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 Pinellas County Animal Services- Bites Reported


Bites Reported in Pinellas County

Graph of Bites reported in Pinellas County

YEAR 1995
1996
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003

2004

2005

2006
Total
2885
2747
2600
2718
2651
2610
2665
2695
2602

2424

2405

2177
Dog bites
1601
1677
1558
1707
1567
1513
1528
1627
1537

1469

1424

1262
Cat bites
1036
908
878
855
911
915
1001
923
911

819

859

818
Other
218
162
164
156
173
182
136
145
154

136

122

97


  • Dog bite injuries are the number one childhood public health problem reported each year.
  • Approximately 70% of all dog bites involve children.
  • Almost 50% of all children are bitten by age 18.
  • Dog bites represent 5% of all emergency room admissions.
  • 585,000 dog bite wounds require medical care each year.
  • Approximately 1 out of every 20 dogs bite someone each year.
  • 70% of the dog bites occur on the owner’s property.
  • Approximately 4.5 million reported dog bites annually in the U.S., the majority of dog bites go unreported.
  • Dogs that are not spayed or neutered are three times more likely to bite than sterilized ones.
  • “Any dog” potentially could be a biter. 
  • Pinellas County Animal Services provides training to Municipalities, Organizations, etc. on Animal Bite Prevention