Fatal dog attacks in the United States cause the deaths of thirty to fifty people each year.[1] According to the National Center for Health Statistics, there were 468 deaths in the United States from being bitten or struck by a dog between 2011 and 2021.[2] This is an average of 43 deaths annually, ranging from a low of 31 deaths in 2016 and a high of 81 deaths in 2021.[2] Dogs killed more males than females during the tracking decade.[2] Children between the ages of one to four are most often the victims, accounting for 29.4% of the fatalities from dog attacks in 2022; those under the age of seventeen accounted for 56.7% of all fatalities that year.[3]
Around 4.5 million Americans are bitten by dogs every year, resulting in some 800,000 seeking treatment from a doctor.[3][4] Dogs not only cause morbidity and mortality as a result of bites, but they may also transmit zoonotic infections, which may also result in illness or death.[5] It is estimated that 15% to 20% of dog bite wounds become infected, with occasional cases of meningitis and endocarditis leading to death.[5][6] However, less than 1% of the 4.5 million dog bite incidents in 2022 resulted in a fatality.[3]