Texas
Are Dogs A Real Danger?
A National Canine Research Council Perspective Report
Over the past 43 years (1965 - present) there have been 58 fatal dog attacks in Texas, or an average of one to two fatal attacks per year.
At least 17 different breeds/types of dogs have been identified as participating in a fatal attack in Texas.
The victims were: 17 adults and 41 children.
All the fatal attacks in Texas involved intact dogs (not spayed or neutered). Besides being intact, a significant number of dogs involved in fatal attacks in Texas were irresponsibly and actively being used for breeding:
In 1990, an 18-month-old girl was killed when she approached one of her father's chained breeding dogs. The father claimed he had bred "hundreds of dogs over the past 10 years." He also claimed he could not understand why the intact male dog would have attacked the girl since the child used to "ride the dog like a horse." (It is not known how an 18-month-old riding a chained dog "like a horse" would lead the father to expect the dog to exhibit future amicable behavior towards the child -- NCRC comment)
Other incidents involved chained dogs that were approached by young, unsupervised children:
In 2006, a two-year-old child was attacked and killed after she wandered over to a neighbor's dog. There was no shade afforded to the dog from the hot summer sun, other than that from the doghouse to which he was chained. (El Paso)
Fatal dog attacks in Texas encompassed a variety of different scenarios and risks factors ranging from low levels of negligence to extremely reckless or dangerous behavior; a number of which resulted in criminal convictions for the parent/owner:
In 1983, B. Rognaldsen received a 1-year sentence for criminal negligence after her 1-month-old daughter was attacked and killed by her dog. The dog had a detailed history of aggressive behavior and had "gnawed" on the baby's crib previous to the fatal attack. The night before the incident it was tesitifed that the mother was "very intoxicated and acted as though she was also on drugs." The infant was found mauled to death in the morning when the mother awoke. (Dallas)
In 1984, J. Traxler received a 5-year sentence for reckless injury to child when his 4-year-old stepson wandered out to his dog chained to a utility pole. His comment, "that boy knew better than to get near that dog" undoubtedly helped to convict him. He was allowed to serve this sentence concurrently with a 10-year-sentence for drug possession. (Conroe)
In spite of a significant number of reckless and dangerous dog owners in Texas, dogs still pose an incredibly low risk for causing a fatality:
Fatal Dog Attacks in Texas as Compared to Other Selected Risks:
Snapshot of Texas: Year 2005
| Persons killed by dogs: | 3 |
| Child hyperthermia deaths (left in hot cars): | 4 |
| Persons killed by lightning: | 5 |
| Death from contact w/bees, hornets, wasps: | 12 |
| Child < 5 yrs. old drowned in tub or swimming pool: | 26 |
| Older children & adults drowned in swimming pool: | 33 |
| ATV-related fatalites: | 51 |
| Bicycle-related fatalities: | 61 |
| Alcohol-related traffic fatalities: | 1,672 |
| Total traffic (alcohol & non) fatalities: | 3,536 |
| Tobacco-related deaths: | 24,200 |
Furthermore, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services:
In 2005, one hundred and ninety-seven (197) Texas children died as a result of maltreatment (abuse or neglect).
In a SINGLE YEAR, 2005, nearly FIVE TIMES as many Texas children died from maltreatment (abuse or neglect) than the TOTAL of ALL children killed by dogs in Texas over the past 43 years.
Note: Texas experienced an increase in the number of fatal dog attacks the last 2 years (2006, 2007), with 14 fatal attacks within these two years. It is difficult, and perhaps premature, to attempt to draw any conclusions from this data since the number of dog attacks per year in any given state fluctuates from year to year. For example: Texas had five (5) fatal dog attacks over two years (1999, 2000) and then only one (1) fatal attack during the following three years, (2001, 2002, 2003).
So, are dogs a danger? Fact is, people in Texas routinely accept far greater dangers from ATVs, swimming pools and bicycles than any that are associated with companion animals.
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