Survey about dog bites

[stacwase]

I'm doing a survey to find out a few things. Please answer even if your dog has never bitten. I'd like to know what percentage of dog bites are called in to animal control, according to breed.

Let's define "dog bite" as the dog putting its teeth on somebody in a way which alarms them. Please say "yes" even if the teeth didn't break the skin, but don't count the little puppy play nips that we all get when we're horsing around with our dogs.

1. What kinds of dogs have you had? How many of each?

2. Have the dogs bitten? If so, was the person bitten a stranger or a friend/family member?

3. Did the person who was bitten notify animal control or the police?

I'd like to determine the percentage of each breed that have bitten, compared to the percentage which have been turned in for biting. My hypothesis is that certain dog breeds are turned in more often for biting and therefore have a false reputation for being aggressive.

My answers:

In my entire life, including my childhood, I have had:

1 terrier mix, no bites
1 beagle, no bites
1 poodle, no bites

1 malamute with one severe bite of the landlord, one bite to my brother who was a child at the time, and a few narrow escapes. She was put down, and if she hadn't been the police would have been notified so I'll count that as a "yes" for notification of animal control. (I must say, in her defense, that we adopted her as a ferral dog)

2 poodle mixes, one who bit a strange child and animal control was notified
1 german shepherd, no bites
1 german shepherd mix, bit a family friend, animal control not notified
2 mixes of unknown breeds, no bites
and 1 Sheltie, no bites

[ChrisH]

Judy, Wirehaired Terrier, no bites.
Sandy, unknown mix, no bites.
Lester, Jack Russell, no bites.
Prince, Labrador, no bites.
Duke, GSD, no bites.
Blue, Lab/Gsd mix, no bites.

Prince, Doberman. He bit my sons hand as he was freeing him from being stuck in a bike wheel. No report made, we figured the bite was from fear and pain.

Max, Doberman, no bites.
Duchess, Sheltie mix, no bites.
Penny, Gsd, no bites.

Bob, ESS. He bit ME!! First dog bite ever! Three years ago, a short time after having neuter surgery. He had been having a very painful time - at one time the surgery point had swollen up to the size of a large ball! The bite happened as we were on our way out for his daily walk, his leash got caught around his legs, I went to free it and wham! Nothing since, but I have to say it really, really, shook me up and I still don`t completely trust him.

[Pam]

6 poodles (4 deceased and 2 alive) and no bites.

When I was a child my parents rescued a mixed breed dog from a shelter (he was called a Manchester terrier cross). He bit my dad when he put his hand near his food bowl when he was eating. He went right back to the shelter but no one was called.

[Cheshirekatt]

Patches-pitbull/cconhound mix-no bites

Petie-German Shepard-no bites

Wilma-pitbull-No bites

George-Mastiff mix-no bites

Joxer-boxer/pitbull-no bites

Buford-mastiff/hound mix-bit my bf while he was trying to break up a dog fight. In his favour, he was going after the other dog and went totally limp and ran outside when he realized he'd bit my bf! AC was not notified. :)

To be honest, I'd never have a dog that's not trustworthy. If my dogs ever bit anyone non-provoked, I'd have them put down. Too much liability.

[ChrisH]

Originally posted by Cheshirekatt
........To be honest, I'd never have a dog that's not trustworthy. If my dogs ever bit anyone non-provoked, I'd have them put down. Too much liability.
Bob bit me because he was hurting and when I touched him his reaction was the bite, even so I guess you could call it unprovoked. The feeling of caution I have with him is solely from the shock of that incident three years ago. If I truly thought Bob wasn`t trustworthy, he would not be here now. And for certain, if he had ever even attempted to bite me or anyone, ever again, provoked or not, and as much as I love him, he would be gone.

Christine

[Cheshirekatt]

Originally posted by ChrisH
Bob bit me because he was hurting and when I touched him his reaction was the bite, even so I guess you could call it unprovoked. The feeling of caution I have with him is solely from the shock of that incident three years ago. If I truly thought Bob wasn`t trustworthy, he would not be here now. And for certain, if he had ever even attempted to bite me or anyone, ever again, provoked or not, and as much as I love him, he would be gone.

Christine

That's pretty much what I meant. :)

Yes, when Buford bit Chris is was unprovoked, but it was a dog fight and Chris did stick his hand in Buford's mouth. My idea of an unprovoked bite is if someone were to reach out a pet one of my dogs and my dog bit the person. Does that make sense??

:D

[PJ's Mom]

1 rottie
1 cocker spaniel
1 mutt
1 cocker spaniel - The dog was a stray that we picked up, treated for heartworms and decided to keep.

He bit my daughter on the face when she bent down to give him a hug. Because of the severity of the bite, she had to be taken to the hospital and AC had to be notified (it's the law) My Opus was identified as being unable to be put with another family, so he was put to sleep that day. :( It was probably one of the worst days of my life.

[pitc9]

Candy GSD Mix - no bites

Toby GSD Mix - 1st bite - stranger in the yard and no one was home. (good girl!)
2nd bite - my scary uncle who the first time he met her, he bent down in her face and growled at her to "Show her who's boss" he turned around to walk away, and she bite him on the butt (hee hee... serves you right!)
3rd - Gas Man when he was walking into my house Toby's latch broke and she bite him.
Never breaking skin on anyone, and never had animal control involved.

Sierra GSD - she nips people on the butt if they walk through the yard to fast
Buddy GSD - no bites
Both Sierra and Buddy are VERY protective of there yard, now we have a pen inside our fenced in yard to protect our guest's and there butts!!!

[KYS]

2 Akita's: no bites
2 terriers: no bites
1 poodle/terrier mix: no bites
1 Akita/GSD mix: 1 nipped my nephew.
1 lab/gsd mix: 1 nipped a stranger.


family dogs growing up:
maltese: no bite
2 GSD: no bites
1 GSD: 1 bite a stranger.
1 lab: no bites

[binka_nugget]

1 sheltie - no bite (I guess you could say two shelties but we've only had him for 24 hours. So far so good though...:o)

[Karen]

One GSD mix, former stray - no bites
Two Saint Bernards - no bites
One Great Dane (1/4 Lab) - no bites


I have a scar on my face from a neighbor's terrier mix who did bite me. I don't blame Reggie, I was four years old, so bigger than him, and what I thought was a friendly hug he probably interpreted as a dominance/attack maneuver.

[Fox-Gal]

In my life time

7 Boxers, ....only one ever bite any one, but he was a trained attack dog.
MinPin,...... nips all the time, no real bites
Great dane,... 1 time, only because my husband got in the way of a dog fight.
Lab,.... never
Beagle....never
Hound...never
Pom.......never
Rottie.....1 bite. no one called it in.
Terrier.....1 bite, a child but, the parents didn't call it in. They said it was their childs fault. The little boy kicked him in the ribs and when my dog tried to get away the boy came after him and kicked a few more times. He had enough of this so he bit. The boy got a good size cut on his leg but as the parents said, thats a reminder to never kick a dog again. Last time they dog sat for me.

[micki76]

1 chi/terrier mix no bites
3 westies - no bites
1 toy fox terrier - no bites
1 shih tzu - no teeth with which to bite (but would if teeth were available)
1 jrt mix - nips when excited, probably would fear bite a child (hates the loud ones)

[wolfsoul]

Newfoundland (Bear) -- no bites
American Bulldog (Spudz) -- 1 bite, not severe. He bit me because I pulled his whisker (I was only 5 lol).
2 German shepherd dogs (Leather and Polar) -- Lots for Leather. One severe. Dumb lady stuck her head into the vehicle and Leather tore into her face. None for Polar. He was only a puppy when he died.
German shepherd/doberman/border collie/lab cross (Stitch) -- No bites
Pomeranian (Polly)- no bites
Siberian husky (Ckeeko) - no bites
Rottweiller (Zoe) - a few bites, none severe. She wasn't trained when these people dumped her at my dad's house, so she bit me a couple times and my dad. No reasons.
Miniature pinscher (Guy) -- Lots, none severe. Mostly children; he bit when people touched anywhere other than his head.
Chesapeake bay retriever (Samurai) - none.
...Uhhh...1 Timber lmao -- none. She's too much of a wimp. :rolleyes:

[tikeyas_mom]

1. What kinds of dogs have you had? How many of each?

I have had 3muts...
2 malamutes...
3 siberian huskies...
1 shih tzu...
2 cocker spaniels...


2. Have the dogs bitten? If so, was the person bitten a stranger or a friend/family member?

muts didnt bite.
1 of the malamutes came down with distemper and she bit my lil brother.
none of the siberian huskies bit anyone.
the shih tzu doesnt bite.
and the cockers didnt bite.

3. Did the person who was bitten notify animal control or the police?

my parents made the desaision to put the malamute to sleep.. :(:(

[cali]

1. What kinds of dogs have you had? How many of each?
1 sheltie mix
2 border collies
1 jack russle
1 schipperkie/bosten terrier


2. Have the dogs bitten? If so, was the person bitten a stranger or a friend/family member?
shadow(sheltie mix) has bitten, once a young child and broke the skin, she had to go to the docter and get our info, like has she had her rabies shot recently?(1 month before, thi swas a while ago, and she bite the vet for it :p) and she has bitten me several times, but never broke the skin
perky(JRT) has bite me several times, nothing severe, just painful :)

3. Did the person who was bitten notify animal control or the police?
the little girl who was bit, they notified animal control, its required by law, the docter is required to report any bites, so she was quarinteind at out house for 10 days, now that she is on a proper diet, she never bites, or acts the least bite aggressive any more
:D

[kingrattus]

1. What kinds of dogs have you had? How many of each?

1. Missy a sm to med sized mut.
2. Max lab, rotti, pitt bull mix.

2. Have the dogs bitten? If so, was the person bitten a stranger or a friend/family member?

1. I don't think Missy ever bit anyone.
2. Max bit me several times only because he was very very ill & wasn't right in his mind.
- Max had 1 real bite. The #1 rule in the house is to leave the dog bones alone. Well my sis's stupid friend took his bone off the table & teased him a bit & then sat on it. Max took her crap for about 30 mins & then he bit her hand (no marks), tossed her off "his" couch & walked off with his bone... Her mother was proud of Max for only bitting & not mauling.. the mother said she deserved what she got.

3. Did the person who was bitten notify animal control or the police?
Nope, there was no need.

[wolf_Q]

Poodle--many bites, one serious
Schnauzer--snappy but never really bitten
Siberian Husky--no bites

Many years ago my sister bent over and tried to take a bone from Smokey. He jumped up and severly bit her face, to the point where she required plastic surgery on her nose. I think we were advised to put him down, but we didn't. My sister was aware he'd bite, and she was the idiot who tried (she was teasing him) to take the bone away. He bites at people all the time, but well, he's a 17 year old grumpy dog, and luckily, they don't hurt because he has basically no teeth.

[lovemyshiba]

My family has had:
a beagle--no bites
a golden retriever--no bites to humans, but was terribly aggressive with other dogs, and attacked one almost to death one day--we found out he had a brain tumor
a golden/ husky mix--no bites

Now I have:
a rottweiler--no bites
a beagle--no bites
a lab--nothing but play nips
a shiba inu--one bite to the girl next door--she came running at him--it broke the skin a little bit, but was not serious, and no one was called, and one bite to me--didn't even break the skin--I was holding him when kids and other dogs were around, and he desparately wanted to get down
and one bite to our beagle--she needed stitches:( (in all fairness, they had a super yummy bone, and that's how the fight started)

[Glacier]

The only time any of my own dogs have bitten, it's been my fault. In every instance, I was breaking up a fight. I knew that I was going to get nailed, but didn't have much choice. Kayleigh was the worst offender. She's nailed me once and my husband three times, always in a fight. She's never attacked unprovoked or shown aggression towards humans. She always reacts immediately when she hits skin instead of fur and stops. We've discussed putting her down, but decided that wasn't the right option for her. If she were ever to show human aggression, we would have to reconsider. Dog aggression and human aggression are separate issues. We now keep her separated from the other dogs, except when she's in harness. No more fights, no more bites!

Preacher bit me once when he first lost his sight. He was defending a rawhide from another dog and I reached in to take the treat away. Totally forgot he couldn't see that it was me, not Franklin. He was immediately sorry and submissive. Now I warn him verbally before I take anything from him.

[kingrattus]

I've never been bitten by one of my dogs. I've been bitten twice from my old babysitters dog & that was 100% unprevoked. I tossed her the ball & she would drop it in my lap & I did that a few times & then she bit my nose for no reason.. I thought nothing of it & tossed the ball a few more times & she did it again but march harder, I yelled at her & went home, I was about 9... 2 winters ago I was bitten by a pitt bull, but he wasn't a bad dog at all... he was at the shelter when I was working & I chose him as one of my training dogs & he ended up getting horribly attached to me & when it was time to work with another dog & went nuts & I went over to give him some attention & calm him down, he kept jumping up on me & bitting my coat & pulling me into his area & not letting me leave. The he bit my arm to bring me in closer & ended up marking my arm all up & I had 2 quater sized bruses... I was forced to stop working with him because he wanted my love too much & he was ready to do anything for it, including killing the other dogs... I was sooo upset because he was sooo obident & smart... u give a comand & he would stare at u until u told him to do something else... Luckly he was sent to a pitt bull rescue...

[ParNone]

1. What kinds of dogs have you had? How many of each?

As a kid, we had the following:
1 Poodle mix
1 Wired-haired Fox terrier
1 Lhasa apso

My dogs as an adult:
2 Cairn Terriers
1 Collie

2. Have the dogs bitten? If so, was the person bitten a stranger or a friend/family member?

The only truly people aggressive dog of the 6 was the lhasa apso.
He latched onto my Uncle's cowboy boot, when my Uncle tried
to rough house play with him, like he would with his labs. He
was forewarned, but didn't listen.

Several times he scared my mom to the point where she jumped
up on a counter to get away from him. He was very dominant
and viewed her as a lower pack member.

He's the reason, I'll only get dog breeds known for being
overly people friendly.

3. Did the person who was bitten notify animal control or the police?

No need to notify animal control, because he didn't actually
break the skin. Thank goodness for thick skinned cowboy
boots.

Par...

[stacwase]

thanks for all the responses - keep 'em coming!

[Kater]

1. What kinds of dogs have you had? How many of each?
1 Border Collie, Jack.

2. Have the dogs bitten? If so, was the person bitten a stranger or a friend/family member?
Jack never bit or even nipped anyone.
But his brother, Bandit, did bite a family member at least once.

3. Did the person who was bitten notify animal control or the police?
Not sure. But they relinquished Bandit to our local Humane Society and he was adopted out, not PTS.

[blaurie2]

1. poodle/terrier mix chased men (she was abused before we adopted her), would get their pant legs. after several years she bit a visiting girl, it was reported and she was put down.

[Tina]

Dogs My Family has had:

2 Cocker Spaniels- 1 did bite we are not sure why though. He bit a neighbor but they did not call anyone.

1 Chow- No bites

1 Cocker/Lab mix- he bit me once on the face. But there was no blood. I blame myself I was reaching down where his food was.

1 Sheltie- No bites.

2 Poodle mixes-No bites.

2 mutts(unknown mixes)-No bites.

My Dogs:

1 Beagle/Lab mix- No bites.

1 Husky mix- No bites.

1 Chi/Miniature Pinscher mix- No bites.

1 Collie/Spitz mix- No bites.

1 Chi/MinPin/Terrier mix- No bites.

[cloverfdx]

former dogs
1 Border collie X Samoyed- no bites
1 Blue heeler X -no bite (that i know of)

Present dogs

1 JRT x chi/min foxi ????- snappy with certain people, a couple of bites where the skin was broken (me included)

1 Rotti x red heeler- no bites

1 chihuahua- no bites


with penny the JRT X the bites have been from IDIOTS teasing her, eg trying to take bones off her agressivly, poking and hitting her:mad: *cough* ex-father *cough* poking at her with object to make her attack, then blame the dog and say she should be PTS:mad:

[mruffruff]

Austrailian terrier-never (RB)
Doberman/Rotweiler-never (RB)
Belgian Shepherd- bit 2 kids at separate times; thought she was protecting me. Got progressively worse. One report to authorities. (RB)
Shepherd/hound - never
Chow/lab-never
Shih Tsu/poodle- never
shaggy mix-never

The hardest thing I've ever had to do was put the shepherd down. I just couldn't trust her at all.

Mary

[Dixie Belle]

Serena--beagle--no bites
Justin--golden retriever--no bites
Mama--mutt--no bites
Prince--mutt--tried my husband. My husband always said it was his fault, that he scared Prince.
Blue--dalmation--Bit my husband's uncle, who had come home covered in deer sent and startled Blue out of sleep. Never reported it. A neighbor, I can't remember if he did bite him, or just tried to. But they guy didn't report it. Then he really got hold of my ex-brother-in-law. Even though he had to get stiches, he defended Blue, saying that the dog was just doing his job.
Belle--St. Bernard--no bites
Missie--boxer--no bites

[CJ7Boomer]

Jasmine-shepard- bit twice
she was our guard dog and was outside with my father. my father doesnt know how to train a dog he lets them get away with anything- it was my moms dog. a stranger pulled in and got out and my dad didnt even tell her to sit or stay and she ran over and bit the guy on the butt. he called animal control- it broke the skin. and the other time was the same situation. people pull in ignore the beware of dog signs get out and walk around. we have signs al over for private property- so strangers arent allowed in lol. both times it was the jahova's witnesses. So then the police/animal control told us that if she bit a 3rd time shed have to be put down. So my parents put a gate at the end of our driveway.

Throughout my life weve had over 20 dogs- mostly shepards and she was the only one who bit anybody.