Montgomery County dog bite stats so far in 2019

DAYTON, Ohio (WDTN) – Recording dog bite stats is a difficult job. Trying to dog bites by breed makes it even tougher.

Many dog bites and attacks go unreported. Every county health department in the Miami Valley has to rely on eye witness reports of what kind of breed the dog was. This means calculating bites by breed is not an exact science. Many departments don’t track bites by breed for this reason.

But the numbers are still important because they give county health officials an idea which breeds are biting or attacking people the most.

From Jan. 1, 2019 through Sept. 26, Montgomery County had 752 total dog bites, according to reports filed and collected by Public Health Dayton and Montgomery County.

The breed most identified was the Pit/Boxer mix at 195 – responsible for 25 percent of the bites this year, if witness reports were accurate.

Read the entire list below.

Dog Bites in Montgomery County

(Stats are from PHDMC and unverified)

Pitbull/Boxer mix	195
Mutt	56
German Shepherd	47
Labrador Mix	47
Australian Shepherd Mix	16
Cane Corso	14
Rottweiller	14
Husky Mix	13
American Rotweiller	11
Chi Mix	11
Terrier Mix	11
Golden Doodle	8
Chow Mix	7

*Dog breeds are not verified by Physical Health Dayton Montgomery County but are from eyewitness accounts and reports taken from the bite incident. These numbers do not reflect bites that are unreported.

How to avoid a dog attack

• Stay calm, dogs sense fear and anxiety.
• Avoid direct eye contact with an aggressive dog, stand slightly sideways to make yourself a narrow target, and keep animal in your peripheral vision.
• If the dog appears to be holding back, use a cane or umbrella (if you have one on hand), and stick it out to make yourself appear bigger (own your space, but don’t threaten the dogs’).

What to do if attacked by a dog

• If you’re blindsided, pull your arm out of your sweater, jacket or another item on yourself and let the dog attack it instead of you. You can also use a shoe.
• Protect your face, chest and throat. Keep your hands in fists to keep your fingers safer. If you are going to be bitten, the safest place is the shin or forearm. A bite to the thigh can result in fatal bleeding.
• If bitten, resist the urge to pull away. Pulling away will cause the bite to tear through more flesh.
• If the dog has bitten you and your hands are free, grab its back legs and lift it off the ground.
• Information from CesarsWay.com.