Memorial to Sallie at Gettysburg    &    Rocky:  a search and rescue dog for the Pennsylvania Task Force 1

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Pennsylvania history is rich in stories of the extraordinary relationship between dogs and humans.  Pennsylvania is the home to two of the most famous Civil War dog heroes, Sallie and Jack.  The respect and admiration that the veterans of the 11th Pennsylvania Infantry had for their mascot Sallie is visible today in the bronze replica of her that they placed in front of the regimental monument at the Gettysburg National Military Park.

Pennsylvania recognizes the value of dogs. In 1965, the  legislature designated the Great Dane as the official state dog,  a gesture by the "Commonwealth to recognize the steadfast service and loyal devotion of all dogs in Pennsylvania."

While many dogs are cherished and honored in Pennsylvania, sadly, abuse  towards man's best friend is still a too frequent occurrence. In 2008, the Pennsylvania Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (PSPCA) had to triple the number of their field agents, in order to combat a disturbing increase in the number of cruelty cases in Philadelphia.

The PSPCA noted that not only was there an increase in the number of cruelty cases, but that there was a troubling increase in the severity of the abuse, with some cases being described as "horrific."

Despite a significant increase in both the human and canine population, and despite an increase in cruelty cases in Philadelphia,  the number of reported dog bites in the city is at a historic low.

Dogs in Pennsylvania continue to prove themselves man's best friend. While anti-cruelty laws, leash laws, awareness of the need for humane care and control,  and dog bite prevention education, have afforded humans an increased level of safety, the tolerant and sociable nature of all dogs (cherished or abused) is ultimately the reason why dogs are so valued by most people in Pennsylvania, both in the past and in the present.

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Pennsylvania Official State Dog:   Great Dane

The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania designated the Great Dane its official state dog in 1965. A portrait of William Penn and his Great Dane hangs in the Governor's reception room (Best Friend, by

Pennsylvania artist Violet Oakley). Great Danes were used as a hunting and working breed in frontier Pennsylvania.

Pennsylvania's legislation states that naming an official dog of the Commonwealth would "recognize the steadfast service and loyal devotion of all dogs in Pennsylvania."

Pennsylvania Civil War Hero / Mascot Dogs:

Sallie was a brindle Staffordshire Bull Terrier. She had been given to First Lieutenant William R. Terry of the 11th Pennsylvania Infantry as a four-week old puppy. She grew up with the men of the regiment. Sallie followed them on their marches, and onto the battlefield. At Gettysburg, Sallie got separated from her regiment. She was later found at the Union battle line at Oak Ridge, standing guard over the dead and wounded. Sallie soldiered with the 11th Pennsylvania until February of 1865, when she was struck in the head by a bullet at the battle of Hatcher’s Run, Virginia. She was buried on that battlefield. To honor her loyalty and perseverance, the 11th's veterans included her bronze image on their Gettysburg monument.

Jack

Jack was a white and brown Bull Terrier who soldiered with the 102nd Pennsylvania Infantry. Some claimed that Jack understood bugle calls and would only obey the men from his regiment. Jack served at in many of the battles in the Civil War's Eastern Theater, including Malvern Hill (where he was wounded), the Wilderness, Spotsylvania, and the siege of Petersburg.

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 people reported to have been injured interacting with a dog; (which may or may not have involved aggression).

So if dog bite numbers provide little useful information about canine aggression, then what can Pennsylvania dog bite numbers really tell us about canine / human interaction?

Dog bite numbers reveal that there is no “dog bite epidemic” in Pennsylvania.

During the past three 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 in Pennsylvania and throughout the nation.

Despite significant increases in the human and dog population, cities and counties in Pennsylvania with dog-bite data dating from the 1970s, reveal extraordinary decreases in the number of reported dog bites:

Source:  Philadelphia Department of Health

See:  Philadelphia Department of Health  Report 2005, 2006  -    philadephia-dog-bites-2005-2006

National Canine Research Council

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