The Sacramento Bee did an analysis recently and found more than 2800 dog bite reports citywide between May of 2012 and May of 2017. Many of these bites were severe enough to require immediate medical intervention and Animal Control says there is nothing they can do about it!
Gina Knepp is the Manger of the Front Street Shelter and says the city’s ability to respond proactively to the problem of aggressive and biting dogs – before people get injured – is limited. The city has only six animal control officers and that means there are never more than two on duty at any given time. The city recently reported a backlog of 275 active complaints from residents about dogs and other aggressive animals. This mirrors a report by the SPCA in 2013 regarding animal complaints in the region.
Pit bulls were the breed most commonly identified in the reports and accounted for more than a third of all incidents. Animal welfare officials say even these statistics are misleading in part because the pit bull isn’t a breed but a collection of breeds. Nationwide 4.5 million people are bitten each year. Dog bites account for more than one third of all homeowner insurance claims each year and that boils down to about 1,900 claims in just California with an average payout of $34,000.
While pit bulls are the most common breed of dog to attack the second most common is the Chihuahua. Victims and animal control officials identified over 125 breeds involved in dog bites during the 5 year period. Looking at bite trends by breed isn’t really accurate as many reports rely on how the owner identifies the breed of the dog according to Knepp. She went on to say that some of her employees think pit bulls have earned their reputation for violence. In 2014 a member of her staff responded to a call about a child being bit by a pit bull and was attacked by 2 other pit bulls during the investigation and used a metal clipboard and pepper spray to fend off the attack and required hospitalization as a result. If you have been attacked by a dog of any breed we may be able to help.
We represent people who are injured because of the careless and reckless acts of others. At the end of the day your case can only be settled one time and you need to know all of the facts beforehand. The reason that insurance companies have paid our clients in excess of $130,000,000.00 is that we get the facts and are not intimidated at the prospect of going to trial when they refuse to follow the law. We help with serious issues that require serious representation. We are the Law Offices of Guenard & Bozarth. We have over 80 years of experience in our plaintiff’s only law firm. Call GB Legal 24/7/365 at 888-809-1075 or visit www.gblegal.com We Can Help!
