Dog attacks are a serious problem in California, injuring over 38,000 residents per year. (California Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development, Dog Bites: Emergency Department Data 2010-2015 (chart), online at https://www.oshpd.ca.gov/documents/pressreleases/2016/Dog-Bites-Chart-11-2016.jpg, accessed 11/26/2016.) The problem is getting worse each year.
- Emergency department visits for treatment of dog bites increased from 35,020 in 2010 to 38,657 in 2015. (Ibid.)
- In 2011, over 50,000 animal bites (136 per 100,000 persons) were reported to local health departments and animal control agencies in California. (California Department of Public Health, Investigation, Management, and Prevention of Animal Bites in California (3rd Ed., 2014), at P. 2. at P. 2.)
- Between 2006 and 2010, 77 percent of all animal bites reported in California were attributed to domestic dogs. (Ibid.)
- In California, pit bulls account for 29% of all dog bites, putting them at the top of the list of biting dogs, followed by the German Shepherd (15%) and Chihuahua (11%). (Ibid.)
The statistics establish not just that the dog bite problem in California is growing but that pit bulls are the worst canine offenders.
