The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) claims dogs are responsible for "more than 4.7 million" injuries per year and, on average, 16 human fatalities, though the numbers are likely underreported.
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When an exotic "pet" attacks people, such as when a Connecticut women was mauled in February by "Travis" the chimp, the news makes headlines. But data remains unclear on how often smaller attacks -- most commonly by dogs -- actually occur.
And the numbers are likely higher than available data show.
"Every bite should be reported, but it varies from state to state," Adam Goldfarb, director of the Pets at Risk Program at The Humane Society of the United States, told Discovery News.
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) claims dogs are responsible for "more than 4.7 million" injuries per year and, on average, 16 human fatalities.
But even these statistics are questioned since, as the National Canine Research Council points out, "There is no national system in the United States for tallying reports of dog bites."
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Goldfarb explained that the reports usually begin at local animal control and public health department levels before "being sent up the ladder to the state and national authorities."
The methods permit multiple interpretations of the available data. They also make it difficult to chart whether or not there is an upward or downward trend in the number of dog attacks on humans.
According to the United States Postal Service, "A total of 3,100 letter carriers nationwide were bitten or received OSHA recordable dog bite attack-related injuries in 2008. That's an average of 10 per day."
As of May, carriers in Nevada reported 23 dog bites, which exceeded that state's total for all of 2007.
The CDC sometimes conducts national estimates of the 10 leading causes of non-fatal injuries treated in hospital emergency departments. One of the listed 10 is animal/insect bites and stings. Based on this data, it appears that such injuries are on the rise, but only for certain age groups -- usually children.
"A dog is man's best friend, but could be a child's worst companion," noted Philomena Behar, a clinical assistant professor of otolaryngology at the University of Buffalo who reviewed the charts of 84 children who were treated for dog bites at Women and Children's Hospital in Buffalo from 1999 to 2007.
"Children are particularly vulnerable to severe dog bite injuries on the head and neck, and the injuries can be extensive and a risk to life, especially in young children," Behar added, mentioning that "youngsters don't understand the need to distance themselves from danger," and when running, they may "look like prey" to dogs.
Goldfarb, however, thinks dogs in general do not pose a significant health risk to humans, considering that "there are around 75 million pet dogs and billions upon billions of human interactions with them each year," so the risks of sustaining a dog attack injury are "miniscule."
"You are more likely to be killed by lightning," he said, mentioning that around 60 to 70 people die each year after being struck by lightning.
Also at issue is whether or not certain breeds are more or less responsible for the reported dog attacks.
"There is always one breed that is popular among reckless people," Goldfarb said. "Now it's pit bulls, In the 90's it was the Rottweiler, in the 60's and 70's it was German Shepherds and Dobermans, and before that it was dogs that today we would probably never even think of as being aggressive, such as bloodhounds and Newfoundlands."
Although pit bulls have been bred for fighting, he said early breeders also "had no tolerance for dogs that could not be handled, so they selected against aggressiveness toward humans."
While Goldfarb said that "all animal attacks are underreported," he believes "we are seeing far fewer dog attacks than we used to," which he attributes to owners paying more attention to spaying and neutering, socialization, leash use and training of their dogs.
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