Analyzing 2016 Dog Bite Data: Pit Bulls Involved In Many Attacks

Dogs are man’s best friend, and in most cases they are properly trained pets that adore their owners and love the people that are around them. But in certain cases, the dog may be improperly trained or display vicious and dangerous behavior. These dogs are serious threats to everyone around them, and if they snap and attack, they can cause catastrophic or even fatal injuries to unsuspecting people.

There were 31 fatalities in 2016 that were related to dog bites in the United States. From 2005 to 2016, the number of dog bite-related deaths was 392, and a vast majority of these cases involved a pit bull. Even though pit bulls only make up 6 percent of the dog population in the U.S., they were involved in 71 percent of the fatalities related to dog bites in the U.S. from 2005 to 2016.

This is the first lesson from these statistics: pit bulls are inherently powerful dogs that are often mistreated. As a result, these dogs can lash out at people and harbor aggressive behaviors. When they are involved in a dog bite incident, the possibility of injury and even death is high. Owners of these dogs need to pay special attention to their dogs, train them properly, and ensure they are secured.

The other lesson here is that dog bites affect a lot of people and families every year. These victims need to fully consider their rights and legal position in the wake of an unfortunate dog attack.

 

Source: Dogbites.org, “2016 Dog Bite Fatalities,” Accessed Jan. 30, 2018