One organization that keeps track of dog bites statistics is dogsbite.org. They claim that every day about 1,000 US citizens require emergency care treatment for dog bite injuries.
According to their website, “the combination of molosser breeds, including pit bulls, curs, rottweilers, presa canarios, cane corsos, mastiffs, dogo argentinos, fila brasieros, sharpeis, boxers, and their mixes, are the most dangerous and cause:
81% of attacks that induce bodily harm
76% of attacks to children
87% of attack to adults
72% of attacks that result in fatalities
81% that result in maiming.”
Some people claim that the website has a built-in bias towards those breeds of dogs because it was created by Colleen Lynn who was an unfortunate victim of a dog bite while she was out jogging. The dog was said to be a ‘pit bull.’ That is outside the purview of this article and is a subject that we will not discuss.
But in today’s article we are going to give you some examples of recent dog attacks and then provide you with some dog attack prevention tips.
Our first story is about how law enforcement authorities are contending with a Rash of Dog Attacks that include an aggressive attack by a pit bull who lunged at the dog warden who then shot the dog twice in the face. Apparently the dog is recovering from the incident. The owner of the dog finally arrived and was able to get the animal under control. The dog owner said that the pit bull had never shown any signs of aggression towards him or any of his children. In nearby Hamilton a 21-year-old woman was going for a walk in the hospital area when she was attacked by a boxer mix. The woman suffered puncture wounds to her leg. One nearby resident said that the dog often roams around loose. Local laws provide for the owner of a dangerous dog to be cited if it is not confined such as in a kennel.
In the UK a bull terrier attacked a young child causing extensive bite wounds to her face. The six-year-old was airlifted to Birmingham Children’s Hospital where she underwent surgery. The dog was later confined by police.
Neighbors are concerned because a local Man Was Killed In Dog Attack. Autopsy results from the coroner have temporarily ruled out the dog as a cause of death, but that has not convinced neighbors who saw the man screaming for help on a neighborhood street. One of the first men on the scene was 69-year-old neighbor, Bruce Rayner, who after watching for a minute or two raced into his house and grabbed a baseball bat.
The original victim went down punching and hitting the dog with his free hand and screaming for help the whole time. Rayner arrived with his baseball bat as the original victim lay prone in the street with the dog’s face buried between his neck and a shoulder. It was a very distressing and disturbing scene.
Rayner stepped up and swung his bat as hard as he could at the dog’s hindquarters but the dog did not release its grip on the victim. He hit the dog from the other side which knocked the dog off balance staggering it a bit. Then Rayner made a bold move trying to put himself between the dog and the man.
The dog was a young male mastiff that stood his ground snarling and trying to advance. Rayner swung a third time aiming at the dogs head producing blood on the dogs face and on the bat. But the dog would not back away. Finally police officers arrived with weapons drawn. Paramedics arrived just behind the police and began attending to the victim, but it was too late.
The Flagstaff Police Department and the local humane Association are reminding residents to keep their dogs restrained after two dog attacks in as many days. Three dogs were killed and a fourth was injured along with its owner after two pit bulls attacked a pair of pugs and then were shot by a bystander.
Recently we published 15 tips for Dog Attack Prevention.
Some of those tips included the following.
- Avoid areas where dogs congregate. When two or more dogs get together, a pack mentality sets in making them more dangerous.
- Never approach an unfamiliar dog.
- Learn some basic signs of dog body language: look for ears being pinned back as a sign of imminent attack.
- If a dog is charging at you, stand your ground and stay still.
- Never run away from a dog. There isn’t a dog alive that can’t out run you.
- Don’t smile at a dog; it may see that as a sign of aggression.
- Dogs are very territorial. Don’t try to pet a dog in an enclosed area.
- Always carry a self-defense product with you such as a pepper spray or telescoping stun baton.
- It’s probably not a bad idea to carry a blocking device with you that you can stick in the dog’s mouth in case you are attacked.
- Never try to pet a dog while it is sleeping, eating or drinking water.
- Dogs have a natural instinct to bite. Don’t aggravate or tease them.
- Sometimes a loud command such as “stop” or “go home” may work at stopping a charging dog.
This Sabre brand Dog Repellent can spray up to 15 feet away and contains .67% major capsaicinoids making it one of the most potent sprays available. It has a built-in belt clip for convenient access. It is EPA approved as a dog repellent. We recommend this particular animal repellent over competitors’ models because it has a longer range and is more potent.
Please share your experiences with dog attacks or dog bites. It may be that your experience could prevent other readers from being attacked. Don’t be bashful!