For Policymakers and Animal Welfare Professionals

Animal Control Management: A Guide for Local Governments
from the International City/County Management Association

Dog Bites: Problems and Solutions by Janis Bradley, 2006.

A Policy Paper for Animals and Society Institute, www.animalsandsociety.org

• Scope of the Problem: Incidence of Dog Bite Fatalities and Injuries
• Existing and Proposed Legal Remedies
• Benefits of Dogs vs Risks

  "Any injury-prevention approach that significantly reduces the number of companion dogs would also risk removing the preventive effect these animals have on ailments that cause exponentially more loss of life and health than even the highest estimate of bite cases" (page 16).

• Recommendations: Effective Legislation and Education

  "If society wants 'people-safe' dogs, it must reject using them for protection and guarding" (page 2).

The Pit Bull Placebo: The Media, Myths, and Politics of Canine Aggression

by Karen Delise, 2007, www.nationalcanineresearchcouncil.com

• The author examines actual cases of severe dog attacks during the last 150 years: the circumstances, the individual dogs involved, the victims, and the interpretations of these events.
• The purpose of this examination is to address concerns about dog attacks and to offer a balanced perspective on the behavior of dogs and the critical role humans play in the management and treatment of their dogs.
• The author attempts to counter the present-day hysteria surrounding isolated cases of severe canine aggression.

" . . . dog attacks are rarely investigated in such a way that reveals the real reasons why dogs attack. And so we have routinely come to draw totally inaccurate conclusions about canine behavior. These inaccurate assessments often lead to breed-specific legislation which is not only of no value in keeping communities safe, but has caused much anguish to responsible dog owners and has doomed hundreds of thousands of dogs to exile or death" (page 174).