Fatal dog attacks in the United States

Fatal dog attacks in the United States cause the deaths of thirty to fifty people each year.^[1] According to the National Center for Health Statistics, there were 468 deaths in the United States from being bitten or struck by a dog between 2011 and 2021.^[2] This is an average of 43 deaths annually, ranging from a low of 31 deaths in 2016 and a high of 81 deaths in 2021.^[2] More males were killed by dogs than females during the tracking decade.^[2] Children between the ages of one to four are most often the victims, accounting for 29.4% of the fatalities from dog attacks in 2022; those under the age of seventeen accounted for 56.7% of all fatalities that year.^[3]

Around 4.5 million Americans are bitten by dogs every year, resulting in some 800,000 seeking treatment from a doctor.^[3][4] Dogs not only cause morbidity and mortality as a result of bites, but they may also transmit zoonotic infections, which may also result in illness or death.^[5] It is estimated that 15% to 20% of dog bite wounds become infected, with occasional cases of meningitis and endocarditis leading to death.^[5][6] However, less than 1% of the 4.5 million dog bite incidents in 2022 resulted in a fatality.^[3]