California Sees Record Number of Dog Bites Throughout State

A COVID puppies growing up to be a major health concern? The latest California data indicates that they are. A growing number of emergency room visits, hospitalizations, and deaths from dog bites are being recorded throughout the state. In 2022, there were 48,596 emergency room visits for dog bites in California. That’s 125 visits per 100,000 residents. That figure marks a 70% increase in the rate of visits from 2005, according to the state Department of Health Care Access and Information. The rate of hospitalizations roughly doubled from 2006 to 2022.

While deaths from dog bites remain rare, the rate of deaths rose about 70% during the same period, with 28 deaths throughout the state from 2018 to 2022. Nationally, dog bites accounted for 96 deaths in 2022. But the death rate more than doubled from 2005 to 2022, according to data gleaned from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

COVID puppies cause of growing concern

 It’s true that even before the pandemic, more Americans were welcoming dogs into their homes. The American Veterinary Medical Association estimates that households nationwide owned about 86 million dogs in 2020. That figure is up by 62 million from 2001. Yet it still doesn’t account for the uptick in dog bites. The pandemic would accelerate this trend as millions of Americans adopted puppies during that period of isolation.

But the lockdowns kept these puppies from being socialized. To develop in a healthy way, puppies need to learn acceptable behavior between their first three and 16 weeks of life. COVID puppies tend not to be used to individuals outside of their immediate family and behave aggressively toward them. Is this resulting in an increase in dog bite cases? It certainly seems that way.

As poorly socialized puppies become adults, the risk to the public increases. From 2021 to 2022, the number of ER visits in California for dog bites grew 12%. This marked the highest yearly total to date. Although a recent study did not show a nationwide increase in the rate of ER visits related to dog bites from 2005 to 2018, several national studies did show an increase in the proportion of ER visits due to dog bites during the pandemic.

Dog bite injuries and lawsuits 

Saying that your pooch is a COVID puppy is not a defense to a dog bite lawsuit. If you are attacked by a neighbor’s dog or your dog attacks your neighbor, the responsibility falls on the dog’s owner to make the injured party whole. California is a strict liability state when it comes to dog bites. This means that a plaintiff does not need to prove that the owner knew the dog was dangerous prior to the injury. They only need to establish that they were injured by the dog to win their case.

Talk to a Oakland, CA Dog Bite Injury Attorney Today 

If you’ve been bitten by an aggressive or dangerous dog, the Oakland personal injury attorneys at Venardi Zurada can help you file a lawsuit against the owner and recover damages related to your medical expenses, lost wages, and reduced quality of life. Call today to learn more.