National Dog Bite Prevention

Dogs are too often unsupervised in backyards, so postal carriers have forever been a victim of dog bites. Of course, some savvy delivery personnel carry dog treats. Instead of barking in fear (more common than protection), the dogs look forward to their appearance.

Prevention is important – it would seem obvious. Not only so prevent dogs from biting people and resulting injuries and cost of medical care, but also to prevent the outcome of euthanizing many of the dogs who do bite.

According to the United States Postal Service, here are the cities dog bites occur in most often:

(from United States Postal Service)

From the American Veterinary Medical Association:

National Dog Bite Prevention Week® takes place during the third full week of May each year, and focuses on educating people about preventing dog bites. The dates in 2016 are May 15-21.

With an estimated population of 70 million dogs living in U.S. households, millions of people – most of them children – are bitten by dogs every year. The majority of these bites, if not all, are preventable.

• Prevent The Bite reports that according to the Center for Disease Control, dog bites were the 11th leading cause of nonfatal injury to children ages 1-4, 9th for ages 5-9 and 10th for ages 10-14 from 2003-2012.
• The Insurance Information Institute estimates that in 2013, insurers across the country paid over $483 million in dog bite claims.
• The American Society for Reconstructive Microsurgery reports that according to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, 26,935 reconstructive procedures were performed in 2013 to repair injuries caused by dog bites.
• The American Humane Association reports that 66% of bites among children occur to the head and neck.

Take this opportunity to learn more about dog bite prevention and help educate others so we can all work together to prevent dog bites.