National Canine Research Council

Over the past 45 years (1965-present) there have been 63 fatal dog attacks in California, an average of one to two dog attack fatalities per year.

At least 15 different breed/types of dogs have been identified in connection with these incidents.

The victims were 16 adults and 47 children.

By far the most populous state, California is also the state with the most fatal dog attacks.

Nearly all of the fatal dog attacks on children in California involved an infant left unattended with an unfamiliar dog, or an unsupervised children that wandered out to the location of a dog, which include:

In 1971, a 21-month-old Hemet girl wandered out to a chained dog and was killed.

In 1978 , a 1-year-old  St. Helena boy wandered out to where 2 farm dogs were kept and was attacked and killed.

In 1980, a 2-year-old Ramona girl was killed after she wandered into her neighbor’s yard where 4 dogs were kept.

In 1981, a 21-month-old Redondo Beach boy was killed by the resident dog when he wandered into the backyard.

In 1984, a 3-year-old San Jose girl climbed her neighbor’s fence and was attacked by the dogs in the yard.

In 1986, a 4-year-old Tuttletown boy wandered away from his home and was attacked by stray dogs.

In 1993, a 2-year-old Portersville boy entered into a pen in which a chained dog was kept.  There were no witnesses to the subsequent attack.

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California prosecutors also lead the nation in securing felony convictions of negligent and abusive dog owners and/or parents. Since the 1970’s, at least ten (10) Californians have been convicted of manslaughter or involuntary manslaughter after their dogs were involved in a fatal attack.

In 1982, in what appears to be the first manslaughter conviction in California involving a fatal dog attack, Rex Harvey was convicted of involuntary manslaughter and sentenced to five years probation after his dogs fatally mauled his tenant. (San Diego)

In 1987, a young boy was killed after approaching a chained dog. A jury found the dog’s owner, M. Berry, who had intentionally trained his dog to be aggressive, guilty of involuntary manslaughter. The court sentenced Berry to a term of 3 years, 8 months. (Santa Clara)

In 2000, a 10-year-old boy was walking down a rural road with his friend in Newberry Springs.  James Chiavetta was the caretaker for the two dogs pictured above.  Although Mr. Chiavetta believed the dogs to be aggressive, as he reportedly would feed them by pushing their food bowls towards them with a stick, he nevertheless released the dogs off their chains to let them “run.”  The dogs ran out onto the road, and attacked 10-year-old Cash Carson.  The male dog (on the right) inflicted the majority of the injuires, including the fatal wound. Chiavetta was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter and received a 4 year sentence.

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In 2001, in the most publicized fatal dog attack in the history of the human/dog bond, a San Francisco  woman was mauled to death by her neighbor’s dog(s).  The ensuing criminal proceedings resulted in convictions and prison sentences for both owners of the dogs, M. Knoller and R. Noel.  (Photo above:  “Bane,”  the intact male dog involved in the fatality).

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In 2002, the dog pictured above and her male littermate escaped from a yard in Tehama and killed a 6-year-old boy playing in a neighboring yard.  The owner of the dogs, C. Schneider,  was convicted of manslaughter.

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In 2003, J. Batey of Good Hope left her own children and a child she was babysitting alone  in the yard with her dog. The dog attacked and killed the visiting child. Ms. Batey was convicted of involuntary manslaughter.

Other parents and/or dog owners who, to all appearances were reckless with their dogs, managed to avoid criminal charges. In 1994, for example, a Pomona  woman abandoned her 3-day-old newborn in a junk-strewn yard in which two dogs resided. The dogs mauled the infant to death. Charges against the woman were later dismissed.

Occasionally a victim behaves so recklessly that it is difficult to imagine how he or she could have not expected to be attacked by the resident dog. In 2006, a man in Compton  scaled a fence to gain access to a business property. Clearly visible signs warned that guard dogs were present. Undeterred, the trespasser climbed down onto the property, where he was attacked and killed by the animals.

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Despite the reckless behavior of some owners, victims, and/or parents, dogs still pose an incredibly low risk for causing a fatality in California:

According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services:

In 2005, an estimated one hundred and forty (140)* California children died as a result of maltreatment (abuse/neglect).

In the single year of 2005, more than three times as many California children died from maltreatment than the total of all children killed by dog attacks in the state over the past 44 years.

*The actual number of child fatalities from maltreatment is underreported due to lack of government funding and staff dedicated to tabulation of child abuse reports.

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Fact is, people in California routinely accept far greater risks from bicycles, ATVs and swimming pools than any that are associated with companion animals.

 

National Canine Research Council