Kirby - a therapy dog
owned by Fred & Mary Lois Butzi of Wilmington, DE*

How many faithful dogs served their masters well in Delaware can never be known.  What is known, is that throughout the years many people in Delaware have relied on dogs to assist in everyday life and to provide companionship.

While dogs continue to serve in many of their traditional functions, dogs have also taken on new and unique tasks that enhance the lives of their owners and the community.  Therapy, medical assistance, and search and rescue are only a few of the many services dogs provide to the people of Delaware.

Today, dogs contribute more to the welfare of individuals and society than perhaps any other time in the history of the human-dog bond.  Increased awareness of the importance of humane care and control of dogs, the enactment and enforcement of leash laws, and dog bite prevention education, have all been successful in significantly lowering the number of reported dog-related injuries nationwide.

Dogs not only enrich the lives of their owners; they also contribute to the well-being of many non-dog owning residents of Delaware as therapy and service dogs.

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*Kirby, a Shetland Sheepdog, was nominated for the 2008 AKC Award for Canine Excellence (ACE) for therapy work in Delaware.

National Canine Research Council

What is a dog bite?

While the question seems simple enough,  the answer is not always what we imagine.

In 2002, there were 1,816 animal bites reported throughout the state of Delaware; 74% (1,337) of which were dog bites.

In 2002, the dog bite incidence rate was 166 bites per 100,000 persons in Delaware.

In 2003, the dog bite incidence rate decreased to 159 bites per 100,000 persons.

While these rates are above the national average of 129 bites per 100,000 persons, the good news is that 98% of the injuries were either minor or not serious enough to require hospitalization.

Less than 2% of all victims of dog bites in Delaware in 2002, had injuries serious enough to require hospitalization.

Source: Delaware Strategic Plan for Injury Prevention 2005-2010 and Delaware Health and Social Services,  Division of Public Health.

National Canine Research Council

Over the past 45 years (1965-present) there have only been two (2) dog bite-related fatalities in Delaware, an average of fewer than one fatality every 20+ years.

NCRC's 2011 Preliminary Report on Dog Bite-Related Fatalities illustrates the challenge of accurately reporting on these extremely rare, tragic events. Our mission of preserving the human-canine bond obligates us to be as accurate about these emotionally charged incidents as we can, so that they are calmly, correctly and, therefore, usefully understood. Accuracy takes time.

At least two (2) different breeds/types of dogs were reported to be involved in these incidents.*

In both cases, the victims (one an adult and one a child) had approached an unfamiliar, chained dog. In both cases, the chained dogs were male and intact. (1989, 2002)

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*Note: In recent years, scientists have established that visual identification of dogs of unknown origin is extremely unreliable; therefore, while we can be sure these listed incidents involved varied types of dogs, we cannot be certain of the accuracy of most breed identifications.

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In spite of the reckless ownership practices of some dog owners, and ill-considered actions by others, dogs still pose an incredibly low risk for causing a fatality in Delaware:

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Fact is, people in Delaware routinely accept far greater risks from ATVs, bicycles and swimming pools than any that are associated with companion animals.

National Canine Research Council