NJ Dog Bite Facts for Owners and Potential Victims
New Jersey is an anomalous state for dog attacks. Dogs are not particularly popular in the Garden State, yet New Jersey ranks among the highest risk states for dog bites. Many factors contribute to this situation, and we hope the facts we present in this article will help your understanding of the risks, both as an owner and a potential victim. At Razi & Giampa Law, we have seen the terrible consequences of dog attacks, and we wish our fellow Jerseyites nothing but safety.
How big a problem are dog bites in New Jersey?
Dog attacks are certainly problematic across the United States. According to the insurance information website thezebra.com, “there were 19,062 dog bite claims in the U.S. amounting to $1.1 billion in damages [in 2023].” That represented an increase of 15 percent in the number of claims and a 110 percent increase in the dollar amount from the previous decade. New Jersey has a relatively low rate of dog ownership, around 32 percent, which lands us in the bottom quintile of U.S. states. Yet, New Jersey is the number nine state for dog bites, with 649 claims valued at $40.4 million. How so? Are New Jersey dogs simply more vicious or neurotic? Well, not so fast, because, according to the U.S. Postal Service, where they know a thing or two about dog bites, New Jersey is not a top 10 dog bite state for letter carriers. So, maybe the bite frequency has a bit to do with how people behave around the dogs? More on that later.
Are certain breeds more likely to bite?
This is a controversial topic; some sources argue that certain breeds are inherently unsafe, while others claim the dog’s training and treatment are the driving factors behind viciousness. But what do the numbers tell us?
One organization, dogbite.org conducted a 13-year study of fatal dog attacks in the United States from 2005 to 2017. They list deaths by breed as follows:
- Pit bull — 284 deaths, 65.6 percent of total
- Rottweiler — 45 deaths, 10.4 percent of total
- German shepherd — 20 4. deaths, 6 percent of total
- Mixed-breed — 17 deaths, 3.9 percent of total
- American bulldog — 15 deaths, 3.5 percent of total
- Mastiff/Bullmastiff — 14 deaths, 3.2 percent of total
- Husky — 13 deaths, 3.0 percent of total
A combination of 33 dog breeds comprised less than nine percent of fatalities.
An alarming fact about pit bulls is that during the last three years of the study, this breed only comprised about 6.5 percent of the total U.S. dog population. (That was an increase of 63 percent from 2010 to 2012, when pit bulls were thought to make up only 4 percent of the canine population.) If less than seven percent of the dogs are doing two-thirds of the fatal mauling, perhaps the problem is with the breed. And perhaps we should be concerned that today pit bulls make up about 20 percent of the U.S. canine population.
But hold on one bone-picking minute, says pitbullinfo.org, a website claiming that 60 percent of biting dogs are misidentified as pit bulls, when they have no pit bull DNA. The site claims that “the leading causes of fatal dog attacks stem from preventable factors such as irresponsible ownership, neglect or abuse, failure to neuter dogs, and inadequate supervision of large or strong dogs around infants and children.”
Do pit bulls tend to bite because they are bought and bred to be guard dogs, or even attack dogs, by irresponsible owners who don’t appreciate the danger they’re creating? Is it also possible that a pit bull raised by a responsible owner, properly trained and socialized, would be no greater threat than your average Cocker Spaniel?
Pitbullinfo.org claims that when statistics are corrected to filter out dogs misidentified as pit bulls, the percentage of fatal bites corresponding to pit bulls drops to only 12 percent. That might satisfy some critics, but others would reply that most of the 53 percent of fatal attacks were committed by dogs that had some percentage of pit bull DNA, just not enough to be properly called a pit bull. So, even that small amount of DNA might turn a mutt into a killer.
Is socialization the key to ensuring a dog won’t bite?
Is the biting problem one of nature or nurture? According to an article from Forbes.com, reported bite incidents significantly decreased in major U.S. cities between 1972 and 2011. The article attributes the decrease to “the changing role of dogs within the family structure.” This theory goes that “As dogs have become increasingly viewed as important members of the family, more canines have received proper socialization … [and] spay/neuter movements have also been instrumental in reducing bite risks.”
Perhaps the owners of the biting breeds didn’t get this memo. Perhaps pit bulls and rottweilers are being selected for their biting prowess, which means they’re going to the owners who are least likely to train them out of any vicious tendencies.
What’s the safest approach to dealing with a neighbor’s dog?
It’s always good to be wary around a strange dog and mind your conduct until the dog gets to know you and develops a level of comfort around you. This is especially true around powerful breeds whose bites can inflict severe injury.
If you’re wondering how to behave around a dog you don’t know, a bit of advice from USPS might help. Postal letter carriers are trained to:
- Make a non-threatening noise or rattle a fence to alert a dog if entering a yard;
- Never startle a dog;
- Keep their eyes on any dog;
- Never assume a dog will not bite;
- Never attempt to pet or feed a dog; and
- Place their foot against an outward swinging door to prevent a dog from escaping.
You are safest around a dog when its owner is present and in control, but even then, a dog can act suddenly upon instinct if it feels threatened. If you believe a dog in your neighborhood presents a real and present danger, speak to the owner or authorities. New Jersey has a strict liability law for dog bites, but it’s always better to prevent an attack than seek compensation after one has occurred.
The personal injury attorneys at Razi & Giampa Law in Paramus represent victims of dog bites in Bergen County and throughout New Jersey. Call us today.
