Makai: A dog rescued by the Hawaii Dog Foundation in Oahu *

How many faithful dogs served their masters well in Hawaii can never be known. What is known, is that throughout the years many people in Hawaii 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 Hawaii.

Today, dogs contribute more to the welfare of individuals and the community than perhaps any other time in the history of the human-dog bond. Additionally, over 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.

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* Makai is one of the many wonderful dogs that have been available for adoption at the Hawaii Dog Foundation based in Oahu. www.hawaiidogfoundation.org

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Hawaii Canines For Independence is an organization that enhances the human-dog bond through the use of service and therapy dogs.

Hawaii Canines For Independence (HCI) is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization that exists to provide disabled residents of Hawaii with specially trained dogs that will give them the freedom and confidence to live more independent lives.

HCI trains and helps provide Assistance Dogs to both children and adults with a wide variety of disabilities. HCI specializes in training Service Dogs for people with physical disabilities that limit their mobility. HCI also provides Therapy Dogs for residents of hospitals and nursing homes and for children with special needs.

See HCI website: http://www.hawaiicanines.com/index.aspx

National Canine Research Council

What is a dog bite?

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

Dog Bites in Hawaii:

Hawaii's Public Health Department reported the following number of people treated in hospital emergency rooms for the years 2005 to 2007:

• 2005: 1,123
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• 2006: 1,179
• 
  
• 2007: 1,269

Approximately 29 people are admitted to hospitals in Hawaii each year as a result of dog-related injuries.

(Source: Injury Prevention and Control Program - Hawaii State Department of Health)

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Over the past 3 decades, increased awareness of the importance of humane care and control, the enactment and enforcement of leash laws, and dog bite prevention education, have all been instrumental in lowering the number of reported dog-related injuries nationwide.

National Canine Research Council

Over the past 45 years (1965-present) there have been four (4) dog bite-related fatalities in Hawaii, or an average of one (1) fatality every ten 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 three (3) different breeds/types of dogs have been reported to be involved in these incidents.*

None of the dogs involved in dog bite-related fatalities in Hawaii had been spayed or neutered by their owners.

Two of the four cases involved dog that lived their lives on chains in backyards.

In 1981, a 6-year-old boy climbed over his neighbor's fence and preceded to knock on their back door. When one of the children in the house opened the backdoor, a dog ran out and attacked and killed the boy.

In 2001, a 18-month-old boy was killed by a chained male dog in Puna.

In 2004, a 17-month-old boy was killed when he wandered over to a chained male dog in Kauai.

In 2008, an intact female dog attacked and killed a 2-month-old infant in Wainae. The dog was mostly kept as an outside dog, and had only recently been allowed into the house.

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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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Clearly, dogs pose an incredibly low risk of causing a fatality in Hawaii:

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

National Canine Research Council