Study Says 800,000 Injuries Caused By Dog Bites Each Year

A national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta, Georgia concluded that more than 4.7 million people suffer dog bites each year. Of those 4.7 million, nearly 800,000 bites each year, which accounts for one of every six bites, involve personal injuries serious enough that medical attention is necessary.

According to a Clifton study, 74 percent of the total attacks included in the study involved pit bulls, Rottweilers, Presa Canarios, and their mixes. The study reported that those same dogs were responsible for 68 percent of the attacks on children, 82 percent of the attacks on adults, 65 percent of the deaths caused by the personal injuries, and 68 percent of the maimings.

In more than two-thirds of the cases included in the study, the life-threatening or fatal attack was apparently the first known dangerous behavior exhibited by the attacking animal.