Fatal dog attacks in the United States

Fatal dog attacks in the United States cause the deaths of thirty to fifty people each year. According to the National Center for Health Statistics, there were 468 deaths in the United States from being bitten or struck by a dog between 2011 and 2021. This is an average of 43 deaths annually, ranging from a low of 31 deaths in 2016 and a high of 81 deaths in 2021. Dogs killed more males than females during the tracking decade. Children between the ages of one to four are most often the victims, accounting for 29.4% of the fatalities from dog attacks in 2022; those under the age of seventeen accounted for 56.7% of all fatalities that year.

Around 4.5   million Americans are bitten by dogs every year, resulting in some 800,000 seeking treatment from a doctor. Dogs not only cause morbidity and mortality as a result of bites, but they may also transmit zoonotic infections, which may also result in illness or death. It is estimated that 15% to 20% of dog bite wounds become infected, with occasional cases of meningitis and endocarditis leading to death. However, less than 1% of the 4.5 million dog bite incidents in 2022 resulted in a fatality.

Breeds
A 2018 Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center literature review covering fifteen years of dog bites treated at the Nationwide Children's Hospital in Columbus, Ohio, and the University of Virginia Health System, with meta-analysis by breed, found that dog bites were most likely to come from the following breeds (in order of highest incidents): pit bull, mixed breed, German Shepherd, terrier, and Rottweiler. Tracking by the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) determined that pit bull type dogs were most likely to be involved in fatal attacks, accounting for 28% of fatalities from 1979 to 1998. The AVMA documented 66 human fatalities caused by pit bull type dogs, 39 by Rottweilers, 17 by German shepherds, 15 by husky type dogs, 12 by Malamutes, 9 by Dobermann Pinschers, 8 by Chow Chows, 7 by Great Danes, and 7 by St. Bernard dogs.

All dog breeds can inflict a bite; breed is not an accurate predictor of whether or not a dog will bite. In the US pit bull-type and Rottweilers most frequently are identified breeds in cases of severe bites. According to the American Veterinary Medical Association, statistics should not be used to infer any breed-specific risk for dog bite fatalities without also noting the numbers of each breed residing in the US.

Attack training is condemned by some as promoting ferocity in dogs; a 1975 American study showed that 10% of dogs that have bitten a person received attack dog training at some point.

By state
Alaska has more fatal dog bites per capita among the states of the United States. Between 1979 and 2005, the states with the most dog bite fatalities per capita were Alaska, South Dakota, Idaho, New Mexico, Arkansas, and South Carolina (from highest to lowest).

States that have enacted legislation that assigns owner liability for dog bites include Michigan, Rhode Island, Florida, California, Texas, and Connecticut.

List of fatalities from dog attacks
Below are lists of notable fatal dog attacks in the United States reported by the news media, published in scholarly papers, or mentioned through other sources. In the lists below, the dog type or breed is assigned by the sources.