Over the past 45 years (1965 – present) there have been 19 fatal dog attacks in Ohio, an average of one (1) fatality every 2+ years.
At least eleven (11) different breeds/types of dogs have been identified in these attacks.
The victims were 7 adults and 12 children.
Nearly half (5 out of 12) of the children killed were attacked when they approached chained or penned dogs. Four (4) of the other children were infants (< 2 months old) who had been left unsupervised with unfamiliar dogs.
All the dogs involved in fatal attacks in Ohio were intact (not spayed or neutered).
At least four (4) Ohio dog owners were charged with actively encouraging their dog(s) to be aggressive, or with commanding their dog to attack a person. Two were convicted and sentenced to incareration.
J. Mann was convicted of murder and sentenced to 20 years in prison after being found guilty of restraining his girlfriend and repeatedly ordering his dog to attack her. (Cleveland, 1992)
M. Crawley was convicted of involuntary manslaughter and sentenced to 6 months in jail after he repeatedly allowed his dogs to roam loose. The dogs had mauled one woman, and then killed another woman in a separate incident. (Columbus, 2003).
Two other Ohio dog owners were charged with involuntary manslaughter, but not convicted, though prosecutors were satisifed that criminal negligence in maintaining and controlling their dogs appeared to contribute directly to the deaths of the victims.
In spite of the recklessness, even malice, of some owners, dogs still pose an incredibly low risk for causing a fatality in Ohio:
| Ohio: Recognized Risks | Year 2005 |
| Tobacco-related fatalities | 18,600 |
| Total (alcohol & non) traffic deaths | 1,321 |
| Alcohol-related traffic fatalities | 519 |
| Persons drowned in tub or swimming pool | 29 |
| Bicycle-related fatalities | 16 |
| ATV-related fatalities | 15 |
| Death from contact w/bees, hornets, wasps | 4 |
| Persons killed by lightning | 1 |
| Persons killed by dogs | 0 |
According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services:
In 2005, 83 Ohio children died as the result of maltreatment (abuse, neglect).
In a single year, 2005, more than seven times as many Ohio children died from maltreatment than the total of all children killed by dogs in the state over the past 44 years.
***
Fact is, people in Ohio routinely accept far greater risks from swimming pools, ATVs and bicycles than any that are associated with companion animals.
National Canine Research Council