Which Dog Breeds Pose the Greatest Threat for Bite Injuries?

 Posted on November 08, 2019 in Dog Bite Injuries

According to a recent report from the American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA), close to 5 million people in the United States are bitten by dogs on an annual basis. These studies also reveal that children make up the largest number of victims of dog bites and that more children are bitten by family pets than by random, stray dogs. As much as these statistics tell us, narrowing down the types of dogs involved and the nature of the incidents has been more difficult. Identifying which dog breeds are most responsible for victim injuries has been heavily debated among experts and the general public in recent years.

The Most Dangerous Dog Breeds

In order to delve further into the big questions surrounding dog bites, researchers from the Wexner Medical Center at Ohio State University combined data from two primary factors: decades worth of breed-specific data, and detailed reports of bite trauma cases. They examined the bite severity of these cases, all of which involved injury to the face. They looked at everything from wound size and the tearing of tissue to more severe bone fractures and bone structural damage. This study allowed the researchers to assess both the frequency of bites as well as the severity. Here is what they discovered:

• Dogs with shorter, wider heads are more likely to bite, as are dogs who weigh between 66 and 100 pounds.

• The top three breeds responsible for the highest number of bites across all studies are Pit Bulls (22.5 percent), mixed breeds (21.2 percent), and German Shepherds (17.8 percent).

• Great Danes and Akitas also pose a risk for biting, although the severity of their bites outweighs the actual number of reported bites.

Breeds that dominate dog bite study statistics, such as Pit Bulls, Rottweilers, American Bulldogs, Mastiffs, and Huskies, garner an overwhelming amount of negative attention in the media and continue to remain a controversial topic. However, researchers emphasize that there are indeed other factors that contribute to these bite statistics. For example, many aggressive dogs are found to belong to aggressive owners. Many owners of vicious dogs have been found to have criminal backgrounds and records of violent behavior themselves. Other factors, such as instigation, also play a role. Although not intentional, small children who teasingly provoke dogs by tugging on their tails or pulling at their fur or ears have triggered bite incidents that result in devastating, irreparable damage.

Contact a DuPage County Personal Injury Lawyer

In most cases, a dog's owner may be held liable if his or her dog attacked and injured someone without provocation, and the victim was in a location he or she was allowed to be. Regardless of the circumstances of a dog bite incident, if you are bitten, you are entitled to certain rights by law, and you deserve to look out for your health and well-being. If you find yourself a victim of a dog attack, it is time to speak with a knowledgeable Naperville dog bite attorney who can help protect your best interests and work to ensure that you are able to recover compensation that will address your damages and allow you to get on with your life. Call Mevorah & Giglio Law Offices at 630-552-6860 today and request a free initial consultation.

Sources:

https://www.forbes.com/sites/niallmccarthy/2018/09/13/americas-most-dangerous-dog-breeds-infographic/#6753fd5162f8

https://www.aaha.org/publications/newstat/articles/2019-06/new-study-identifies-most-damaging-dog-bites-by-breed/

https://www.aspca.org/pet-care/dog-care/common-dog-behavior-issues/aggression