the dogs off, things became more serious. Trawick asked him, "Can you come help me?’"

Nelson called 911 then began throwing rocks and sticks at the dogs to try to stop the dogs from attacking Trawick. Nelson described the canines as, "big, giant, dogs and I couldn't get them off of him," indicating the dogs were likely a pit bull designer breed, such as the an XL bully. Nelson said the thought of Trawick dying never crossed his mind at that moment. "I knew that he was hurt," he said. But "death wasn't even on my mind." Trawick died one hour after arriving at the hospital.

Deaths Involving 20s Age Group Rising

Over the 15-year period of 2005 to 2019, dogs killed 522 Americans. 3% (17) of these victims were in the 20-29 year old age group. Pit bulls were responsible for 15 of these deaths, 88%. The majority of these attacks also involved multiple dogs, 65% (11/17). Over the 3-year period of 2020 to 2022, (known as the "Covid Years") our nonprofit recorded 153 dog bite fatalities. 7% of those victims (11/153) were in the 20-29 year old age group, a noticeable rise from the earlier period.

The watching category, which includes dog sitting, -- dog bite fatalities involving a babysitter or relative watching a child or the dog being "watched" by a person other than its owner when the dog fatally attacked -- did not see a doubling. From 2005 to 2019, 17% (89/522) of fatalities involved this scenario. During the Covid Years, 18% (27/153) involved this scenario. However, many deaths during the Covid Years, which we are still examining, lacked information in this area.

Scene outside the home where Dezmond Trawick, 22, was killed by his brother's four pit bulls

Baseline reporting requirements:
Law enforcement departments across the United States should release consistent "baseline" information to the media and the public after each fatal dog mauling, including these items.

Posted on April 14, 2023 by Colleen Lynn

Woman, 36, Found Dead at Lansing Home; Police Initially Suspected a Fatal Dog Mauling then Cleared the Dogs

Lansing police initially suspected that a 36-year old woman was killed by two dogs.

Dogs Cleared in Attack
UPDATE 04/17/23: The Lansing State Journal reports that police have "cleared" the two dogs seized after a woman's death Friday that police initially termed a "possible attack." Ingham County Animal Control Deputy Director Dan Verhougstraete told the Journal on Monday the dogs were cleared to be returned to their owner and were not involved in the death. "We do not have an active role in their investigation," Verhougstraete said. "The dogs were just being housed."

A commenter on the Journal's Facebook post can't understand how a stabbing could be confused with dog bites. "Sharp force injuries," also termed "sharp force trauma," are terms used by some medical examiners when declaring the cause of death after a fatal dog mauling. Search results on this website returned about a dozen cases where the "sharp force injury" term is used by forensic officials. Additional news reports state the case is now being investigated as an accidental death.

04/15/23: Police Suspect Dogs Involved
Lansing, MI - On Friday night, a 36-year old woman was found dead, the Lansing Police Department said. Police suspect two dogs are the culprits. Police were dispatched to a home in the 3400 block of West Mount Hope Avenue around 8:00 pm for a possible stabbing, but “there is reason to believe this was a possible dog attack,” according to a statement from the agency. Both dogs were seized by Ingham County Animal Control. The victim's name was not released.

A commenter on the Lansing State Journal's Facebook post claims the victim is the ex-girlfriend of the dogs' owner, who "entered his home without notifying him." She "was mauled to death," Sheyenne Tinges states. "What he walked into when he got home from work is horrifying. The girl’s arm was by the door entrance while the rest of her body was across the room. Her flesh and blood scattered everywhere." Tinges states that police initially suspected the dogs' owner.

Police "let him go once CSI and animal control were done investigating the scene," she said. Tinges also claims the dogs "did not just attack for no reason nor were they outside of their territory." The dogs' owner "loved his dogs and he loved the girl who lost her life as well. This whole situation is a nightmare." The whole point of Tinges' comment (and the post on her own page) is to ask for a recommended "biohazard remediation/ crime scene clean up service."

The Lansing's Most Wanted Facebook page captured audio from dispatch stating, "sounds like a confirmed K, possibly from a dog bite." The video also shows that the attack occurred in the Riverview Estates Mobile Home Community. Tinges posted the same "biohazard" comment on that thread. The moderator of Lansing's Most Wanted replied to her, "Sheyenne Tinges killer dogs need to be killed plain and simple. There is no room in our society for that mess at all!"

A commenter claims the victim is the ex-girlfriend of the dogs' owner and blames the victim.

Posted on April 13, 2023 by Colleen Lynn

2023 Dog Bite Fatality: Woman, 61, Killed by Pack of Neighborhood Dogs in Rural McCreary County, Kentucky

Wilma Ridner, 61-years old, was killed by a pack of neighborhood dogs in McCreary County.

Woman Killed by Dog Pack
McCreary County, KY - A 61-year old woman is dead after being mauled by up to six loose dogs. Yesterday, the McCreary County Sheriff's Office issued a public safety alert notice stating that two of the dogs were still at large. A report from WKYT states the attack occurred early Wednesday morning on Slab Vanover Road, which is a rural area off Highway 90 west of Cumberland Falls. The dogs attacked her as she walked down the road. The victim lived near the attack location.

Earlier today, McCreary County Coroner Tim Corder identified the woman as 61-year old Wilma Ridner. Corder was notified about her death around 2:00 am Wednesday. The state Medical Examiner's Office in Frankfort performed an autopsy on Thursday. Those results have not been released. McCreary County Sheriff David Sampson told the Lexington Herald Leader that four dogs were captured and euthanized. Sampson also described them as neighborhood dogs.

In 2017, 79-year old Vinson Tucker was killed by a pack of dogs in the same county. That attack occurred at Stephens Towing and Wrecker Service. The owner of the company, who was away at the time, said the dogs were strays. But one neighbor, Eric Branscum, disagreed. "It's hard to say you don't own a dog if you take care of it and it lives at your house, at your business," he told the media. The violent attack was captured on surveillance cameras. No charges were ever brought.

Ridner's death comes after four other pack attacks this year. All of those victims were male, ages 7 to 74-years old. Most of those fatal pack attacks occurred in rural areas, including the death of Kellan Boner, 7, who was killed by dogs on the Fort Hall Indian reservation in January. The most recent fatal pack attack occurred in McDonald Chaple, Alabama. 74-year old Joe Scott had been taking a morning walk when he was attacked by six dogs. Police said those dogs were strays.

Family Member Says Pit Bulls

Authorities did not release the breed of dogs involved. On the WKYT Facebook post, however, a family member said the dogs were pit bulls. Ridner's granddaughter, Samantha Maldonado, states in comments, "Look I’m not scared of pits but yes it was pit bulls that did this to her not all pit bulls are bad dog it’s how your raise them." Maldonado also said that seven dogs were involved. "This is correct. There was 7 in total that took her life just pray for her kids and the rest of the family."