Wyoming
Are Dogs A Real Danger?
A National Canine Research Council Perspective Report
Over the past 43 years (1965 - 2007) there have been three (3) fatal dog attacks in Wyoming, or approximately one (1) fatality every decade.
The three fatal attacks involved three different breeds/types of dogs.
All dogs involved in fatal attacks in Wyoming were intact (not spayed or neutered).
All three cases involved owner negligence or abuse.
In 1979, two loose roaming dogs attacked a 5-year-old boy playing in an alley in Cheyenne.
In 1985, an two-month-old Evanston infant was left unattended with a dog inside a trailer.
In 2001, a 1-year-old girl wandered over to a visibly emaciated, starving dog chained to the side of a trailer. Three months earlier when the owner had acquired the dog, the dog had weighed 110 lbs. At the time it attacked the child the dog weighed 65 lbs. The owners were charged with involuntary manslaughter. In addition to the starving, intact male dog which attacked the child, there was also a female with puppies on site.
In spite of the recklessless, abusive or dangerous ownership practices of some dog owners, dog still pose an incredibly low risk for causing a fatalilty:
Fatal Dog Attacks in Wyoming as Compared to Other Selected Risks:
Snapshot of Wyoming: Year 2004
| Persons killed by dogs: | 0 |
| Child < 5 yrs. old poisoned: | 1 |
| Persons drowned in tub or swimming pool: | 4 |
| ATV-related fatalities: | 4 |
So are dogs a danger? Fact is, people in Wyoming routinely accept far greater risks from ATVs and swimming pools than any that are associated with companion animals.