Dog bite claims fall, except for mail carriers

Pawsitive Vybe S2E8 - Bite for Drive

But the insurer still cited 3,670 dog bite claims, costing an average of $29,522 for everything from stitches and shots to lawsuits and reconstructive surgery. Fido's lenience was not extended to the U.S. Postal Service, which reported 5,879 bites and attacks last year, 274 more than in 2011. As states continue to crack down on biting dogs and to enact leash laws, the 43 million dog-owning households are increasingly on guard against losing their best friends to animal control and paying through the nose for victims' medical costs and lawsuits, says Loretta Worters, Vice President of the Insurance Information Institute. "There's two lies we hear at the Postal Service. One is, "The check's in the mail," and two is, "My dog won't bite,' " says Mark Saunders, USPS spokesman. He adds that it's almost never the postal service's fault that you haven't received your check, and usually the person who owes you just hasn't sent it yet. Leading the list of dog bite claims were California, coming in first, with 451 claims costing $17.1 million; Illinois at 337 claims costing $9 million at second; and Texas with 236 claims costing $4.3 million at third.
For the original version including any supplementary images or video, visit http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/personalfinance/2013/05/16/dog-bite-stats/2166543/

Police dog bites costly for Pierce Co. taxpayers

Jones was not an innocent bystander. Hed had multiple encounters with police and had run from them before. Jones was bitten when police knocked on the front door of a house where he was staying and he walked out a back door. Before I could turn around, I was down on the ground, (an) officer hits me with a flashlight and I got a big dog on my arm, Jones said. Jones said the deputy gave no warning he was about to unleash a dog even though he was standing only a few feet away. He also said the officer didnt pull off the dog right away. These dogs are trained to hurt people severely. He knew that, but just let the dog keep chewing on me. Jones is suing claiming the use of force was excessive. Troyer said Jones has no one to blame but himself. In this particular case, he knew we were there, he attempted to run, had multiple times, and we used a dog to keep him from doing that. There are currently three claims pending against Pierce County, filed by people who were bitten by K-9s, according to Mark Maenhout, Director of Risk Management.
For the original version including any supplementary images or video, visit http://www.king5.com/news/investigators/Police-dog-bites-costly-for-Pierce-County-taxpayers-217846211.html

Dog bite infection costs Canadian her arm, legs

"Dog bites are the ninth leading cause of unintentional nonfatal injury to children ages 5-9," Kathy Voigt, president of Prevent The Bite , tells ABC News. "More than 2 million children are bitten by dogs every year, and most bites are from their own dog or a dog they know well. The majority of bites to smaller children are in their face and head." Getty Images Insurers last year paid out $489 million for... View Full Size Getty Images Insurers last year paid out $489 million for claims involving dog bites in the home. The scenario that keeps Emily Patterson, animal welfare scientist for the American Veterinary Medical Association , awake at night, she says, is a very young child left alone with the family dog. Children are easy to injure, she notes. They tend to do "surprising things." And dogs, she noteseven the nicest and most loving onesdo not always respond well to surprises.
For the original version including any supplementary images or video, visit http://abcnews.go.com/Business/dogs-bite-insurance-industry-479-million/story?id=19274676

Dogs Put $489M Bite on Home Insurance Industry

Christine Caron, 49, a single mother of four, was reportedly playing tug-o-war with her three-year-old Shih Tzu, named Buster, when the dog accidentally "nicked" one of her knuckles while attempting to get a better grip on the rope. Her three other dogs came over and licked the wound. "It didn't seem like a big deal," she told the daily Ottawa Citizen. Days later she fell into a coma, and when she awoke in hospital six weeks later doctors told her they would have to amputate three of her limbs after the infection spread. The Capnocytophaga canimorsus bacteria responsible for the infection is commonly found in dog saliva, but rarely leads to infection in humans. According to the Public Health Agency of Canada, only 200 human cases have been reported worldwide since 1976.
For the original version including any supplementary images or video, visit http://www.foxnews.com/world/2013/07/22/dog-bite-infection-costs-canadian-her-arm-legs/

Caren Henry was out walking her own dog when, This dog came racing across this yard, a big dog." The dog knocked her down and started biting her face, seriously injuring her nose. As the attack was happening, Caren's husband, Laine, was driving by. He immediately sprang into action: Caren turned and looked at me and I seen her face was nothing but blood, so I bit the dog literally in the nose and he let go and I grabbed our dog and I grabbed her and I put them in our pick-up and took off, he told the local NBC affiliate . The county has no vicious dog ordinance, so the dog who attacked Caren does not face the threat of being put down. [Shutterstock]
For the original version including any supplementary images or video, visit http://gawker.com/dog-bites-woman-man-bites-dog-490810042

Dog Bites Woman, Man Bites Dog

It can be used as a cookie, as a training tool, as a focus exercise, and to teach patience and safety in Drive. Pawsitive Vybe is a weekly 1/2 hour dog training & lifestyle webseries on YouTube that is seeking wider distribution and production support. It is self produced by the diarist and presented here as a public service to the woozle lovers of the dKos community. If you dig it, share it, it's free. crossposted @ Pawsitive Vybe Pay no attention to the little orange dust bunny... just look past it if you would.
For the original version including any supplementary images or video, visit http://www.dailykos.com/story/2013/08/03/1227409/-Pawsitive-Vybe-S2E8-Bite-for-Drive