In the recent years, researchers have noted a rise in the percentage of canine ownership; however, researchers have dually noted that the percentage of dog bites per year has also been on the rise.  During the study a disturbing, glaring fact arose, the percentage of dog bites has sky rocketed at a disproportional rate versus the percentage of dogs owned within the United States and the chilling fact is that most bite victims are children.

Currently, 40% of households own a dog; there are approximately 65 million dogs in the United States (APPMA).  The Center for Disease Control’s researchers discovered that each year almost 4.7 million people are attacked or bitten by man’s best friend.  Moreover, out of these 4.7 million attacks, nearly 800,000 will require serious medical attention, with the facial area suffering the most damage.  

More than 50% of the 4.7 million people attacked annually by dogs are children.  The following chart, courtesy of the American Medical Association, illustrates the leading cause of emergency room visits in 2002 for children in the United States.