Dog Bite Statistics in NY
Dog Bite Fatalities
Over the past 45 years (1965 – present) there have been 26 fatal dog attacks in New York State, an average of one (1) fatality every one to two years.
At least 14 different breeds/types of dogs have been identified in these attacks.
The victims were 9 adults and 17 children.
Nearly half (n=7) of the children killed were infants left unattended with unfamiliar dogs. A number of these infants had been left with dogs that were severely undersocialized, abused or had been encouraged to be aggressive:
In 1976, a woman left her East Harlem apartment, leaving her 4-day-old infant on the floor along with a severely emaciated, starving dog. (See photo above)
Also in 1976, a 14-day-old was left unattended at his grandmother’s home with a dog named “Satan.”
In 1984, a 2-month-old infant was left unattended in a New York City apartment with an intact male dog. The parents/owners admitted the dog was a “trained guard dog.”
Of the other nine (9) of the other children killed , four (4) were unsupervised children encountering chained dogs. For example, in 2007, a young boy wandered out to feed his father’s newly acquired, chained dog. The dog, preposterously described in the media as a “family pet,” attacked and killed the child. (The photograph below shows that dog and where he was chained.)
A Boy and his dog: A New York tragedy
In spite of the negligence and inhumanity of some dog owners (and/or parents), dogs still pose an incredibly low risk for causing a fatality in New York:
New York: Recognized Risks Year 2005
Tobacco-related fatalities 25,500
Total (alcohol & non) traffic deaths 1,434
Alcohol-related traffic fatalities 580
Bicycle-related fatalities 48
ATV-related fatalities 44
Persons drowned in tub or swimming pool 29
Death after contact w/bees, hornets, wasps 5
Persons killed by lightning 1
Persons killed by dogs 0
According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services:
In 2005, seventy-five (75) New York children died as the result of maltreatment (abuse/neglect).
In a single year, 2005, more than four times as many New York children died as a result of maltreatment than the total of all children killed by dogs in the state over the past 44 years.
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Fact is, people in New York State routinely accept far greater risks from ATV’s, bicycles and swimming pools than any that are associated with companion animals.
National Canine Research Council
