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Karen Delise

Research Consultant
Research Consultant Ms. Delise is the co-founder of National Canine Research Council and past Director of Dog Bite-Related Fatality Research & Analysis. More than twenty years of research and investigation have led to Ms. Delise being considered the nation’s leading expert on dog bite-related fatalities. During this time, she has been instrumental in shifting public attitudes toward canine aggression by focusing on reduction of risk through humane care, custody and control of companion dogs, as well as keeping the comparative risk of living with dogs in proper perspective. Ms. Delise has authored two books: Fatal Dog Attacks: The Stories Behind the Statistics and The Pit Bull Placebo: The Media, Myths and Politics of Canine Aggression. She also co-authored “Co-occurrence of potentially preventable factors in 256 dog bite-related fatalities in the United States (2000-2009),” a study published in the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association. It is the most comprehensive analysis of such incidents published to date. Additionally, Ms. Delise co-authored the Department of Justice manual for police officers The Problem of Dog-Related Incidents and Encounters.
 
Ms. Delise retired from the Suffolk County Sheriff’s Office in New York after twenty-nine years of service. She earned a degree in Veterinary Science Technology and was formerly a licensed veterinary technician. Ms. Delise has worked for the East End Small Animal Emergency Hospital, the Long Island Game Farm, and the New York State Marine Mammal Rescue Program. She also volunteered, for seven years, in the Bide-A-Wee Pet Therapy Program. 
 
Ms. Delise remains available to current National Canine Research Council staff to consult as needed and continues to conduct and document the most thorough research on dog bite-related fatalities. Her research and annual reports continue to be available on the National Canine Research Council website here: http://www.nationalcanineresearchcouncil.com/injurious-dog-bites/dog-bite-related-fatalities She has been a Research Consultant since 2019.

Contributions by Karen Delise