Buddy saved his owner and her sister from a fire in Ormond, Florida.

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Above and beyond their place as family companions and  in traditional service occupations, dogs in Florida serve in an ever-widening spectrum of therapeutic roles. The physical and emotional benefits to humans that come from relationships with dogs are now recognized and utilized by psychiatric facilities, assisted living centers, hospitals, schools . . . even prisons.

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 instrumental in drastically reducing the number of reported dog-related injuries in Florida and throughout the nation.

At times, the media spotlight on an individual dog attack can create the impression that dogs pose a significant threat to the community.  Sensationalized publicity, along with a lack of knowledge about the causes of dog attacks and a failure to appreciate how truly infrequent serious dog attacks really are, has resulted in reactive and uniformed policies directed against certain types of dogs. In 1989, Miami / Dade County banned certain types of dogs in the belief that focusing on the appearance of a dog will address the behavior of a dog. . . . or the dog’s owner.

But, how effective is Miami-Dade's breed  ban?  Has Miami-Dade seen a reduction in dog bites, serious dog bites or fatalities as compared to cities/counties without breed bans?   Click here for the not-so-surprising results.     

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Petal and Josh:  Cherished companion animals

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Jasmine

"Pitbull" brings joy to Carrollwood residents

November 1, 2009

CARROLLWOOD, FL -- Jasmine bounced all over the place, she snuggled up to residents and offered plenty of kisses. Affection that was much appreciated at the Emeritus at Carrollwood at 13550 South Village Drive, an assisted living facility.

Jasmine, who is the latest recruit as well as the "Pitbull Ambassador" for Hillsborough County Animal Services was invited by the Emeritus' director, Diane Bussiere.

"They give such joy to the residents. They have had animals all their lives and just to see their faces and the happiness it brings to them it is all that matters." she said.

Jasmine was taken in by the Paws For Friendship organization. The organization takes in animals. Paws for Pets employees are passionate about changing the image of certain breeds, such as "pitbull" dogs. Jan Schmidt. the local president, points to Jasmine's loving demeanor.

"She is a lovely dog who happens to be a "pitbull." A dog should not be judged by breed but the personality. We do not judge the animals by breed we take a look at them as people with personalities.

Paws For Friendship was established seventeen years ago. They have organizations all over the globe and take dogs to visit those in assisted living facilities.

As far Jasmine, she is currently up for adoption at Hillsborough County Animal Services.

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Radar: A Florida  "Airport dog"

Southwest Florida International Airport has been using dogs to chase birds away from the airport since 1999.  It is now training  its third generation of Border collies for its bird-dog program.

About 20 airports around the U.S. now use Border collies to chase birds. At Cincinnati's Lunken Airport,  large birds, particularly geese, suffered many collisions with airplanes before the dogs arrived.

Nicholas B. Carer of Border Collie Rescue in Melrose, FL, reported that at Dover Air Force Base, the number of large birds decreased by 99 percent after a period of harassment by the dogs.

Damage to military and civilian aircraft from encounters with wildlife amounts to more than $600 million, and has cost several hundred lives. According to the U.S. Bird Strike Committee, 90 percent of the birds are protected species, and other methods of dispersing  the birds, such as explosives, often kill them.

Environmentalists see dogs as a positive, humane solution to the problem. Dogs  trained to chase birds will keep harassing the birds, on command from his trainer, until the birds leave.

(Moments after taking off on January 15, 2009 from New York's LaGuardia Aiport, a US Airways plane made a forced landing into the Hudson River.  Both of the plane's engines had been disabled by birds. Thankfully, all passengers and crew members survived.)

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National Canine Research Council

What is a dog bite?

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

Dog bite numbers offer little useful information about canine behavior.  Dog bite numbers are simply a tally of the number of people who sought medical treatment and/or reported a break in skin after exposure to a dog's nail or tooth--or in other words,  the number of persons that have been injured interacting with a dog; (which may or may not have involved aggression).

If dog bite numbers convey little useful information about canine aggression, then what can Florida dog bite numbers really tell us about canine / human interaction?

Dog bite numbers reveal that there is no "dog bite epidemic" in Florida, and that all types of dog-related injuries in the state have dramatically decreased in the past 3 decades.

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 instrumental in drastically lowering the number of reported dog-related injuries nationwide.

Despite significant increases in the human and dog population, cities and counties in Florida have realized extraordinary decreases in the number of reported dog bites from the early 1970s:

Between 1989 and 2006, as its  population was increasing from 850,000 to 1,275,000,  Palm Beach County has seen a steady decline in reported dog bites:

Source: Palm Beach County Animal Control

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Miami – Dade Pit bull ban

In 1989 Miami-Dade passed a ban on “pit bulls.”   Has this ban proved to be effective?  Has Miami-Dade seen a reduction in dog bites, serious dog bites or fatalities as compared to cities/counties without breed bans? 

See the results of Miami-Dade’s breed ban. 

National Canine Research Council

Over the past 45 years (1965-present), there have been 40 dog bite-related fatalities in Florida, an average of one (1) fatality per year.

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 thirteen (13) different breeds/types of dogs have been reported to be involved in these incidents.*

The victims were 13 adults and 27 children.

Over 75% of the children killed had either been left unsupervised with a dog(s), or had wandered off to the location of an unfamiliar dog(s).

In 1978, three children were killed in Florida when they were allowed to be unsupervised with unfamiliar dogs:

A 3-week-old infant was killed by a dog after her 14-year-old mother left her alone with a friend's dog at their Orlando home.

An unsupervised 3-year-old Cocoa boy was killed after climbing into the kennel of a dog.

A 3-year-old Pace girl wandered into her family's backyard. She was attacked and killed by a dog that her father was keeping for a friend.

The majority of the dogs involved in dog bite-related fatalities in Florida lived outside the home, at the end of chains or in dog kennels/pens.

Of the 40 fatalities, two cases involved neutered dogs, and one other incident involved a neutered dog and an intact dog. All other dogs involved in dog bite-related fatalities in Florida had not been spayed or neutered by their owners.

In 1990, there were two fatal dog attacks in Florida by professionally trained police K-9 dogs. One of the dogs was "on duty," and the other was "off duty" in the home of his police officer handler.

A significant number of these tragedies were the direct result of extreme recklessness on the part of the dog owner.

In 1989, two Jacksonville owners were convicted of manslaughter after their loose-roaming dogs attacked and killed an elderly neighbor.

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In 2003, a Citra man was convicted of manslaughter with culpable negligence and sentenced to 12 years in prison, after his pack of very poorly socialized dogs attacked and killed his elderly neighbor. (The dog pictured above was one of the six similiar-looking dogs involved in this fatality.)

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In 2000, it was reported by the media that an elderly Sparr woman was killed while feeding her daughter's two dogs; a "pit bull" and a mixed breed dog. A year later, Marion County Animal Control informed the NCRC that the woman had died from a single bite to the throat, and bite impressions and other evidence determined that the mixed breed dog was the dog that inflicted the single, lethal bite.

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Two adult male victims were killed when they intentionally, and recklessly, ignored barriers that were intended to contain dogs.

In 1986, an Osteen man was attacked and killed after he climbed his neighbor's fence into the yard where three dogs were kept.

In 2006, an intoxicated Dade County man climbed into a kennel containing two dogs. One of the dogs attacked and killed him.

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In 2007, 71-year-old Carshena Benjamin was walking along the road when she was killed by loose roaming dogs in Collier County. The dogs responsible for this attack were never identified or located.

In 2009, 20-month-old Dallas Walters was killed by a dog at his great-aunt's home. The child was supervised and in the presence of adults when the newly acquired dog made its way into home. Since being acquired by the family, the dog was usually left tied in the backyard. (Pasco County)

For information on this case and other dog bite-related fatalities that occurred in 2009, please see 2009 NCRC Final Report on Dog Bite-Related Fatalities.

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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 and dangerous behavior of some dog owners, and some victims, dogs still pose an incredibly low risk for causing a fatality in Florida:

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According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services:

In 2007, one hundred and fifty-three (153) Florida children died from maltreatment (abuse/neglect).

In a single year, 2007, more than five times as many Florida children died as a result of maltreatment than the total of all children killed by dogs in the state over the past 45 years.

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

National Canine Research Council