2019 U.S. Dog Bite Fatality Statistics - DogsBite.org

Fatal Dog Attack Statistics
DogsBite.org recorded 48 fatal dog attacks in 2019, the highest recorded in a single year. Pit bulls contributed to 69% (33) of these deaths, followed by "mixed-breed," involved in 6 deaths. For the first time, the 30-49 age group sustained more deaths (13) than the 0-4 age group (12). Pit bulls inflicted 85% of these adult deaths. The last time the CDC collected breed data about dogs involved in fatal human attacks was 1998. Pit bulls have killed over 415 Americans since.

  • 48 U.S. dog bite-related fatalities occurred in 2019. Despite being regulated in Military Housing areas and over 900 U.S. cities, pit bulls contributed to 69% (33) of these deaths. Pit bulls make up about 8% of the total U.S. dog population.
  • During the 15-year period of 2005 to 2019, canines killed 521 Americans. Two dog breeds, pit bulls (346) and rottweilers (51), contributed to 76% (397) of these deaths. 35 different dog breeds were involved in the remaining fatal dog maulings.
  • In 2019, the combination of pit bulls (33), American bulldogs (1), rottweilers (4) and mastiff-type guard dogs and war dogs (1) -- the types used to create "baiting" bull breeds and fighting breeds -- accounted for 81% (39) of all dog bite-related deaths.
  • See full report: 2019 U.S. Dog Bite Fatality Statistics - DogsBite.org
  • News release: Nonprofit Releases 2019 Dog Bite Fatality Statistics - Attacks and Adult Victims Rise and Trends from the 15-Year Data Set
This year's release includes statistics from our 15 year data set. From Jan. 1, 2005 to Dec. 31, 2019, canines killed 521 Americans. Pit bulls contributed to 66% (346) of these deaths. Combined, pit bulls and rottweilers (51) contributed to 76% (397) of attacks resulting in death. When mastiff-type guard dogs and war dogs are added -- the types used to create "baiting" bull breeds and fighting breeds -- this small group of dog breeds accounts for 84% (438) of all dog bite-related deaths. In discussion notes, we examine 2019 trends, the rise of adult victims, ages 30-49, and the rise of multi-dog attacks over the last 15 years.

Data Collection Method: How We Collect U.S. Dog Bite Fatality Data


Discussion Notes

DogsBite.org - From April to December 2019, our nonprofit sent out public records requests to 13 different law enforcement or coroner departments to uncover fatal dog maulings not reported in the media or to obtain more information about an existing case. We uncovered 2 new fatal pit bull maulings from earlier years (2008 and 2017). Both attacks occurred in Detroit. We also discovered that 1 dog bite fatality in 2019 was falsely attributed to a "cattle dog" instead of a pit bull-mix.

In 2019, there was a substantial rise in fatal dog maulings -- 48 deaths. There was also a larger diversity of dog breeds than we normally see. 14 different dog breeds were involved in the 48 deaths, and 8 of these dog breeds were attributed to 1 death each. 2019 also saw the highest year on record of adults killed by dogs. 73% (35) of all victims were ≥ 10 years old. This is likely due to the never-before seen high number of deaths in the 10-29 and 30-49 age groups in 2019.

In 2019, there were 5 victims in the combined 10-29 age group, a rare age group among dog bite fatality victims. Pit bulls were responsible for 80% (4) of these deaths. A pack of protection-bred dogs inflicted the other death. In 2019, pit bulls killed in every single age group: 0-2 years, 3-4 years, 5-9 years, 10-18 years, 19-29 years, 30-49 years, 50-69 years and 70+ years. Whereas, all other dog breeds combined primarily killed children ≤ 2 years old and adults ≥ 50 years old.


This year, when examining the single year of 2019 and the combined 15 years of fatal dog attack statistics, we review multiple tables and charts. In 2017, we first began examining how traditional dog bite fatality metrics have changed or remained the same since the early CDC studies. This review is a continuation of that process, as we measure these trends over a 15-year period.


Adult Deaths, 30-49, Rise Metric Shift

During 2019, the 30-49 age group suffered the most deaths (13). While deaths in this age group have been rising since 2005, odds are low this age group of able-bodied adults had more deaths than 0-4 years old. Pit bulls inflicted 85% (11) of these adult deaths. 31% (4) were owner-directed attacks, and all four victims were female. In 3 cases, the dogs had attacked the female owner prior to killing her. In 1 case, the dogs had attacked a neighbor eight days before killing the owner.

62% (8 of 13) of the dogs that killed in the 30-49 age group had a previous bite history. 62% of attacks involved multiple dogs, and 62% occurred off the owner's property, a rate over 2.5 times higher than the 14-year average (2005 to 2018). 62% of victims were female; two male victims were killed by "packs" of dogs; and two victims were homeless ages 36-38 years. Given these set of factors, for the first time, victims 30-49 years old sustained more deaths than 0-4 years old.

In fact, this single adult age group sustained as many deaths as children 0-9 years old in 2019, each comprising 27% of all dog bite fatalities.

Studies from previous years shows the 30-49 age group is the fastest rising group. There has been a 433% increase since the 1979-1988 study (3% to 16%). Children 0-9 years is the only decreasing group. Children 0-9 years used to comprise 70% of all fatality victims. The most recent 5-year period of 2015-2019 shows that children 0-9 years has fallen to 36% of victims, a 49% decrease. While percentages of victims ≥ 50 years have doubled since the 80s (21% to 41%).

Adults (≥ 10 years) Killed in Fatal Dog Attacks - Various Studies (1979-2019)
0-9 ≥ 10 10-29 30-49 50-69 70+ Total Years Entity/Study
70% 30% 6% 3% 11% 10% 157 1979-1988 CDC/Sacks 1989
57% 43% 5% 9% 10% 19% 108 1989-1994 CDC/Sacks, 1996
51% 49% 7% 11% 14% 17% 150 2005-2009 DogsBite.org, 2020
50% 50% 3% 13% 17% 17% 179 2010-2014 DogsBite.org, 2020
36% 64% 7% 16% 23% 18% 192 2015-2019 DogsBite.org, 2020
27% 73% 10% 27% 19% 17% 48 2019 DogsBite.org, 2020

Off Property Attacks

In 2019, off-property attacks rose to 42% (20), a 75% rise from the 14-year average of 24%. Pit bulls were involved in 75% (15) of off-property attacks and 95% (19) involved multiple dogs. Only 35% (7) of these cases resulted in criminal charges. In 13 cases, dog owners faced no criminal culpability after their multiple dogs (ranging from 2 to 8 dogs) escaped the owner's property and brutally killed a person. 70% (14) of off-property attacks occurred in the Southern United States.1

At least four more off-property attacks should have resulted in charges, but did not, including the death of Jaysiah Chavez, 2, who was in his own yard when two roaming rottweilers attacked him. Two deaths involved dogs with a reported history of aggression escaping their property and killing a person. Both victims -- Cledith Davenport and Medessa Ragsdale -- were discovered "dead in a ditch." Also, Dianne Reves was killed by a pack of 7 large dogs while in her own backyard.

In all four cases, the negligence was clear. Two of these deaths occurred in California and Texas too, states with a felony dog attack statue. The rottweilers in California had a history of digging out from under the fence. The pit bulls in Texas had a history of violence and had attacked another adult just before or after killing Ragsdale. The death of Reves in Mississippi should have resulted in manslaughter charges because a roaming pack of 7 large dogs is dangerous by default.

Prosecutors should not have to prove the owner had previous knowledge of the dogs' vicious propensities in cases involving dog pack attacks.


Poor Shelter Policies

2019 marks the first year when a volunteer or staff member was fatally mauled at a shelter facility by a dog currently up for adoption. 2019 also marks the first year when a person was killed by a dog at a veterinary facility. Thus, there were two dog bite fatalities that occurred within a county shelter or veterinary facility in 2019, indicating that safety standards at both are at historically low levels or that the housing of violent dogs has increased, in addition to poor safety standards.

In 2019, two fatalities occurred due to lack of bite quarantine space or a "limited" admission policy. After the Irving Animal Shelter refused to house two biting pit bulls due to quarantine space being "at capacity," the dogs killed their owner while in quarantine at a private veterinary facility. After a pit bull owner tried to surrender his dogs to Lubbock Animal Services for attacking a man and killing a dog, he was told he had to wait four days. Two days later, the dogs killed his neighbor.

One death involved both factors -- the owner was refused by the shelter, only to be killed at the veterinary clinic -- thus totaling only three deaths.

Poor shelter policies contributed to a fourth death in 2019 as well. In late June, a pit bull-mix killed its 54-year old female owner in Ventura County. In March, the same dog had violently attacked its owner, fully severing her right ear and mauling her face and arm. Despite the severity of the March attack, which was the second bite to the victim's face since that January, Ventura County Animal Services gave the dangerous dog back to the family. Three months later, the dog killed its owner.

Speaking of poor safety policies and leadership from shelters, 2019 also marks the year when a pit bull with a checkered past owned by Annie Hornish, a senior state director of the Humane Society of the United States, killed a woman visiting her home. Hornish then denied this act. At a recent dangerous dog hearing, we learned that Dexter was also unneutered. That surgery should have been done immediately upon Hornish adopting the dog, 4.5 months before the fatal attack.


Multi-Dog Attacks Rise Metric Shift

In 2019, 63% (30) of fatal dog attacks involved multiple dogs, a sharp rise from the 14-year average of 45%, and the highest percentage on record since 2005. 70% (21) of multi-dog attacks involved 2 or 3 dogs and 30% (9) involved 4 or more dogs. 63% (19) involved 1 or more pit bulls as well. In 8 deaths, only 1 dog was implicated, but the household had additional dogs. Thus, 79% (38) of cases involved households with multiple dogs, such as the death of Nicholas Farris.

Fatal dog attacks involving a single dog have been falling since the 1980s. During the early CDC study (1979-1988), 70% of fatal attacks only involved 1 dog. This has fallen to 49% in the last 5-year period of 2015-2019, a 30% decrease. Comparing the same two periods, attacks involving ≥ 3 dogs have risen from 11% to 29%, a 164% increase. In 2019, fatal attacks involving ≥ 3 dogs comprised 38% of dog bite fatalities and pit bulls were involved in 78% of these deaths (14 of 18).

Multi-dog attacks involving only 2 dogs are similar across all periods studied (19-23%). Only attacks involving ≥ 3 dogs is significantly rising.

Single Dog Involved in Fatal Dog Attacks - Various Studies (1979-2019)
% Single Dog Of Total % ≥ 3 Dogs Of Total Years Entity/Study
70% (76 of 108) 11% (12 of 108) 1979-1988 CDC/Sacks 1989
73% (62 of 85) 6% (5 of 85) 1989-1994 CDC/Sacks, 1996
67% (160 of 238) 12% (29 of 238) 1979-1998 CDC/AVMA, 2000
53% (80 of 150) 19% (28 of 150) 2005-2009 DogsBite.org, 2020
57% (102 of 179) 22% (39 of 179) 2010-2014 DogsBite.org, 2020
49% (95 of 192) 29% (55 of 192) 2015-2019 DogsBite.org, 2020
38% (18 of 48) 38% (18 of 48) 2019 DogsBite.org, 2020

Pit Bulls and Multi-Dog attacks Metric Shift

When analyzing a chart of year-by-year over the 15-year period, one can see that multi-dog attacks involving 1 or more pit bulls is the primary driver in the rise of multi-dog attacks resulting in death, especially since 2012. This trend continues to have an upward trajectory too. Whereas, multi-dog attacks involving all other dog breeds combined has a flat linear trend line. Over the 15-year period, pit bulls have been involved in 73% of all fatal multi-dog attacks (177 of 244).

Chart - 15 years dog bite fatalities - Multi-dog attacks

Dog ownership has changed since the CDC examined fatal dog attacks 20 years ago. Today, more owners have 2 or more dogs, and increasingly in fatal attacks, the household has 1 or more pit bulls included in the multi-dog mix. In the Farris case, his mother had just rescued another dog, "making it 4 dogs" in the home, 2 of which were pit bull-mixes. Few dog owners can successfully teach the "stay" command to 1 dog, much less responsibly manage multiple large bull breeds.

Having a "dog pack" with pit bulls in your home has become trendy too. When you have 1 dog, you manage your relationship with the dog and other household members. When you have 2 dogs, you also manage the relationship between the dogs. When you have 3 or more dogs and 1 or more are pit bulls, you must manage the relationships between all of the dogs and the "dog pack" mentality relationship. Again, all while none of the dogs can perform the "stay" command.

The family "dog pack" with pit bulls trend will continue to increase multi-dog attacks inflicted on family members and non-family members alike.

In the case of Tanner Kinnamon, he was killed by his aunt's 2 rescue pit bulls. At the time, 4 other pit bull-type dogs belonging to his aunt were crated in her home. His aunt owned a "dog pack" of pit bulls and only 2 of these dogs could be out of their crates at the same time. The 4 other dogs were kept crated in separate rooms. This is how the aunt "managed" her "dog pack" of pit bulls. The 2 pit bulls that did get along outside of their crates are the very dogs that killed the boy too.


Examining Death Rates Metric Shift

The last chart we examine discusses death rates across four periods. The first period, 1989-1994, is the most recent CDC study period where comparison data was available.2 The next three periods is 15 years of our nonprofit's data divided into 5-year periods. The "death rate" is deaths per 100 million population per year. Between the first and last periods (2015-2019), the death rate of dog bite fatalities has risen from 7.1 to 11.82. This is a 66% increase since the early 90s.

The pit bull death rate (or kill rate) has risen from 1.57 to 8.62. This is a 449% increase since the early 90s. In the last 5 years, more fatal dog attacks have occurred than ever before, and pit bulls are a primary factor driving the rising total death rate. We also measured fatal attacks involving 3 or more dogs, which were infrequent during this CDC study period. Deaths by 3 or more dogs have risen by 935% since the early 90s and by 82% since our first data set (2005-2009).

While writing this post, the question was put to us: "Is there a way to show that multi-dog attacks are additional attacks? Not just that the dynamics of dog ownership are changing over time?" Yes. The Death Rates chart shows that the pit bull and multi-dog attack death rates are growing at a faster pace than the total dog bite fatality death rate. The pit bull death rate is growing 2.5 times faster and the ≥ 3 dogs involved death rate is growing 4 times faster since the 2005-2009 period.

Chart - Dog bite fatality death rates over 4 periods
Download the PDF file to see all of the values: Death Rates Over 4 Periods (1989 to 2019).


Summary and Call-to-Action

In 2019, several new records were set, including: the most fatal dog attacks recorded in a single year, 48; the highest percentage of fatal multi-dog attacks, 63%; and the highest percentage of adults, ages 30-49, killed by dogs, 27%. There is no single reason why so many adults, chiefly females, in the 30-49 age group were killed by dogs, however, pit bulls were involved in 85% of these attacks, 62% of the dogs had a previous bite history, and 62% involved multiple dogs.

Looking at 15-years of data in 5-year sets shows that the pit bull death rate and the ≥ 3 dog death rate are rising much faster than the total death rate. Data from 1989-1994 shows this has been true for some years as well. Among pit bull victims, we released data last October showing that women ≥ 30 years old is the fastest rising gender and age group of pit bull victims. The year of 2019 only furthers this trend. Pit bulls were responsible for 65% of female deaths ≥ 30 years old.

Your Action Can Help

This year our Call-to-Action involves a U.S. Senate bill soon to be considered by the U.S. House of Representatives. The Pit Bull Lobby already sent out a robo-email to thousands of their members. Senate Bill 4049, which authorizes military spending, also forces the removal of all military pit bull regulations. Please write to your Representative and request that Section 1050 -- Department of Defense policy for the regulation of dangerous dogs -- be stricken from the bill.

Privatized housing for military has a high density of children. From 2009 to 2012, the U.S. Marine Corps, U.S. Army and U.S. Air Force enacted uniform pet polices prohibiting several breeds from base and privatized housing, primarily: pit bulls, rottweilers and wolf-dog hybrids. They did so because these breeds pose an "unreasonable risk to the health and safety" of personnel in family housing areas. Severe and fatal dog maulings had been occurring in military housing as well.

Find your U.S. Representative and send an email or call their office today.

Additional Annual and Combined Year Statistical Graphics (2005 to 2019)


Chart - 15 years dog bite fatalities - pit bulls and rottweilers

Chart - 2019 dog bite fatality statistics

Chart - 15 years of us dog bite fatalities statistics, 2005 to 2019


Data Collection Method: How We Collect U.S. Dog Bite Fatality Data


FOIA Requests: Offices we sent FOIAs to during 2019 to uncover unreported fatal dog maulings and to gain additional records about reported fatalities: Amarillo Police Department, Texas — Beaufort County Animal Control, North Carolina — Clearcreek Township Police Department, Ohio — Detroit Police Department (2 police reports), Michigan — Fort Piece Police Department, Florida — Fort Pierce Animal Control, Florida — Galveston County Sherriff's Office, Texas — Johnson County Sheriff's Office, Arkansas — San Bernardino Animal Services, California — Ventura County Medical Examiner's Office, California — Ventura County Animal Services, California — Wayne County Medical Examiner's Office (8 autopsy reports), Michigan — West Virginia Office of the Chief Medical Examiner.
1Fatal off-property attacks in the Southern United States: Texas (5 deaths), Tennessee (2 deaths), Oklahoma (2 deaths), North Carolina, Mississippi, Kentucky, Georgia and Florida (each with 1 death).
2The most recent set of 5-6 consecutive years of data for comparison: Fatal Dog Attacks, 1989-1994, by Sacks JJ et al., Pediatrics, 1996. Of the 109 total deaths studied, information about the number of dogs involved was only known for 85 deaths, 78%. What is known is that 94% of the 85 deaths involved only 1 or 2 dogs.

Related items:
15-Year U.S. Dog Bite Fatality Chart by Breed (2005 to 2019)
15-Year U.S. Dog Bite Fatality Chart by Age Groups (2005-2019)
Summary of Factors and Scenarios Over 15-Year Period (2005-2019)
Dog Bite Deaths and Death Rates Over 4 Periods (1989 to 2019)
2019 Fatal Dog Attack Breed Identification Photographs

Recent multi-year reports:

2020 Dog Bite Fatality: Pit Bull Kills Toddler in the Middle of the Night During July 4th Party in Joliet, Illinois

middle of the night pit bull kills
Marley Wilander, 17-months old, was killed by a pit bull during a July 4th party.

Dog Kills Toddler
Joliet, IL - Another baby is dead after being mauled by a pit bull in the middle of the night. Joliet Fire and Rescue was dispatched to a home in the 1800 block of Cumberland Drive about 1:30 am Sunday. When responders arrived, the child's father was holding the 17-month old girl, who had been attacked by a pit bull-mix, Joliet Fire Chief Greg Blaskey said. She was transported by ambulance to AMITA Health Saint Joseph Medical Center in Joliet, where she later died.

The baby was sleeping at the time of the attack, but the dog managed to get into the room and attack the baby, reports WJOL. The toddler's family was visiting the Joliet area home during the July 4th weekend. The child's family lives in Aurora. Earlier this year, 25-year old Devin White was killed by his own pit bull in Plainfield, about 6 miles away. White's pit bull also attacked three other family members, requiring all four victims to be transported by ambulance to local hospitals.

Middle of the Night Attacks

We do not track the time of a fatal attack. Perhaps we should, especially for ages 0-2 years old. In January, Dayton, Ohio police were dispatched to a home "just before midnight" after a family pit bull killed a 4-month old girl. In 2018, a similar attack to Joliet occurred in Florida. Citrus County deputies were dispatched to a home at 12:20 am after a pit bull climbed into a baby's crib and killed a 6-day old infant. At the time of the attack, the infant was visiting her grandparent's home.

There are many adults killed in "middle of the night" attacks by dogs too. In April, roommates of Frederick Shew, 70, awoke to him being attacked by his mastiff at 10:30 pm. In 2019, Dustin Bryan, 21-years old, was found dead at 7:00 am after being mauled by two pit bulls; he had spent the night sleeping on the owner's couch. Homer Utterback, 52-years old, was attacked by his own pit bull at 1:00 am. Homer had been asleep in bed when his girlfriend "heard something fall."

In 2019, a Central Texas pediatric study reported that parental presence was reported in 43.6% of cases involving serious dog bite injury to patients ≤ 18-years old. The study also found that most injuries occurred during the evening hours, 46.8% (from 5:00 pm to 8:59 pm). During the night hours (from 9:00 pm to 4:59 am), only 13.8% of injuries occurred. This may be true in fatal dog maulings too. Recently, however, there seems to be a number of late night fatal dog attacks.

Toddler in Playpen Upstairs

CBS Chicago reports more information. During a July 4th party, two dogs got loose and at least one of the dogs attacked the baby while she was in a playpen. The baby's parents had placed the toddler in a playpen in an upstairs bedroom. Two pit bull-mixes had allegedly been "locked" in the basement, but "somehow got out" during the night.1 About 1:30 am, the homeowner heard noises upstairs and went to investigate. They found one of the dogs attacking the toddler and called 911.

Also, while we were writing this post, Joliet Patch significantly updated their report. The toddler has been identified as Marley Wilander. "At sometime during the night, the dogs got out of the basement," Joliet police said. "The homeowner went upstairs to investigate a noise and located one of the dogs actively biting the toddler. The homeowner was able to separate the dog from the toddler and called 911." The dog involved will be euthanized later today and tested for rabies.

The second dog, also reported to be a pit bull-mix, was not seized by authorities, according to Will County Health Department spokesman Steve Brandy. It is an older dog and there is no reason to believe it was involved in the upstairs bedroom attack, Brandy indicated to Joliet Patch. Marley died around 3:30 am Sunday, according to Joliet police. The Will County Coroner's Office stated Monday afternoon that Marley sustained "multiple injuries due to being wounded by a dog."

7/6/20 @ 2:30pm - The Coroner’s Office is reporting the death of Marley Wilander, a 1 year old female resident of Aurora, IL who was pronounced deceased on 7/5/20 at 3:33am at the Amita Health St. Joseph Medical Center ER in Joliet, IL. The Joliet Police Department is investigating the incident. An autopsy has been performed today that showed the decedent sustained multiple injuries due to being wounded by a dog. The final cause and manner of death will be determined at a later date. - Will County Coroner, Patrick K. O'Neil

two pit bulls on homeowner's facebook page

Two pit bulls seen on the homeowner's Facebook page. The right dog, called a "grand/pittie" by its owner, is presumably the older dog. The left dog is not a "mix." It's a full-blooded pit bull.

map iconView the DogsBite.org Google Map: Illinois Fatal Pit Bull Maulings.
1Dogs do not get loose after being "locked" in a room, unless they bust through the door.

Related articles:
02/11/20: 2020 Dog Bite Fatality: Pit Bull Attacks Four Family Members, Killing One, in Plainfield
06/24/19: Central Texas Pediatric Study: Pit Bulls Inflicted the Highest Prevalence and Severity...
11/14/18: 2018 Dog Bite Fatality: Family Pit Bull Fatally Attacks Newborn in Crib in Citrus County


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.

2020 Dog Bite Fatality: Pit Bull Attacks, Kills Owner in Jeffersonville, Indiana

Donald Ryan, killed by pit bull in jeffersonville
Donald Ryan, 62-years old, was killed by his own pit bull in Jeffersonville, Indiana.

Pit Bull Kills Owner
Jeffersonville, IN - A man is dead after being attacked by a pit bull, Jeffersonville police say. Officers were dispatched to 821 West Larkspur Drive just after midnight on July 1 for reports of a canine attacking a man. The first responding officer arrived on scene to a man "actively being attacked by a large pit bull," states a news release issued by the Jeffersonville Police Department. The officer could not stop the attack using pepper spray and was forced to shoot the pit bull.

The victim is a man in his 60s, according to Detective Josh Shiller. Officers rendered aid to the victim until EMS arrived. When EMS workers arrived, they also rendered aid, but it was too late. The man died of his injuries at the scene. WLKY shows the residence where the attack occurred. This home contains one or more pit bulls that belong to a 62-year old man. The adult female pit bull had a litter of puppies in 2017 and the man noted on Facebook they were "full blooded pits."

The victim has since been identified as Donald Ryan, 62-years old.

On Thursday, the victim was identified as Ronald Ryan. In a 2017 Facebook post, Ryan talks about "adopting a new friend," which is a female pit bull. Ryan notes that she is a "good dog" and "more loyal than the other." One friend comments that "Dogs are better than most humans, loyalty!" An adult brown and white pit bull is also seen in his photo album. It is unclear which dog killed him. But the "Dogs are more loyal than humans" cliché, certainly has an ironic ring to it now.


During the early morning hours of July 1, 2020, Jeffersonville Police Department Officers responded to 821 W. Larkspur Dr. for the report of an individual actively being bitten by a dog. The first responding officer arrived on scene and found a male subject actively being attacked by a large Pitbull. The officer attempted to stop the attack with OC/Pepper spray but was unsuccessful. The officer then had to discharge his service weapon against the canine to end the vicious attack. Jeffersonville Police Department officers attempted to render medical aid to the victim until EMS arrived, EMS was able to enter the scene to attempt to administer aid to the male subject, however the victim had succumbed to his injuries and was found to be deceased. The investigation being conducted by the Jeffersonville Police Department Detective Division is still on-going.

The Jeffersonville Police Department would like to thank the citizens who provided valuable information and assistance that have helped further the investigation into this incident.


Jeffersonville, Indiana is located just across the Ohio River from Louisville, Kentucky. The Ohio River divides Indiana and Kentucky. Last year, there were two fatal dog maulings in Louisville. In May, Isaiah Geiling, 2, was killed by a family pit bull. Three family members were subsequently charged with a felony. In October, Steven Thornton III, 3, was killed by two rottweiler-mix dogs. Earlier this year, a newborn was fatally mauled by a family pit bull-mix in Lafayette, Indiana.

Pit bull kills owner in jeffersonville

Prior to being killed by his pit bull, Donald Ryan, 62, had one or more pit bulls at his home.

Pit bull kills owner in jeffersonville

Donald Ryan, 62, had a litter of pit bulls at his home in 2017 after taking in a female in 2016.

map iconView the DogsBite.org Google State Map: Indiana Fatal Pit Bull Attacks.

Related articles:
01/27/20: 2020 Dog Bite Fatality: Family Pit Bull-Mix Kills Infant in Lafayette, Indiana


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.

2020 Dog Bite Fatality: Pit Bull Escapes Yard, Kills Toddler Who Wandered from Home in Hunt County, Texas

Jonah Jellison, pit bull kills toddler hunt county
Jonah Jellison left his enclosed yard and was killed by a loose pit bull in Hunt County.

Pit Bull Kills Child
Quinlan, TX - A toddler is dead after being attacked by a dog, according to the Hunt County Sheriff's Office. On June 29, about 11:10 am, Hunt County Sheriff’s deputies were dispatched to the 9900 block of Private Road 3820 in the Easy Living addition of Hawk Cove for a dog bite. The first deputy at the scene observed a toddler in the roadway who sustained major trauma due to a severe dog attack. The deputy began CPR until American Medical Response (AMR) arrived.

In the audio dispatch logs from the Hunt County Fire Department Dispatch on Broadcastify.com, one hears the AMR paramedic unit asking dispatch, "Do we know if this is a single bite wound? A multiple bite wound? Do we have any more information on this patient?" Dispatch responds, "It's a 2-year old male, bitten from head to toe. He's not breathing effectively at this time." The AMR paramedic unit then responds, "Let's go ahead and put a helicopter on standby please."

The child was transported to Hunt Regional Medical Center in Quinlan, but did not survive his injuries. Preliminary information from Hunt County Sheriff's investigators show the toddler had gotten out of an enclosed yard unnoticed by his family and walked down the gravel road. The dog, described as a pit bull, was in its yard enclosed in a four-foot chain link fence (an insufficient height for a pit bull). The dog was able to escape the yard and attacked the child in the roadway.

A family member has organized a fundraiser on GoFundMe to help cover funeral costs.

A similar tragic scenario occurred many times in fatal dog attacks during the 80s and 90s. A young child "wandered away from the home" and back then, entered into the "death radius" of a chained pit bull. The "wandering toddler" scenario is no longer common in dog bite fatalities. The most recent deaths occurred in Texas in 2012 and Arkansas in 2009. Both attacks involved boys, ages 2 to 4. In 2010, a chained sled dog in Alaska killed a 3-year old girl under similar circumstances.

The Hunt County fatal pit bull mauling did not involve a chained pit bull, but the concepts are similar. A chained dog in a yard accessible to children -- particularly a chained pit bull, rottweiler, sled dog or wolf-dog hybrid -- is a recipe for disaster. Attempting to confine a pit bull or other powerful, athletic dog breed with a four-foot fence is irresponsible. Even a six-foot fence is not meant to be a barrier "between life and death," but certainly might have better secured this dog.


comment, pit bull kills toddler hunt county

A commenter on the Herald-Banner News Facebook post left this comment.

comment, pit bull kills toddler hunt county

The same commenter left these comments on the Hunt County Scanner Facebook post.


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map iconView the DogsBite.org Google State Map: Texas Fatal Pit Bull Attacks.

Related articles:
10/29/18: 2018 Dog Bite Fatality: Woman Dies After Being Mauled by a Mastiff in Hunt County