Dog Bite Statistics and News
- There are approximately 65 million dogs in the United States in 2006
- Of the 4.7 million people are bitten every year, 800,000 need medical attention
- Every day an estimated 914 people seek emergency medical treatment due to dog bites
- On average, between 15 and 20 people die each year from dog maulings
- Children are the most common victims of dog bites, and half of the injuries they suffer occur on the face
- Economic losses from dog bites regularly exceed $1 billion, only a third of which is covered by insurance
- Between 1979 and 1996 there were 304 fatal dog attacks
- Most (77%) dog bite injuries occur to the friends or family
- Pit Bulls, Rottweilers, and German Shepard Dogs account for half of the fatal dog attacks between 1979 and 1998
- Dog bites rose 33% according to a study of a 7 year period in the 1990s
- In 2002 homeowner insurance claims paid on average $16,600 to victims of dog bites, up from $12,000 in 1998
