David B. Whiteneck Jr., 41, of Huron County, Michigan, was killed by a number of dogs belonging to his elderly, absent landlord. The date of death has not been determined, but the body was found on April 13, 2009. The dogs were Australian shepherds mixed with blue heeler. This is the 13th USA fatality by dogs in 2009.
Two factors on the Dog Attack Danger Scale were present here:
- A dog in its own yard, and no master present. In 2008, 78% of the human fatalities were by dogs in their own yard.
- The pack mentality. Three dogs are worse than 2, 4 are worse than 3, etc. Docile dogs often become uncharacteristically violent and vicious when they are in a pack. In 2008, 39% of the fatalities involved multiple dogs.
To learn more, see the Dog Attack Danger Scale. Michigan is a strict liability state.