Toby: (Cahas Ebony Beachcomber, CGC, WC) -

Faithful companion, working partner, and Delta Society Pet Partner

***

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

Above and beyond their place as family companions and  in traditional service occupations, dogs in Rhode Island 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 and 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.  Additionally, over 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 nationwide.

National Canine Research Council

What is a dog bite?

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

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 lowering the number of reported dog-related injuries nationwide.

National Canine Research Council

Over the past 45 years (1965-present) the has only been one (1) dog bite-related fatality in Rhode Island.

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.

The one fatality occurred in 2005, when a 1-week-old newborn was left unattended with a dog. (Coventry)

Dog are a negligible cause of mortality in Rhode Island:

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

In 2005, five (5) Rhode Island children died as a result of maltreatment (abuse, neglect).

In a single year, 2005, five times as many Rhode Island children died from maltreatment that the total of all children killed by dogs in the state over the past 44 years.

***

Fact is, people in Rhode Island routinely accept far great risks from bicycles and swimming pools than any that are associated with companion animals.

National Canine Research Council

: