According to this article in today's New York Times, hospital admissions for dog bites doubled between 1993 and 2008, with little increase in pet ownership and a far smaller increase in population. The report's author, Anne Elixhauser, a senior research scientist with the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, is "at a loss to explain it."
Well, we can suggest two possible reasons right off the bat: bigger dogs, particularly pit bulls, and the increasing trend, exemplified by New York City's barbaric rules, to let them all run loose in big cities where there are lots of victims nearby to bite.
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Follow the money! Who profits form more dogs? Big business! Dog food manufacturers and pet food stores.
The next victim a a wild dog bite should sue the owner of the dog and the companies that profit from all the dogs.
For too many people, getting a dog is a bad idea. They have no idea what they are getting into, choose breeds ill suited to their lifestyle, and believe that hugs and kisses are all that the dog needs in the way of training. Forget the strenuous demands of exercise (not satisfied by a half hour off leash, sorry) and the need to set limits. No wonder these owners are overwhelmed and the rest of us have to pay for their ignorance and laziness.
The dog pays for the owner's poor choices by having to spend most of its days alone and locked up in a crate. No wonder dog bites are increasing, it's amazing there aren't more! The off leash rules are more a sop to the busy owner's guilty conscience than anything else; only the smallest dogs can get their exercise needs met that way. An hour a day of hand walking at a minimum, is what most large breeds need and prefer, and they also get the one on one time with the owner in control, which is fundamental to any successful dog-owner relationship. A tired dog is a happy dog, but only when the human is in charge.
I have a 12 year old pit bull that is well loved as a family member and adored by people in the neighbourhood because she was properly trained as a puppy and exercised with long walks on a leash, usually around the park circle. At the peak of her strength I was walking this animal for 10 miles at a stretch on the weekends! People really have no idea how much attention a dog needs and how much work and effort is required to keep it calm and balanced and safe around people.
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