The California dog bite lawyers at BISNAR | CHASE have represented numerous victims of dog attacks, a majority of whom were injured by pit bulls and rottweilers. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control, which releases statistics about dog bite incidents, does not mention dog breeds any more probably because of pressure from pit bull advocates, who probably know that their favorite breed of dog will top those charts. But a nonprofit organization in Seattle called Dogsbite.org has released 2005 dog bite statistics and categorized the number of dog attacks by breed.

California Leads States in Dog Bite Deaths

According to group's report released this week, in 2005, out of 28 U.S. fatal dog attacks in 2005, the most fatalities were in California (four incidents), followed by the states of Georgia, Michigan, Texas and Virginia, with three incidents each. Of the 28 fatalities, pit bull type dogs were responsible for 57 percent. Pit bulls make up for about 2 to 9 percent of the American dog population. Here is another telling statistic: Pit bulls and rottweilers together account for 75 percent of all fatal dog attacks in the United States.

The report also finds that 46 percent of the attacks happened to children 11 years and under and 46 percent happened to adults 21 years and older. Also, 57 percent of the fatal attacks in 2005 involved multiple dogs. In California, especially, we see that the most horrific incidents have involved pit bulls or other dogs that run loose in pairs or packs.

Changes in Dangerous Dog Laws

The report also tells the tragic stories of dog bite victims who died in 2005. There were four in California. The first was 6-year-old Tyler Babcock, who was killed by two pit bulls in Clovis, California. The dogs had torn off his clothes and mauled him to death. No charges were filed in that case, but Tyler's family successfully lobbied for stricter dog laws leading to the passage of Tyler's Law, which gives authorities more power to take aggressive dogs off the street. The family also gathered signatures for SB 861, which would allow California cities and counties to regulate the spaying, neutering and breeding of specific dog breeds. That bill authorized the cities of San Francisco, Manteca, Lancaster and Ripon, among others, to pass mandatory pit bull sterilization laws. I commend Tyler's family for lobbying to get these laws passed. In the process of doing so, they have saved several lives and many other victims from suffering serious injuries.

Other California victims in 2005 were 12-year-old Nicholas Faibish of San Francisco, who was mauled by two of his family's pit bulls; 16-month-old Cassandra Garcia of Glendale, who was ripped from her mother's arms by her grandmother's pit bull and mauled to death; and 86-year-old Mike Rocha Gomez of West Covina, who was attacked and killed by two loose dogs while on his morning walk. My heart goes out to all these families.

While dog owners should be responsible for their animals, cities, counties and government agencies should also act to change outdate dangerous dog ordinances to include important provisions such as mandating liability insurance coverage for all dog owners, but especially for those who own certain breeds of dogs that have been proven to be dangerous. If you or a loved one has been injured as a result of a dog attack, please consult with an experienced California personal injury lawyer, who will fight for your rights and hold negligent dog owners responsible.

The BISNAR|CHASE personal injury law firm is not representing any of the parties mentioned in this article at the time the article was posted. Our information source is cited in the article. If you were involved in this incident or a similar incident and have questions as to your rights and options, call us or another reputable law firm. Do not act solely upon the information provided herein. Get a consultation. The best law firms will provide a free consultation. We provide a free, confidential consultation to not at fault persons named in this article. The free consultation offer extends to family members as well.

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