Dog Bites Jump 37 Percent Cdc Blames Increase On People Buying More Ferocious Dogs

Dog bites serious enough to require medical care increased 37 percent in the United States between 1986 and 1994, partly because people are buying more ferocious dogs for protection, the government said Thursday.

In the past two years, Rottweilers were responsible for 10 deaths - about half the 22 dog-bite deaths in which the breed was known, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.

The CDC said 800,000 people had to seek medical care for a dog bite in 1994, up from 585,000 in 1986.

“That means that every 40 seconds, somebody is seeing a doctor because of a dog bite,” said Dr. Jeffrey Sacks, a CDC epidemiologist. “I’d call that worthy of more attention.”

Health officials said there could be many reasons for the increase, including improved reporting of dog bites and irresponsible pet owners who buy ferocious dogs for protection but do not train them.

Also, Sacks said, “There is a widespread ignorance about proper etiquette and how to behave around a dog, particularly among children. In many cases, they haven’t been taught.”

“We’ve kind of accepted that when dog bites man, it’s not news and we treat it like the common cold,” said Randall Lockwood, vice president of training for the Humane Society of he United States. “We need to rethink this.”

The number of fatal dog attacks across the country shot up in 1989-90 to 35 deaths but has otherwise been fairly stable since the early 1980s, at around 20 a year. But the breeds responsible have changed: In 1979, Great Danes were to blame for three deaths, the most of any breed that year.

Rottweilers have soared in popularity in the past few years. Next to Labradors, Rottweilers are the most popular breed. In 1996, 7,932 Rottweilers were registered in the United States, compared with 12,106 Labradors. There are an estimated 55 million dogs in the United States.