Can Fatal Dog Attacks Be Prevented?
A sobering new report shows such tragic attacks are a multi-factorial problem.
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| Dogs should be part of family life. Photo: V.J. Matthew / Shutterstock |
Cases of humans being killed by dogs are investigated in a new
paper by lead author Gary Patronek (Center for Animals and Public Policy, Tufts
University).The scientists analyzed dog
bite fatalities in the United States from 2000 to 2009, and discovered there
are usually multiple contributing factors, many of them preventable.
During this time, there was an average of 25.6 dog bite
fatalities per year, equivalent to 0.087 fatal bites per one million people per
year. To put this in context, it is much less than the risk of being struck by
lightning in the United States, which is estimated at 1 in 775,000 people per year.
Previous research has relied on media reports, which may not
be entirely accurate or provide the full story. In this study, although the
scientists used the media to help identify cases of dog bite fatalities, they
also searched national death records. Up until 2007, when personal details were
removed from the national registry, they were able to match specific cases to
media articles.
The scientists found a total of 256 instances in the ten
year period of the study. For almost 70% of these, they spoke to a law
enforcement official who had been involved in the investigation. When
prosecutions followed, the team kept in touch until the case was finally
resolved, even if this took months or years. In some cases they spoke to animal
control officials, veterinarians, or the coroner, to ensure accurate
information. They then developed a classification system to record whether or
not certain features were involved.
The results are sobering. In 77.4% of cases, the victim was
considered unable or potentially unable to safely interact with a dog, whether
because they were a child or for another reason, such as a learning disability
or dementia. This includes children under the age of 5, who made up 45% of the
victims, showing that this group is especially vulnerable. The reason this kind
of vulnerability factor is so important is because in 87% of cases there was no
one else there who could intervene.
Just over half of the attacks involved a single dog. Most of
the attacks involved a male dog, whether on its own or as part of a
multiple-dog attack (with other male or female dogs). The attacking dog(s) had
not been spayed/neutered in 84.4% of cases.
It is interesting that multiple dogs were present in the
majority of attacks, even if only one dog was responsible. The authors report
ASPCA figures that most homes have only one dog. Although many happy multi-dog
homes exist, it could be that the presence of multiple dogs, particularly when
they are sexually intact, is sometimes an indicator of mistreatment or neglect.
Only 15.6% of fatal attacks involved a “family dog”, in
other words one that interacted with people on a regular basis. The remainder
of the dogs lived on a chain (37.9%), in an isolated area such as a fenced yard
(34.9%), or roamed free (15.4%). In a
fairly high number of cases, the owner already knew the dog might be a problem
(37.5%), such as due to a previous attack, or was known to have neglected or
abused the animal (21.1%).
The Humane Society of the United States estimates that over 200,000 dogs spend their lives tethered
It is not known how many others are kept locked in a kennel or room. Some
places are updating animal control laws to outlaw this. For example, a law that
restricts the chaining and tethering of dogs passed the Oregon legislature in June 2013. Education is also important to teach owners
that dogs should be socialized as puppies and then have ongoing happy
interactions with humans throughout their lives, so that they know how to behave around them.
Many municipalities have Breed Specific Legislation, despite
the lack of evidence for such an approach, and so the scientists went to
great lengths to verify breed and compare media reports. Evidence of breed
(e.g. from pedigree documents) was only available for 19 of the dogs in single
dog attacks, and for 28 of those in multiple-dog attacks. Of these, there were 20 different breeds
(including known cross-breeds), showing that banning specific breeds is not a
solution.
Media reporting of breed was found to be problematic,
including a few cases where multiple dogs of named breeds were said to be
responsible for attacks that were actually carried out by single dogs. When
more than one media source reported the attack, they mentioned different breeds
almost a third of the time. Similarly, when it was possible to compare a media
report with animal control, they gave different breeds 40% of the time.
This research suggests that Breed Specific Legislation does
not protect people from dog bite fatalities.
At worst, it may even distract people (and financial resources) from the
factors that do make a difference: close supervision of children and vulnerable
adults, and good animal husbandry practices that involve the dog in family life.
Given the prevalence of husbandry-related factors in these incidents,
legislations should consider strengthening measures aimed at preventing cruelty
and neglect and supporting responsible ownership.
Many risk factors co-occurred. The average was five, with
three-quarters having at least four. The scientists say, “the most striking
finding was the co-occurrence of multiple factors potentially under the control
of dog owners: isolation of dogs from positive family interaction and other
human contact; mismanagement of dogs by owners; abuse or neglect of dogs by
owners; dogs left unsupervised with a child or vulnerable adult who may be
unfamiliar to the dog; and maintenance of dogs in an environment where they are trapped, neglected, and isolated and
have little control over either the environment or choice of behavior.”
This study focussed on fatalities, which are extremely rare,
but the CDC estimates that 4.5 million Americans are bitten by dogs each year, with
885,000 needing medical attention. About half of these bites are to
children, who are particularly at risk between the ages of 5 and 9, and more
likely to need medical attention if bitten. A 2011 study by Ilana Reisner et al found that, amongst children taken to an
emergency department for a dog bite, 70% of those under 7 had been bitten onthe face, while older children were most often bitten on an extremity.
A recent study by Barbara Morrongiello et al found that manyparents tend to “assume safety” with an unfamiliar dog and, although watchful,
may not be close enough to intervene should anything go wrong. However, it
seems that parents would welcome education for their children on how to safely
interact with dogs, according to research by Cinnamon Dixon et al.
This is something that could be incorporated into the elementary school
classroom, for example.
The analysis of dog bite fatalities shows the crucial
importance of close supervision of young children and vulnerable adults around
dogs, and the need for a better understanding of animal behaviour amongst dog
owners, parents, and health professionals. The authors say “the present study
findings also have supported recommendations by the AVMA and others regarding the
inadvisability of single-factor solutions such as BSL, which may actually
divert resources from more effective measures and regulations.” It seems that a
new approach to dog bite prevention is needed.
What do you think should be done to reduce the number of dog bites?
References
Dixon, C. A., Mahabee-Gittens, E. M.,
Hart, K. W., & Lindsell, C. J. (2012). Dog bite prevention: an
assessment of child knowledge. The Journal of pediatrics, 160(2), 337-341.
Morrongiello, B. A., Schwebel, D. C.,
Stewart, J., Bell, M., Davis, A. L., & Corbett, M. R. (2013).
Examining parents’ behaviors and supervision of their children in the
presence of an unfamiliar dog: Does The Blue Dog intervention improve
parent practices?. Accident Analysis & Prevention, 54, 108-113.
Patronek, G. J., Sacks, J. J., Delise,
K. M., Cleary, D. V., & Marder, A. R. (2013). Co-occurrence of
potentially preventable factors in 256 dog bite–related fatalities in
the United States (2000–2009). Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, 243(12), 1726-1736.
Reisner, I. R., Nance, M. L., Zeller,
J. S., Houseknecht, E. M., Kassam-Adams, N., & Wiebe, D. J. (2011).
Behavioural characteristics associated with dog bites to children
presenting to an urban trauma centre. Injury prevention, 17(5), 348-353.
