Michigan
Are Dogs A Real Danger?
A National Canine Research Council Perspective Report
Over the past 43 years (1965 - present) there have 30 fatal dog attacks in Michigan, or approximately one (1) fatal attack every 1 to 2 years.
At least twelve (12) different breeds/types of dogs have been identified in the fatal attacks in Michigan.*
* Note: Four (4) of the fatal attacks in Michigan were inflicted by Wolf dogs. This is noted due to the fact that Wolf dogs are not a domestic dog, and arguably should not be grouped alongside domestic dogs in statistics on fatal attacks without an acknowledgement to the wolf, ( i.e., "wild") component of the animal's make-up.
The victims were: 8 adults, 2 teenagers and 20 children.
A significant number of the fatal dog attacks in Michigan involved extreme negligence, abuse, recklessness or criminal intent on the part of owners:
A 1983 fatality involved a 3-year-old boy allowed to wander out, unsupervised, to where his parents kept 25 chained, breeding dogs. He was killed by a female dog with a litter of newborn puppies.
A 1988 fatality involved a Detroit man who commanded his dog to attack another man, while the owner also kicked and stabbed the victim. The victim died from blunt force trauma (inflicted by the owner) and from dog bites (inflicted on command from the owner).
A 1989 fatality involved a 1-day-old infant left on a trash heap by his mother in Imlay City, and the infant was then found and mauled by stray dogs.
In 1992, G. Trotter was convicted of involuntary manslaughter after she allowed her 2-year-old nephew to be exposed to her dogs which she kept in the basement and had a known history of aggression.
A 2005 fatality involved two dogs abandoned without food or water in the basement of a rowhouse. In desperation the dogs consumed whatever items they could find, including: paper, cardboard, rubber bands and rat poison. The effects of starvation, isolation, abandonment and ingestion of rat poison resulted in the dogs attacking and killing a girl in the alleyway next to the vacated house from which they escaped.
In spite of the abusive and dangerous ownership practices of some dog owners, dogs still pose an incredibly low risk for causing a fatality as demonstrated by the following statistics:
Fatal Dog Attacks in
Snapshot of Michigan: 2005
Fatal dog attacks:
3
Death after contact w/ hornets, bees or wasps:
3
Fatal hunting accidents:
3
Persons drowned in bathtub or swimming pool:
26 *
Bicycle-related fatalities:
30
ATV-related fatalities:
39
Alcohol-related traffic fatalities:
438
Total traffic fatalities (alcohol & non):
1,129
Tobacco-related deaths:
> 16,000
* 14 out of the 26 deaths in bathtubs or swimming pools were 1-4 year old children.
According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services:
In 2005, 48 Michigan children died from maltreatment (abuse/neglect).
In a SINGLE YEAR (2005), more than TWICE as many
So, are dogs a danger? Fact is, people in Michigan routinely accept far greater risks from ATVs and bicycles than any that are associated with companion animals.
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