Articles Posted in Dog Attacks

A newly released government study examining hospitalizations resulting from dog bites lays out some attention-grabbing data: between 1993 and 2008 the number of people hospitalized nationwide as a result of dog bites nearly doubled. Reporting the data the New York Times noted that this “increase vastly exceeded population growth, and pet ownership increased only slightly during the same period.” The study was conducted by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, a unit of the Department of Health and Human Services.

As an AHRQ news release notes, those under the age of 5 or over 65 are in the greatest danger for dog bites. The most common form of hospital treatment required is for “skin and underlying tissue infection”, though in a small number of cases much more serious conditions – such as multiple fractures or blood poisoning – can develop following a serious dog attack.

The study notes that around 4.5 million people are bitten by dogs each year and that only a fraction of these incidents require hospitalization. Still, as the study’s author, Dr. Anne Elixhauser, told the Times, referencing the huge increase in injuries serious enough to require hospitalization: “It’s really kind of frightening, and, unfortunately, we’re at a loss to explain it.”

A police report reprinted on the crime blotter page of the Corvallis Gazette-Times tells a story that will be all-too-familiar to victims of Oregon dog attacks: Someone gets bitten while walking through a park, and the dog’s owner tries to brush off the incident.

The good news in this case is that the victim, 52-year-old Doug Whippo, was not seriously injured. According to the police report, as reprinted in the paper, he was attacked in Willamette Park last weekend. The dog bit Whippo on his left tricep, but the police say the bite “did not break his skin or cause any damage to his clothes.”

The bad news comes from the reaction by the dog’s owner, who told police: “the dog had just been playing and was only a puppy.” The police report then dryly notes that this ‘puppy’ weighs 93 pounds. The owner added that “she had instantly grabbed the dog by the collar and apologized.” Obviously grabbing your dog by the collar after it attacks someone is a good thing for owners to do. So is apologizing. On the whole, however, it would be even better if owners paid closer attention to their animals to ensure that they did not wind up in this position in the first place.

TV station KGW reports that a Gresham man is asking tough questions of the Oregon Humane Society after a dog he adopted attacked and injured his two-year-old daughter. Gerald Borton told the station that the Oregon dog bite to his child required 13 stitches in her scalp. The animal, a mixed golden retriever-labrador, attacked her Monday. Borton had brought the dog home only a few days earlier.

KGW says he told their reporter: “I don’t want to see another family have a two-year-old girl with 13 staples in her head.”

The station says the Humane Society plans to “re-evaluate” the dog “before deciding whether to adopt the dog out again,” though it also quotes OHS officials pointing out that any animal can bite given the right circumstances. This particular dog reportedly was evaluated by the Society prior to being put up for adoption and had undergone “some obedience training.”

A misunderstanding in Aurora led to an Oregon dog attack and, eventually, a police shooting last week according to an article in The Oregonian.

Citing police spokesmen, the paper reports that officers investigating a report of teens breaking into a house were charged by what they described as an aggressive dog, which one officer eventually shot in the leg. The police say the officer was acting in self-defense, and a spokesman later described the Aurora dog attack shooting as justified.

The call itself, however, was the result of a misunderstanding. According to the paper the neighbor who phoned the police in the first place was unaware that the teens were taking care of pets in the home – not breaking in.

A dog attack on a child in California is a timely reminder for Oregon parents of the danger posed by untended animals and negligent owners. Oregon dog attacks can lead to serious injuries – a fact that today’s situation in California calls readily to mind.

The dog attack took place this morning in suburban Orange County. According to local news reports, a 6 year old girl and her three year old sister were walking near their home when they were set upon by a large boxer. As the children screamed for help their mother emerged from the family home to find the dog on top of the six year old, biting her. The mother and the girl’s 14 year old brother reportedly managed to get the dog off the girl. The family then retreated into their house, from which the mother emerged a few moments later holding a pistol. She shot the dog in the neck. The animal died a few hours later at the county animal care center. Police are still investigating the incident, including searching for the dog’s owner, according to the Orange County Register.

This shocking story is a reminder that the owners of vicious animals need to be held to account. The child in California was bitten in seven places, though she was not seriously injured. Many times, however, dog attack victims are not so lucky.

An area man has received a national award for saving a neighbor from a vicious Oregon dog attack. According to a recent article in The Oregonian, Chuck Monnier of Molalla rescued 23 year old Christopher Friesen from a serious attack by two loose dogs early on Christmas morning 2008. He has now been honored with a Carnegie Medal, “one of 22 awarded across the country this year by the Carnegie Hero Fund,” the newspaper reports.

Monnier told The Oregonian he heard Friesen’s cries for help and began to call 911 before deciding the situation could not wait. Handing the telephone to his wife he rushed outside, grabbed a shovel and used it to drive the attacking Clackamas dogs away. The Oregon dog attack left Friesen with serious injuries to his head, left calf, the back of his right knee and his left arm.

According to the newspaper, the Molalla police located the dogs the following day. The animals were “placed in quarantine. After an investigation, the dogs were euthanized and their owner was cited for maintaining a dangerous dog.”

Police in Florida responding to reports of a dog that was loose and attacking people shot and killed a pit bull in the Orlando area this week, according to a report in the Orlando Sentinel.

According to a recent Oregon government report on animal bites, “each year, nearly 4.5 million Americans are bitten by dogs, and nearly 25% of those bitten require medical attention.” In the Florida case, two officers answered a call after local residents reported dog attacks. The Sentinel quoted police official reports which stated that upon arriving at the address the officers tried to capture the dog, but were forced to shoot it after it attempted to attack them. It was, the paper reports, the second such incident in the Orlando area in a month.

Though dogs are often beloved pets, owners have a responsibility to keep them under control, lest they become a danger to the wider neighborhood. Last year, an Oregon state study using data from June 2002 to July 2003 found records of 636 Multnomah County dog bites – a surprisingly high number, even for Oregon’s most populous county. Boys age 5-9 were the most likely to be bitten, according to the survey. This Portland dog bite data highlights the importance of strong legal representation by an experienced Oregon dog bite attorney should you or a member of your family become the victim of an Oregon dog attack.

A new study published in the new issue of Otolaryngology — Head and Neck Surgery is reporting that children have a greater chance of getting bitten by a dog and sustaining a serious injury to the neck or head areas in the summer time. This finding is based on an analysis of 84 dog bite cases involving child victims.

The reason for why this happens is not clear, but two possibilities are that the hot weather may put dogs in a worse mood, while kids tend to spend more time outside the house playing with pets.

According to the study:
• Family pets caused 27% of dog bite injuries.
• 34% of dog bite wounds occurred on children’s cheeks.
• 21% were lip injuries.
• 8% were ear injuries.
• 8% were nose injuries.
• The average wound size was 7.15 centimeters.
• 64% of children who sustained dog bite wounds had injuries on more than one part of the body.
• The pit bull is the breed most likely to attack or maul a child victim.

Children and Dog Bites
Dog bites can cause serious harm to a child. A dog that mauls a child can cause serious bodily harm and/or facial disfigurement. Sometimes, it may take years until a child is fully-grown before he or she can undergo all the necessary reconstructive surgeries. This can lead to ongoing physical suffering, as well as mental and emotional trauma. Serious scarring from dog bite wounds can also deprive a boy or girl from experiencing a normal childhood.

In the US, about 44,000 dog attacks each year result in facial injuries. 1% of all emergency room visits involve a patient who was injured in a dog attack or a dog mauling. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says about 800,000 dog bite victims a year will require medical treatment. Nearly 50% of people injured in dog attacks are younger than age 12.

Dog bite risk for kids greatest in summer

Otolaryngology — Head and Neck Surgery

Related Web Resources:
Dog Bite Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Most dog bites are avoidable, Post-Gazette.com, January 26, 2009

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