2008 Dog Bite Fatalities

I really hate to do this post. I think the idea of basing much about public safety on the very few dog bite fatalities is pretty absurd.  The number of fatalities is such a statistically insignificant number of the total dog bites out there - and even serious bites - that the data isn't all that valuable. Dog bite fatalities are so rare that it would be almost impossible to create one even if you tried.

I also confess that because I don't do actual on-site research on these cases, and all of my 'research' on this comes from media articles I know that a) it may not be a comprehensive list of fatalities and b) that it comes with the inaccuracies that come from any research done solely based on media articles because the media is often innaccurate.

However, I think it's important to do this list because I think there are a lot of people who make assumptions based on dog bite fatality statistics.  Most reliable sources sources don't publish their information regularly  (unless Jim Crosby posts his analysis again, which is always far better than mine, and Karen Delise seldom publishes her information -- both have on-site, interview information).  Most others want to publish statistics without paying any attention to the circumstances that actually led to the fatal attack.   They think you can draw conclusions based on numbers, not events.

It is my hope that when people read this, they will note the circumstances that led to the attacks -- so that more of these tragic attacks can be avoided in the future.  I certainly think you'll see some major trends as you read through these.  Each link links back to my original coverage of the attack earlier this year -- with one exception -- an attack that had almost no information attached to it that I never covered it assuming that more info would come out about it. 

I've also noted the amount of media reporting surrounded most of the attacks (when I remembered to put it in my original posts).  I think you'll notice a major difference depending on the breeds involved in the attacks.

 Here's the list:

Andrew Stein - 8 months old - Doberman Pincher - the child was being watched by his grandmother and may have startled the dog when he touched his paw.

6 week old child - Jack Russell Terrier -- Louisville, KY the child and the smallish dog were left alone together and at some point, the dog attacked and killed the child.

Kelli Chapman - 24 years old - two pit bulls - Longville, LA -  this is a really odd story. Chapman was prone to having seizures, and may or may not have had a seizure at the time of the attack.  The Chapman's had also previously had a Narcotics SWAT team invade their home for methamphetamines and other drug items and the Chapman's had a dog killed during that raid.  This is a very odd story, and since Kelli was alone at the time of the attack, no true details were ever uncovered.

Two year old boy - Husky  Mix- Ft Yukon, AK - The young boy wandered into the neighbor's back yard unsupervised. The attacking dog was among a group of chained dogs that were still eating -- the dog was apparently protecting its food. The boy was fond of dogs and just walked up to them without any thought he could be in danger. Was covered by 1 media outlet.

Julian Slack, - 3 years old - Pit bull - Camp Lejeunne, NC - The boy was staying with a babysitter, and a friend of the babysitter came over with his dog (that was apparently unfamiliar with the boy). The dog became startled by something the boy may have done (read: the child was alone with the dog, and we don't know what happened) and atacked the young boy. Made dozens of news sources, including MSNBC.

Tanner Joshua Monk - 7 - Pit bull - Abilene, TX - The dogs were off-leash and apparently attacked and killed the young boy. No one witnessed the attack .  Picked up by over 250 media outlets.

Five year old boy -  2 Pit bulls - Weslaco, TX - The dogs belonged to the boy's uncle (who the boy lived with). The family lived in a tough neighborhood, where there had been several robberies in the neighborhood, and yet, police weren't controlling the situation. The uncle got the two dogs to protect his property, and left them chained up most of the time -- letting them lose only late at night. The dogs became aggressive toward a man and another dog and the young boy went out to check on the dogs and was fatally attacked. Picked up by 140 media outlets including national media outlets like CNN and MSNBC.

Loraine May - 74 years old - Golden Retriever/Lab mix and an Austrailian Shepherd Mix -Titusville, FL - The dogs apparently did not get along very well and were prone to fighting. It is believed that the woman was killed when trying to break up the fight.  The story was picke up by 20 news outlets, all in the state of Florida.

Tony Evans Jr - 3 years old - pit bull - Jackson, MS - The dog was purchased by the dog's owner to protect his garage that had been broken into on several occassions. The dog was kept chained to the carport and was strictly used as a guard dog. Even the owner said "Believe me, this was no pet". The young boy was left alone unsupervised after 9 pm that night and wandered up to the dog and was attacked and killed. The attack was picked up by dozens of media outlets including nationally on Fox News.

Addison Sonney - 14 months old - Old English Sheepdog - Millcreek Township, PA - Not a lot of details on this attac -- but the infant was killed by the dog -- and the mother appeared to be present.

Two month old boy - Labrador Retriever - Tulsa, OK - The true perfect storm of a fatal dog attack. The mother was a 17 year old single mother with a history of drug addiction. The dog was left unfed for quite a length of time (possibly for up to 3 days). The child was left alone with the dog while the rest of the family slept in a different part of the house.

Isis Krieger - six years old - pit bull -- Alaska  - The dog had previously shown several signs of aggression - killing a neighbor's cat, biting two different family members. The dog had been taken from the family before for aggression, but later returned. The child was with her babysitter when the attack occurred.

Alexis Hennessy - five days old - Husky - Hopatcong, NJ - Not a lot of details on this one either but the child was obviously brand newly added to the home.

Robert Howard - Adult male - pit bull - Detroit - Again, a bit of an odd story that didn't make many headlines. But apparently a stray dog attacked a woman and her dogs.  A man came to her aid to break up the fight, and the dog bit the man in the leg, severing one of his major artiries and the man died. The dog was described as a "pit bull" - but was never found by authorities so was identified by only the woman at the scene.

Henry Piotrowski - 90 years old - 2 pit bulls - The dogs had a history of aggression  - and 911 had received at least 8 phone calls about the dogs roaming off-leash and being aggressive, but authorities never came out to check on the dogs. Piotrowski was attacked and eventually died from the attack.

83 year old woman - 3 pit bulls - Ville Platte, LA - The dogs were running at large and attacked the woman while she was out picking up cans for recycling.

Cendi Kia Carey - 4 months old - pit bull - Las Vegas, NV - New infant had come into the family and neighbors reported that the dog had become increasingly aggressive toward the child over the past four months.  The child was left with the grandmother while the parents were away and the dog attacked. Covered in multiple media outlets across the country, from San Francisco to Illinois and in national media like MSNBC.

Three day old infant - Siberian Husky - Leavittsburg, OH -- the dog went into the child's room and attacked the infant while the parents were in another room.

Katya Todesco - 5 years old - pit bull - Simi Valley, CA - The girls was playing with the dog in the back yard with her 13 year old sister. The child and the dog were not familiar with each other. The child "fell into" the dog and the dog lashed out at the child.

Lokepa Liptak - 2 months old - "mixed breed" - Hawaii - No details on how the attack occurred -- but neighbors report that the dog was aggressive and had lived most of its life confine din a small outdoor kennel.

Chester Jordan - 62 years old - 'pit bulls' - Muncie, IN - Jordan lived in the basement of the family home with three adult dogs and six puppies.  The man had dementia, and authorities are concerned about the living conditions of the man.  The dogs were called 'pit bulls' by the media, so that's what I went with here -- but the dog in the media pictures did not look like it was one of the 'pit bull' breeds.  Coroner's reports indicate that the man had old bite wounds that appeared to be from previous bites by the dogs.

Alexander Adams - 2 years old - "terrier mixes" - Las Vegas, NV - The grandmother fed both dogs and left the room -- meanwhile, the 2 year old wandered up to the feeding dogs. When the grandmother returned, the child was dead.

60 year old man - "Mastiff/pit bull mix, 'pit bull' - Riveside, CA -- not much for details on this story. The man went outside to smoke and the two dogs attacked and killed the man (there were also 9 puppies found at the home). No word on what may have caused the attack. The larger dog is being called a Mastiff/pit bull mix - so again, we'll go with that -- but most likely that was one of the Molossar breeds.  The story was picked up by over 270 media outlets -- inlcuding national media like USA Today and Fox News -- and all of them reported the attack as being by two 'pit bulls'. Only the local media made the distinction.

In total, there were 23 fatal dog attacks that were reported in 2008 - -which is a more normal number after having a lot in 2007.

Of the 23 fatal dog attacks:

11 different breeds of dogs represented

15 of the victims were six years of age or younger. 

Of the 8 attacks involving victims over the age of 6, all included multiple dogs, and three were by stray/off-leash dogs.

8 of the victims were under 14 months of age  -- attacked by a wide array of family dogs that were either left alone with the child or where the dog was not adequately socialized with the infants

        --5 of these victims were less than 2 months old. 

        -- There were six different breeds of dogs involved in these attacks

8 of the victims were between the ages of 2 and 7 -- 3 different breeds of dogs involved

           -- In none of the cases were the parents present. In 7 of the 8 cases, there was no adult supervision

        -- Two of the incidents involved 2 year olds that walked up to animals while eating -- in one of these cases, the dog was also chained.

         --  Two of the cases involved dogs that were gotten with the intent of them being guard dogs  -- in both cases, the dogs were either chained, or were usually chained.

        -- In two of the cases, the dogs had previously show major signs of aggression previously

        -- One case involved  two dogs that were left to roam free (this was the oldest of the children that was attacked)

-- 7 of the cases involved adults --  5 different breeds involved

        -- 5 of these victims were over the age of 60, 3 over 70

        -- All of these attacks involved more than one dog

        -- The two oldest victims (83, 93) were attacked by packs of roaming dogs -- one group had been called into authorities on numerous occassions

       --  Two of the cases involved cases where dogs got in fights with other dogs and the human got in the middle of the fight. One was on the street, one was betwen dogs in the same family with a history of aggression toward each other.

       -- Two had unusual circumstances, either with a man with dementia and another that possibly involved an epileptic seizure

       -- In one case, the cause is unknown.

I would also be neglegent if I didn't mention the correlation between poverty and these fatal attacks.  Of the attacks involving adults:

Longville, LA has a poverty rate of 16%, which is above the national poverty level of about 12%. We also know there were drugs previously at this residence, and possibly next door also, so this may not be the best of areas on Longville.

Port Richmond, Staten Island, NY (zip code 10302) has a poverty rate of 18% (and we know that in this case, authorities were non-responsive on multiple occassions to calls about these dogs.

The 47303 zip code in Muncie, IN, where the attack took place, has a poverty rate of 23%.

The 48224 zip code in Detroit has a poverty rate of 16% -- the city of Detroit as a whole has a huge poverty problem with acity-wide poverty rate of 34% -- which is more than twice the state average.

Ville Platte, LA, where the woman was killed by roaming dogs, has a Poverty Rate of 47% - indicating a community with some major social problems beyond just dogs.

The 92509 zip code of Riverside has a poverty rate of 18%.

Combine this with the dogs that were "necessary for protection" in Weslaco (poverty rate 31% - -and one of the poorest counties in the country), and Jackson, MS (the zip code has a poverty rate of 13%) along with the Ft Yukon, AK having a poverty rate of 18% -- covering most of the older children.  I didn't pull this for the exceptionally young children.  So that's virtually every attack happening in a zip code with high levels of poverty (where lower education, higher crime also follow).

If we want to stop fatal dog attacks, here are some helpful tips:

1) Educate parents with very young children on the best ways to introduce the dogs/children into the family and educate parents on the importance of supervising the children with the dogs.

2) Prevent the use of dogs for guarding (and the social reasons people feel it is necessary).

3) Educate people that dogs that show aggression either a) should be euthanized or b) worked with with a trainer to cure the aggression issues

4) Enforce leash laws and vigilently pick up stray/roaming dogs.

5) Prohibit unsupervised tethering of dogs - -ie tethering as the primary form of containment.

6) Deal with the societal problems that plague low-educated, low income neighborhoods - -including educating them on the proper ways of caring for and maintaining canines.

This would have solved all but a couple of the stranger attacks over the past year -- and in most years. When we focus the discussions on "breed", we continue to do ourselves a disservice by not focusing on these primary issues. For everyone's benefit, we must begin to focus on the circumstances of these attacks. 

Comments

[Kristie]

"3) Educate people that dogs that show aggression either a) should be euthanized or b) worked with with a trainer to cure the aggression issues"

I just want to say that working with a trainer will not "cure" aggression issues. An aggressive dog can be managed but will never be cured. A trainer who frequents PitBull-L has a saying that I live by: "Temperament trumps training". I think those are the three most important words relating to dog ownership.

[Brent]

Certainly some (if not all) types of aggression are very much learned behaviors - -particularly when it comes to things like possession aggression (which is probably the most popular kind of behavior). Certainly any learned behavior can be "unlearned"...

But for the sake of argument, make the word "cure" to "manage"...

[Kara]

I certainly don't think that aggression comming from protecting something, as in food is a means of euthanazia. This behavior can certainly be mannaged. If not :cured:. For example, one of our dogs used to be food aggressive, protecting, and fighting over food. We have over come that with supervision and trianing, in so, we now allow our SIX dogs to free feed. With no fights, or any signs of aggression.

The fact is, most people with aggressive dogs, or gaurd dogs that become agressive towards them, they do not find a trianer, or put the dog down. It's a much easier way for them to just Dump the dog somewhere. And this is where you get all these stray at large dogs, who attack.

I think if you are BELOW poverty level, and even care for you self, and family members, there is no reason for you to own a pet. If you can't even provide food for your family, how will you provide vet care, training, socialization, and normal pet care? It's quite impossible.

[Kayla]

Wow this is such a nice post. So Informative! Thank you for posting this!

[PittiesPlace]

In the Kelli Chapman case, the coroner ruled that the death was not dog related

[PittiesPlace]

In the Kelli Chapman case, the coroner ruled that the death was not dog related

[Brent]

PP,

Can you confirm that? I wouldn't be at all surprised, but I thought the coroner had determined the death to be by the dogs...there was another similar case around the same time in Central Illinois where the cause of death was declared a drug overdose -- but that wasn't the case for Kelli Chapman as far as I know. If you can confirm, I will most certainly update that.

[PittiesPlace]

Brent, I have searched all over trying to find where I had read that. I can't find it. I keep a running spreadsheet on dog fatalities and had specifically noted that this one was later ruled not dog related. Maybe I did confuse it with the other case. I will keep looking and if I can find anything, I will let you know.

[krislars]

TY Brent...and most of all, thank you for outlining 'what can be done'. So many stats get splashed about (1) w/o explanation or thorough breakdown - as you have done and (2) w/o pointing out how these incidents could/should have been prevented. There is a lot to be learned with this information. Good work.

[Brent]

PP,

I think you may have crossed the two stories. There was another young female, 22 year old Amber Strode, that was initially reported as killed by two pit bulls -- but later reports found that she had died of a drug overdose and the dog bites were post mortum.

http://btoellner.typepad.com/kcdogblog/2008/01/potential-dog-b.html

http://btoellner.typepad.com/kcdogblog/2008/01/update-on-the-s.html

Her story, and Kelli Champman's story both appeared the same week -- so you could easily be have the two mixed up a bit. If I'm wrong and you find the link, I'll be more than happy to make the correction.

Krislars -- thanks for the positive feedback. I think that there is always a LOT more to these cases than just some hyjinks dog -- and if we just focus on the dog part, we've missed 95% of the story.

[Rinalia]

I think it's unfortunate we continue to buy into this notion that there is a dog bite problem. I too keep track of dog bite fatalities and also publicized dog attacks. Part of me feels this is just silliness - dog attacks are not common and dog bite fatalities are exceedingly rare. The other part of me wants to show people that any dog with teeth can cause damage.

I think dog bites and fatalities will continue to occur as long as we continue to allow carnivorous predators into our homes. I am not dismissing the importance of education nor the complex issues that tie into dog bites or fatalities. That's all good stuff. But given the statistics, no one really needs to be concerned about getting mauled by a dog or killed by one. The 70+ million dogs in this country have done a decent job of being tolerant of most people. Incredible, really.

[Katie]

Thanks for all the time and work you put into this site, Brent, both in this post and throughout the entire year.

23 fatal attacks this year. And yet they get SO much publicity. It's really ridiculous.

[Becky]

Excellent study, Brent. And ditto -- thank you for all of your efforts and hard work. You have set up a valuable site with extremely significant documentation. Excellent reference material for those interested in FACTS.

[doug]

Brent, thank you for bring up the poverty angle....

This kind of leads into my way of thinking with DOL...

This also goes into why places like Calgary is so different with there Neutral Dangerous Dog laws....and why you can't compare Calgary with places like Washington DC or Baltimore....or Denver for that matter.

[Brent]

Doug,

Don't let your perception of Calgary distort what's real. While the average HH income in Calgary is very high, the cost of living there is extremely high. It is a large city (population right at 1 million) and has problems just like any other large city. In 2004, it was estimated that 13% of the population of Calgary lived below the poverty level (US Average is about 12%).

http://www.ddrcc.com/pdf/News%20Articles%202006/CAL_Pov_Fact_Sheet_August06.pdf

Certainly Canada, as a whole, has more social programs than the US for the poor, but let's make no mistake, Calgary has its neighborhoods and areas, just like any other large city.

[Selma]

I'm pleased to see that 2007 was a blip, as I expected it to be.

We were lucky in Canada this year, with no dog bite-related fatalities at all that I've been able to uncover. We usually average one or two annually.

Calgary has all the problems of any fast-growing city - stress, crime, gangs, drugs, poverty. Canada isn't a perfect place by any means. Yes, our cost of living is quite high compared with many parts of the US.

I agree with Rinalia - dog attacks are rare, fatalities are almost unknown in terms of the number of dogs there are. Most bites are inconsequential. Those who are making money or promoting an agenda are the only ones capitalizing on the issue.

Seriously, can you imagine a human population of 80 million (roughly the number of dogs in N. America) having such a stellar record? Then imagine they can't read or write and don't understand laws or language.

I maintain that dogs are what humans should strive to be like. What a peaceful world it would be.

[TEH]

Brent, glad you brought the issue of looking at the events leading to a serious/fatal attack up. The operative term is a DBRF is VERY VERY rare.....something that seems to be totally lost on the general public. Look at it this way...there are 300,000,000 population in the US. In this case 23 people were killed by DBRF in 2008. The average for people killed by lightening in a given year is 87. You are essentially 4 times more likely to get struck by lightening than killed by a dog. And a lightening strike is considered very very rare.
Yet people still look at DBRF and scream for BSL. They are not interested in statistics, numbers or anything else. They KNOW that pitbulls are dangerous. As we see in comments posted when a serious attack occurs, the same vehement claims are made that only these dogs are dangerous. The whole thing is not a logic or rational issue, it is an emotional one. And somehow that needs to be addressed.
In reviewing dog bite reports, the events leading up to a bite are almost always human related. Breaking up a dog fight is top on the list. CDC just did a recent study looking again at the number of dog bites. They report similar numbers as the one they did in 1994. However, the numbers are down for children. But it is noted that a bite is more likely in a dog owning household, and more so in a multi-dog household. I do not think it is as much an aggressive nature of the dog as it is people being totally clueless about dog behavior. Another study did just that, looking at what people understood about dog behavior and child interaction. The conclusion.....very little. Parents really do not have a good understanding of dogs or how their child interacts with that dog.
We have a long way to go to get folks to understand that banning a breed is not going to solve a perceived problem. But we are going to have to take a different approach that trying to convince people with the numbers.

[MichelleD]

You are more likely to kill YOURSELF than be killed by a dog. A child is more likely to be killed by their own PARENT than a dog. More people die from slipping in the bathroom (Travolta's son, RIP :-(. And as far as impoverished/high crime areas go, you're more likely to be killed by a cop than a dog! (I'll give you that most people get themselves into that situation but numerous people are killed each year from bad search warrents, high speed chases or mistaken identity.)

http://www.nsc.org/research/odds.aspx

[Brent]

TEH,

I do think it's pretty amazing that people will use the DBRF numbers and point to a certain percent of the attacks being 'pit bulls' as justification that 'pit bulls' were somehow natural born killers or some such thing. Never mind that most estimates put the number of pit bulls out there somewhere around 8-9 million dogs, and only 10 or so were responsible for such an attack. If they really were such natural born killers, don't we think that more than .00015% of them would be responsible for such an attack?

[Doug]

Brent/TEH/Michelle,

Your all right...the current BSL, use that stuff for scare tactics...to prevent the real problem....the punk kid next door from buying a pit bull and not caring for it correctly....

But you can not wave lightning strikes or bee attacks in front of the city counsel...one only needs to do a google search for Pit Bull Kennels and look at the web sites which come up....if that does not scare the average family into not wanting that type of dog moving in next door...I am not living in America.

Which is why if you target the owner, first with respect to their past and then judge them against what dog they want...we can do away with the old style BSL.

[Kara]

ok..

So how many "pit bulls" Killed humans this year?

not that many..

Now tell me, how many HUMANS killed HUMANS this year?

hmm.. looks like its time to ban humans.. .

Doug- i work at a boarding facility. I see hundreds of "pit bulls" through out the year. All of which are social, trained, and belonging to loving, caring owners.

OH AND DOUG.
Why dont you google AMERICAN PIT BULL HEROS.

Since GOOGLE and THE MEDIA is SUCH a reliable source for you.

[Rinalia]

Doug says: Which is why if you target the owner, first with respect to their past and then judge them against what dog they want...we can do away with the old style BSL.

What on earth does that mean?

[Becky]

In regards to some of Doug's comments -- don't get me wrong -- there's a lot of incorrect logic in most of his posts. But I have long wished there were some way to particularly PROTECT the American Pitbull from the bad people. THEY are the reason this breed is so over bred, abused, fought, neglected, and chained. Banning certain people from adopting certain breeds, tho, is a kind of BSL, which has already been established to be ineffective and irrational.

The types of people Doug is referring to, perhaps should be banned from owning dogs, regardless of breed.

Still, if there were some way to protect the APBT from criminals, low lifes and irresponsible owners, I would have to be for it.

Just so it's understood -- it does NOT logically follow that pits should be killed in order to protect them from bad people!

Please get me back on track if I am off it!

[Brent]

Becky, your heart is certainly in the right place. I agree. There are SO MANY Times I just wish there would be a string of busts involving some other type of dog and they could just move on to something else -- pit bulls have paid their time. But the reality is, I don't want any breed of dog to suffer like this.

I have a new foster dog that was a part of a hoarding case from a man that was forbidden to own dogs in the state of Kansas because of animal cruelty -- however, was able to own them in Oklahoma. We HAVE to get these people who are constant and habitual abusers -- and protect all breeds from them...not just the ones they're now using.

[K. J.]

It doesn't matter how small or large, if the dog was bred for fighting/guarding, or to sit in the lap of royalty, dogs are animals. They are pack living, den dwelling, prey chasing, scavenging carnivores. They will kill each other. They will kill their own young. It does not mean that there are not great dogs out there that are perfect family pets, but just like a certian percentage of the human population is unstable. So are some dogs. There are sight and sound sensitive dogs, insecure and fearful dogs, dogs with brain disorders that are not diagnosed for years.
..
..
But just like if Grandpa came over and napped on the sofa, and the granddaughter touched his hand and startled him, and his reaction was to leap up and choke her for several seconds --- well we wouldn't make a lot of soft excuses for grandpa, we would put him someplace where he could not hurt anyone. I am not comparing dogs to people really, because I wouldn't put grandpa down, but being a mom and a dog trainer, I know great dogs who are euthanized every day in our local shelter for no other reason then there are not enough homes. Dogs who wag their tails when you startle them awake.
.
So as we imprison the dangerous and unstable people in our society, so should we elemenate the unstable dogs, and quit killing the ones who are so genetically sound that you could cut their leg off, and they wouldn't bite. Startle or not, kid or not, fishy situation or not. Stable dogs are very discrimanatory; they know the difference in good ol uncle Al that you invited in to watch the football game, vs someone trying to break in, or banging at your door and shouting.
.
If your dog is being "protective" and bites your uncle -- well let's just say he is not a canine mental giant, or he is practicing his Dahmer monologue for the next Chihuahua movie.

Just my very experienced opinion,

~ K