NBC San Diego recently did an investigation tracking serious dog bite attacks in San Diego. Below is the information gathered relating to San Diego dog bites. The report found an increase in serious injuries from dog bites in San Diego County. Our San Diego Dog Bite attorneys caution all to review the information and dog bite map and take extra precaution when encountering dogs that you are unfamiliar with.
Analysis of Serious Dog Bite Injuries in San Diego:
In recent years, California has seen the most deadly dog bites across the country. Last year, five people were killed, most of them in San Diego County, according to national data from the Center for Disease Control.
The San Diego County Department of Animal Services, which investigates more than 2,500 reports of dog bites every year, tracks where dangerous dogs live, but the agency doesn’t present that information to the public. The agency also maintains the address of record for dogs that have caused serious bites to humans.
NBC San Diego obtained the information through the California Public Records Act and mapped out. Click here to see the map and find out if there are dogs in your neighborhood with a history of biting and causing injury. Note, the dogs identified in the map are only those that caused serious injury from their bite. A serious bite is defined by Animal Services as “a substantial impairment of a person’s physical condition which requires professional medical treatment, including loss of consciousness, concussion, bone fracture, protracted loss or impairment of function of a bodily member or organ, a muscle tear, a disfiguring laceration, a wound requiring multiple sutures or an injury that requires surgery to restore the person to the condition the person was in before the incident that resulted in the injury.”
NBC7 Investigates examined data from 7,600 reports of bites between July 2011 and June 2014 in the jurisdiction of Animal Services, which includes the unincorporated portion of the county as well as the cities of San Diego, Carlsbad, Santee, Solana Beach, Del Mar and Encinitas. They found the number of reports of serious injuries from dog bites increased 28 percent between 2012 and 2013. They also found the data from San Diego Animal Services shows over the past year, the zip codes including the City Heights and Encanto neighborhoods had the most dog bites in the area, with 94 each. Zip code 92102, which includes the Golden Hill neighborhood had the next most, with 86 bites reported. The zip code which includes the Fallbrook neighborhood had 85.
What Breed of Dog is Biting the Most in San Diego?
NBC7 Investigates also examined the reports to see which breed of dogs were biting the most. The Pitbull was the breed with the most bites reported, a total of 851 in a three year period. One hundred of those bites were listed as serious. The German Shepherd had the second most bites reported with 349 bites, followed by the Chihuahua with 333.
What Happens After A Dog Bites?
When a dog bites someone the animal has to be quarantined, usually in its home, but sometimes in the San Diego Animal Service Building. If the same dog bites anyone again, in the next four years, they are then classified as a “dangerous dog” according to San Diego Animal Services. Currently, 44 local dogs within Animal Services’ jurisdiction have earned that title.
Consult A San Diego Dog Bite Lawyer:
If you have been the victim of a dog bite and have been seriously injured, contact an experience dog bite attorney in San Diego. Our attorneys can assist you in our San Diego office (619-512-5995) or Riverside office (951-200-4630) or we can come to you.