Babies and Dogs

Dogs are the most dangerous animals to infants and toddlers

Two and a half times as many children age one to four were killed by dogs as died by falling down steps or sticking something in an outlet (CDC mortality data; see Worry Clock or other posts on this site). Dogs are responsible for more deaths to infants and toddlers than spiders, snakes, and sharks combined.  As with many dangers, we tend to focus on the fantastic when the real danger is much closer to home.

Are we talking about many kids dying from dogs? No, these numbers are all small, especially given the fact that 37% of households have dogs,[1] but experts agree that introducing a baby should be taken very seriously with lots of preparation and in some cases may not be appropriate for the well-being of the child—and the dog. 

There are significant amounts of data available on the estimates of dog bites, but I am focused solely on fatal attacks on children, which yield a slightly different picture (e.g., dogs more likely to be the household dog than a chained neighbor’s dog).

At the bottom of this post is a list of fatal attacks to children between 2000-2013, downloaded from Wikipedia and ordered by the child’s age.

Most of the infants were killed by the family dog, in their own homes. Many of the incidents occurred when the responsible adult left the infant or child unattended in a bassinet or play area to which the dog had access. In many households there was more than one dog involved in the attack.

A scan of the incidents will quickly reveal that pit bulls are the most prominent breed (see summary below). But, breed doesn’t tell you everything. A Pomeranian killed a 6-week old girl in 2000, and a Labrador retriever killed a 2-month old in 2008 (albeit under extreme circumstances).  Golden Retrievers, Chesapeake Bay retrievers, cocker spaniels, and even Beagles, for example, have all had fatal attacks attributed to them.[2] Of course, this list does not account for base populations of the breeds. If there are four times fewer Huskies relative to other breeds, then Huskies would actually be more deadly than Rottweilers.

Breed	# Child Fatalities
Pit bull	77
Rottweiler	39
Mixed breed	38
Husky	12
German Shepherd	5

Some of these attacks were linked to maltreatment of both children and dogs, but most were not.

Some attacks were after histories of aggressive behavior by the dog, but many were not, including a significant number that came as a complete surprise.

The mom of Jose Diaz wrote a heartbreaking response to a question about dogs and babies on Babycenter.com that begins, "My son was 5 weeks old when he was attacked and killed by our family dog. I want to get a message across to everyone who has a dog and you either have a baby or are about to have one. Chance (the dog who did this) was the sweetest dog ever and so loving. If a stranger came into the house he would run from them instead of barking. He never even snapped at anybody. But he killed my son in less than a minute..." Read her full response.

Research on all dog attacks (not just deadly ones) has found that

• Male dogs are 6.2 times more likely to bite than females
• Unneutered dogs are 2.6 times more likely to bite than those that are neutered
• Dogs bred at home are less likely to bite, compared to those bred by breeders or pet shops
• Dogs are more likely to bite the older they are when they are obtained
• Dogs are more dangerous when acting as a pack

How can you protect your child and your dog?

First, if your dog has already bitten, you have a dangerous dog (as defined in some legislation), and need to take a number of steps to protect anyone who comes in contact with your dog, especially any child. You are always liable[3] for anything your dog does, but you could also be negligent, because now you should know better. A child having any unsupervised time with that dog likely counts as negligence.[4] It is easy to ignore or diminish clear signs, “it was just a little bite” or “it was an unusual circumstance,” so if there is any question at all, get the dog evaluated by a professional.

From the Dog Whisperer, Cesar Millan:[5]

Your child's safety comes first. If, after working with a professional and on your own, you are still not 100% confident about the safety of your baby with your dog, then finding your dog another home to protect the well-being of your child and pet is a step you may have to take.

I am watching a neighbor about to have a baby go through this painful process now. Their dog has previously sent a household member to the hospital from a deep bite. The dog has been aggressive for so long, I doubt that professional help would leave them at the 100% confidence level. Those close to the family know that the dog is aggressive, so it will likely be challenging to find someone to take the dog.  From the outside, it seems clear that adding an infant is inviting disaster for both infant and dog. What do you think? Words of wisdom from those who have been through this?

For those whose dogs have not already shown aggressive behaviors, you still want to prepare your dog for the arrival of the infant and make sure to take certain steps, like never leaving the two in a room unsupervised. Cesar, the CDC, and the ASPCA all have good pages that address keeping children and dogs in harmony.  

Cesar has some great advice on aspects not usually covered, including setting the boundaries of the nursery and claiming your baby’s scent. And he does not think that you should use the dog’s breed as a guide. See: http://bit.ly/1cNbGIX. To avoid bites generally, Cesar recommends vaccinating dogs and teaching submissive behavior.[6]  He also notes that many dogs are attempting to play with infants, and hurt them only unintentionally, like the three month old killed by two Shiba Inu dogs in 2013 (see Wikipedia list).

The Centers for Disease Control on its dog bite page recommends:

• Spay/neuter your dog (this often reduces aggressive tendencies).
• Never leave infants or young children alone with a dog.
• Don’t play aggressive games with your dog (e.g., wrestling).
• Properly socialize and train any dog entering your household. Teach the dog submissive behaviors (e.g., rolling over to expose the abdomen and giving up food without growling).
• Immediately seek professional advice (e.g., from veterinarians, animal behaviorists, or responsible trainers) if the dog develops aggressive or undesirable behaviors.

And the ASPCA describes additional suggestions, including making sure you understand the animal’s body language. Even “good” dogs have bad days, but understanding what they are going through will help you to identify their warnings. See: http://bit.ly/1dcORVq

Dog-Caused Child Fatality List 

Modified from Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fatal_dog_attacks_in_the_United_States 

	Breed (Shortened)	Victim's name	Age (Yrs)	Circumstances
2000	Mix (German shepherd-Husky mix and Pit bull-Labrador retriever mix)	Jasmine Dillashaw	0	Bitten when left alone in baby swing.[78]
2000	Pomeranian	Girl - name withheld	0	An uncle was babysitting the child and left her alone to prepare a bottle for her. When he returned, he found the dog attacking her.[79]
2001	Rottweiler	Jovanna King	0	Girl killed after dog escaped from its pen.[84]
2001	German Shepherd	Alexander Bennett	0	Attacked when left alone in a bassinet.[90]
2001	Husky	Josie Simone Hearon	0	Attacked when left alone in a bassinet.[91]
2002	Husky	Unknown	0	Details not available.[99]
2004	Mix	Jose Diaz	0	Killed by his mother's dog.[130]
2004	Pit bull	Kamryn Billingsly	0	While she was sleeping next to her mother at a friend's house, the dog grabbed the child, dragged it down the hall, and killed it. The dog was usually kept outside but brought inside that night because it was cold out.[132]
2005	Pit bull	Dazavious Williams	0	Killed when a neighborhood dog grabbed him from his aunt's arms[160]
2005	Husky	Alexis McDermott	0	Killed in her crib by her family's dog[161]
2006	Rottweiler	Ashton Lee Scott	0	Killed by his grandmother's dog[171]
2007	Husky	Trey Paeth	0	Killed while visiting family friends when the friends' two dogs got into his playpen[220]
2007	Rottweiler	Kylie Cox	0	Killed by visitor's dog when her mother set her down to warm a bottle of milk[225]
2008	Doberman Pinscher	Andrew Stein	0	Killed by his family's dog[240]
2008	Jack Russell Terrier	Justin Mozer	0	Killed by his family's dog while sleeping on a king size bed[241]
2008	Labrador Retriever	Zane Earles	0	Killed by the family's 10-12 week puppy that had not been fed in days. The teen mother was convicted of manslaughter for leaving her baby unattended in a swing for over 6 hours with the hungry puppy.[250]
2008	Husky	Alexis Hennessy	0	Killed in her crib by her family's dog[255]
2008	Pit bull	Cenedi Carey	0	Killed by his family's two dogs after being torn out of her stroller[256]
2008	Husky	"Jane Doe"	0	Killed by her family's dog[257]
2009	Husky	Olivia Rozek	0	Killed by her family's dog after the dog pulled the child from a bed and dragged her into a hallway[273]
2009	Mix (Chow-Chow Golden Retriever mix)	"Jane Doe"	0	Killed by her family's dog[276]
2009	Pit bull	Izaiah Cox	0	Killed by his great-grandmother's two dogs. Grandmother indicted for felony injury to a child, but died before case went to trial[281]
2009	Pit bull	Leonard Lovejoy, Jr.	0	Killed by his family's dog[285]
2009	Pit bull	"John Doe"	0	Killed by his family's dog after being brought home from the hospital. The pit bull and a German Shepherd mixed breed dog were both euthanized[291]
2010	Husky	Robert D. Hocker	0	The boy was alone on a bed when the family's dog bit him.[316]
2010	Pit bull	"Jane Doe"	0	Severely injured by her family's dog on February 18, she died of her injuries on February 23[322]
2010	Rottweiler	Justin Lopez	0	Killed by his family's two newly acquired dogs. Dogs were obtained the day before.[325]
2010	Pit bull	Thomas Carter, Jr.	0	Killed while in bed next to his mother who slept through the attack. After the attack the dog went outside and attacked another dog that was on a chain.[326][327]
2010	Pit bull	Justin Valentin	0	Killed by his family's dog[347]
2010	Rottweiler	Janet Vaughan	0	While the child's mother bathed one dog, the child was killed by one of the nine dogs that the family kept in the back yard.[359]
2011	Pit bull	Darius Tillman	0	Killed by family's dog.[368]
2011	Rottweiler	Annabelle Mitchell	0	Killed by the family's dog when left unattended while child's mother was intoxicated. The girl's mother was subsequently convicted of endangering the welfare of a child.[370]
2011	Mix (Bulldog or Dogo Argentino  or terrier)	Salvador Cotto	0	While visiting his aunt and uncle, the boy was briefly left alone in a room with their dog and was bitten. The medical examiner determined that the boy died of cerebral edema as a consequence of a single bite to the head, and ruled that the death was accidental.[384][385]
2011	Bulldog	Michael Naglee	0	Killed by the dog of his paternal grandparents at a family gathering.[386]
2011	Unknown	Addyson Paige Camerino	0	The child was killed in the kitchen of the family's home. There were five dogs in the home, a Pit bull, bulldog, Alaskan Malamute,German Shepherd, and German Shepherd-Bulldog mix. Three of the dogs were involved in the attack, but the news media did not report which three.[390]
2011	Mix (Labrador Retriever-mix or Pit Bull)	Brayden McCollen	0	Killed by family dog.[392] Some sources reported the dog as a Labrador retriever mix, others as a pit bull.[393][394]
2011	Mix (Pit bull-Mastiff mix)	Mya Maeda	0	Dragged from her bassinet and killed by the family dog.[397]
2012	Husky	Howard Nicholson, Jr.	0	Killed by one of the family's four dogs.[409] The victim's mother pleaded guilty to child endangerment.[410]
2012	Mix (Golden Retriever - Labrador Retriever mix)	Aiden McGrew	0	Killed by the family's dog.[417] The death was ruled a homicide and child's father charged with illegal neglect of a child.[418]
2012	Pit bull	Tyzhel McWilliams	0	Killed by a single bite from one of three pit bulls owned by the mother's roommate.[429] Immediately prior to the attack, the dog was on a bed with the mother's roommates who were smoking marijuana. The dog reportedly became "frisky," at which point they pushed it off the bed and it bit the boy. The cause of death was given as "penetrating craniocerebral injuries due to a dogbite."[430]
2012	Mix	James Hudson	0	Killed by the family dog.[440] Animal shelter officials identified the dog as a Labrador - American Bulldog mix. The dog's owner and police identified the animal as a "pit bull mix."[441]
2012	Pit bull	Rayden Bruce	0	An hour before the attack, police responded to the home for a domestic dispute between the infant's parents that included injuries. While the police were taking witness statements, the boy was left alone in a room with the dog and was attacked. The dog had been responsible for a "minor bite" in 2011. It had also been picked up by Animal Services in 2010 for running loose.[443]
2012	Pit bull	Tarilyn Bowles	0	Mauled indoors by family dog when left briefly unattended.[447]
2012	Rottweiler	Dixie Jennings	0	Killed at a boarding kennel owned by her mother.[448]
2013	Shiba Inu	Mia Gibson	0	Attack occurred in the Columbus, Ohio home when the parents were sleeping. Mia was a premature baby who had only come home from the hospital Thanksgiving.[529]
2012	Pit bull	Makayla Darnell	0	Killed by family's dog.[423]
2001	Pit bull	Tyran Moniz-Hilderbrand	1	Dogs belonged to a houseguest; mother badly mauled in trying to save her son.[86]
2001	Rottweiler	Kristin Ann Jolley	1	The girl was killed after walking up to the chained dog. The dog's owners were charged with starving and mistreating it.[89]
2002	Rottweiler	Girl- no name released	1	While her parents were sleeping, the girl went into the backyard where two dogs were kept chained.[98]
2003	Mix (Malamute-Wolf hybrid)	Andre Angel Thomas	1	Killed while sleeping in the living room of an acquaintance of his mother.[105]
2004	Beagle	Truston Heart Liddle	1	Wandered with his brother from his parents, a farmer and his wife who were working their land, onto an adjacent farm. Got too close to a chained dog, who, although well-fed and watered, appeared to spend most of his time tethered in place.[118]
2004	Pit bull	"John Doe"	1	Killed by his grandmother's dog. The dog bit off one of its owner's fingers when she tried to intervene.[121]
2004	Mix (Pit bull-Labrador Retriever mix)	Isaiah Calandis Smith	1	Killed by a chained dog in his yard.[129]
2005	Rottweiler	Cassandra Garcia	1	Killed when her grandparent's dog grabbed her from her mother's arms[162]
2005	Pit bull	Kylee Johnson	1	Killed by her family's dog[165]
2006	Pit bull	Javelin Anderson	1	Killed by her family's chained dog[184]
2006	Pit bull	Allen Young	1	Killed by his father's four dogs after he was moving to a new trailer and took the dogs off their chains and left them in the new trailer unsupervised with his young son[200]
2007	Rottweiler	Taylor Kitlica	1	Killed by a stray dog her family had chained in their front yard in the hope that the owner would find it[208]
2007	Chow Chow	Elijah Rackley	1	Killed when playing with the puppies of a stray dog his family had chained in the yard[223]
2008	Husky	Abraham Tackett	1	Killed by a neighbor's chained dog, apparently protecting its food[243]
2008	Sheepdog	Addison Sonney	1	Killed by her family's dog[249]
2008	Mix	Iopeka Liptak	1	Killed by her mother's dog[260]
2009	Pit bull	Jasmine Deane	1	Killed by her family's chained dog.[292]
2009	Mix (possibly Akita and Pit bull-mix[293])	Colton Smith	1	Killed at his babysitter's home by his babysitter's dog[294]
2009	Pit bull	Destiny Knox	1	Killed at the home of her babysitter's boyfriend by one of the boyfriend's dogs.[297] The dog was usually kept on a chain outside, but had slipped free from its collar.[298]
2009	Mix (Rottweiler-Labrador Retriever mix[303])	Dallas Walters	1	Killed at his great-aunt's home by her dog during his cousin's birthday party[304]
2011	Pit bull	Nevaeh Bryant	1	Killed by her aunt's three dogs. Her aunt later pleaded guilty to criminally negligent homicide, receiving a one-year suspended sentence.[396]
2012	Pit bull	Jace Valdez	1	Killed by his grandparent's dog.[407]
2012	Rottweiler	Dylan Andres	1	Killed by neighbor's chained dog.[412]
2012	Mix (Mastiff - Rhodesian Ridgeback mix)	Jeremiah Eskew-Shahan	1	Killed by the family dog.[419]
2012	Pit bull	Jazilyn Mesa	1	Killed by the family dog. The victim's grandfather was charged with negligent child abuse resulting in death.[421]
2013	Pit bull	Daxton Borchardt	1	Killed by his babysitter's two dogs at the babysitter's residence. The babysitter was also injured but survived.[465]
2013	Pit bull & Pit bull-mix	Monica Renee Laminack	1	Killed by dogs belonging to her mother's boyfriend.[466] An autopsy confirmed that the child died of injuries consistent with a dog attack.[467] The child's mother was subsequently charged with Cruelty to Children in the Second Degree.[468]
2000	Pit Bull	Ramani Virgil	2	Playing in the backyard of his Baton Rouge home when he got too close to tethered pet, “Baby”, who bit him repeatedly, severing an artery. Died within hours in the hospital. Family had the dog destroyed.[80]
2001	Mix (possibly including Rottweiler, Pit bull, Beagle, and Labrador retriever)	Donald Bryson Shumpert	2	The nine dogs thought to be involved belonged to the neighbor. The boy was found about 50 yards from his home.[87]
2003	Rottweiler	Lily Krajewski	2	Killed after dogs escaped from their kennel.[100][101]
2003	Pit bull	Somer Clugston	2	Killed by her babysitter's dog when she left her alone in the house. The babysitter was sentenced to one year in jail for involuntary manslaughter. The dog had previously bitten two other children.[109]
2003	Great Dane	Makayla Paige Sinclair	2	Killed by 2 chained dogs when she wandered into their owner's yard.[112]
2004	Mixed-breed dog	Madison Carson	2	Killed by relative's loose dogs.[119]
2004	Rottweiler	Samuel Trucks	2	Killed by two dogs.[120]
2005	Mix (Husky AND Alaskan Malamute)	Samantha Black	2	Killed by her family's two dogs in her back yard[150]
2005	Pit bull	Arianna Fleeman	2	Killed while visiting a friend's home with her mother[155]
2006	Rottweiler	Gemma Carlos	2	Killed by a neighbor's chained dog in the neighbor's yard[185]
2006	Pit bull	Jonathan Martin	2	Killed by at least one of his family's dogs inside his home. His parents were each sentenced to three years in prison after being convicted of involuntary manslaughter and felony child endangerment.[194]
2006	Rottweiler	Julius Graham	2	Killed when a neighbor's dog escaped its pen[195]
2006	Rottweiler	Ariel Pogue	2	Killed by one of her family's dogs[198]
2006	Rottweiler	Louis Romero, Jr.	2	Killed by dogs kept to guard home where parents were drug trafficking. Parents fled to Mexico after boy's funeral[201]
2007	Mix (English Mastiff-mix, Pit bull-mix)	Robynn Bradley	2	Killed while visiting her relatives when the relatives' two dogs escaped from their pen[209]
2007	Pit bull	Carolina Sotello	2	Killed by one of her family's dogs[211]
2007	Pit bull	Brian Palmer	2	Killed by his family's dog, the dog killed a cat a week before Palmer's death.[212]
2007	German Shepherd	Karson Gilroy	2	Killed when he wandered onto a neighbor's property[228]
2007	Pit bull	Holden Jernigan	2	Killed by his grandmother's dog[236]
2008	Mix (Terrier)	Alexander Adams	2	The 40-45 lb dog was eating when the boy approached its food bowl. Dog belonged to the boy's grandmother.[265][266]
2009	Pit bull	Tyson Miller	2	Killed by a chained dog in the backyard[280]
2009	Pit bull	Matthew Clayton "Booter" Hurt	2	After wandering 4 blocks from his home, the boy was killed when he crawled into a dog house where the dog was chained.[295][296]
2009	Weimaraner	Liam Peck	2	Killed by his family's dog[306]
2010	Pit bull	Nathan Aguirre	2	Killed by his family's dog[330]
2010	Pit bull	Jacob Bisbee	2	Killed by three of his step-grandfather's dogs. Grandfather arrested for manslaughter.[337] The dogs had decapitated the family's petAkita and killed the family's pet Chihuahua and parrot within the prior year. The dogs, which were kept in a garage, had previously shown aggression toward the boy.[338]
2010	German Shepherd	Aaron Carlson	2	Killed by his family's dog[339]
2010	Pit bull	Kaden Muckleroy	2	Killed by his grandfather's dog, which was chained to a tree.[350][351]
2012	Mix (Labrador Retriever - German Shepherd mix)	Ja'Marr Tiller	2	Killed by two stray dogs.[426][427]
2012	Mix	Jack Redin	2	Killed by neighbor's two mixed-breed dogs after wandering onto the neighbor's property.[428]
2012	Pit bull	Savannah Edwards	2	Killed while visiting a relative who rented living space from the dog's owner.[455]
2013	Pit bull	Isaiah Aguilar	2	Killed in a neighbor's yard by a dog tied up in the yard.[461]
2013	Pit Bull	Beau Rutledge	2	The boy was killed while the mother stepped away to use the restroom. The dog was 8-years-old and neighbors said they had never thought it was aggressive.[482][483][484][485]
2013	Pit Bull	Daniel "Doe"	2	Daniel was mauled by 3 mix-pit bulls at his babysitter’s home.
2013	Pit Bull	Samuel Eli Zamudio	2	Killed by up to five dogs that belonged to his grandmother, in the back yard of her house. Authorities do not know how the boy ended up in the yard with the dogs, and occupants of the house said they heard no screams or other noises, but the boy was found dead with bite marks to his face and neck. Neighbors had complained to authorities about the noise and "stench from the yard" where the dogs were kept. A photo of one of the dogs is available.[517] The boy's grandmother and uncle were later arrested in Colton, California.[518][519]
2013	Pit bull	Jah'Niyah White	2	South Side, Chicago [528]
2001	Rottweiler	Joshua Brown[82]	3	Few details available.
2001	Rottweiler	Sierra Clayton	3	Killed by dog after it broke free from its tether.[88]
2001	Rottweiler	Tristen Gambrel	3	Killed by 3 dogs.[92]
2003	Rottweiler	Wesley Swindler	3	Killed after crawling into the dog's pen.[100]
2003	Pit bull	Tre'sean Forsman	3	Killed by a friend's dog.[103]
2003	Rottweiler	Samantha Grace Bauld[110]	3
2004	Pit Bull	Nathan Roy Hill	3	Killed by a dog chained in the neighbor's yard.[117]
2006	Rottweiler	Quillan Cottrell	3	Killed by his family's dog[176]
2006	Mix (Pit bull, Rottweiler)	Mariah Puga	3	Killed by two of her family's dogs[188]
2007	Pit bull	Dandre Fisher	3	Killed when he tried to climb over a fence into the dogs' yard[216]
2008	Pit bull	Julian Slack	3	Killed in his own home by a neighbor's dog[244]
2008	Pit bull	Tony Evans, Jr.	3	Killed when he wandered next to his neighbor's chained dog[248]
2009	Husky	Dustin Faulkner	3	Killed by his neighbor's dog when it broke free of its chain[279]
2009	Mix (Pit Bull Mix, Collie Mix)	Gabrial Mandrell-Sauerhage	3	Killed by mother's boyfriend's dogs[288]
2010	Pit bull	Omar Martinez	3	The father, boy, and their dog were together in their Apple Valley, CA backyard, but the father stepped inside, leaving the dog alone with the boy, the dog attacked. The aggressive dog kept EMTs away until police arrived and shot it. EMT found him unresponsive and took him to the hospital where he was declared dead two hours later. No charges were filed as of press time.[307][308]
2010	Bulldog	Violet Serenity Haaker	3	Killed when she became entangled in the chain restraining one of the dogs at the family's American-Bulldog breeding facility.[319][320] It was originally reported that a pit bull was responsible.[321]
2010	Sled Dog	Krystal Brink	3	Killed when she wandered into her neighbor's sled dog yard, her uncle's brother later shot all 6 sled dogs to death[328]
2011	Rottweiler	Vanessa Husmann	3	Killed by uncle's two dogs in backyard.[369]
2002	German Shepherd	Colter Kumpost	4	Killed by dog being trained for police work.[97]
2004	Pit bull	Myles Leakes	4	Killed by his uncle's chained dog.[125]
2005	Mix (Rottweiler–German Shepherd mix)	Robert Schafer	4	Killed by his family's dog when he opened the dog's pen[142]
2005	Rottweiler	Asia Turner	4	Killed by her family's two dogs in her own back yard[149]
2005	Pit bull	Cody Adair	4	Killed by his uncle's chained dog[170]
2006	Rottweiler	Dominic Giordano	4	Killed in own back yard by his relative's dog[173][174]
2006	Mix (Mixed-breed dog and Pit Bull-mix)	Pedro Rios	4	Killed by two stray dogs outside his home[204]
2007	Mix (Bulldog-Mastiff mix)	Tori Whitehurst	4	Killed by her family's dog[232]
2009	Rottweiler	Alex Angulo	4	Killed by a least one of his foster family's dogs[271]
2009	Rottweiler	Brooklynn Milburn	4	Killed after crawling through a fence into her neighbor's yard[272]
2009	Boxer	Michael Landry	4	Killed by his neighbor's three dogs when they escaped from their yard[282]
2010	Rottweiler	Ashlynn Anderson	4	Killed by a dog owned by her stepfather, (Ax Men star Jesse Browning).[323]
2010	Boxer	Taylor Becker	4	Killed by a dog owned by a family friend.[344]
2011	Cane Corso	Jayelin Graham	4	Killed by dog belonging to mother's boyfriend.[376] News outlets initially reported that the dog involved was a pit bull.[377]
2011	Rottweiler	James Dowling	4	Killed by his grandfather's dog when it escaped its enclosure.[389]
2012	Pit bull	Kylar Johnson	4	After wandering 1/2 mile from his home, the boy was killed by a chained dog in fenced yard.[414][415]
2013	Pit bull	Christian Gormanous	4	Climbed over a fence and got too close to the neighbor's tethered dog.[459]
2013	Pit Bull	Jordyn Arndt	4	Four year old Jordyn Arndt, was mauled by a pit bull at her babysitter’s home. The owner of the dog, 24-year old Jana Marie Wright, was supposed to be babysitting Jordyn and has been charged with multiple felonies punishable with up to 35 years in prison.[479][480]Neighbors say that they had previously filed several complaints about the dog.[479] The babysitter had a history of arrest on drug-related and child-neglect charges.[481]
2013	Pit bull	Levi Watson	4	Visiting a home in White County, Arkansas. The boy "managed to get out of the home" and "enter a fenced-in area where three pit bulls were being held."[525] Emergency crews brought him to the hospital where he died. At press time, police were investigating which of three pit bulls were responsible; what the fate of the dogs, which were taken into custody, would be; and whether any charges would be filed. The owner was cooperating with the investigation.[526]
2000	Rottweiler	Justin Tabner	5	The boy was attacked after becoming entangled in the chain that restrained his family's dog.[76]
2001	Rottweiler	Kyle Anthony Ross	5	Boy killed at home of his foster mother. The dog was usually kept in a chain-link cage behind the home.[85]
2002	Rottweiler	Victoria Morales	5	The dog was a prize-winning show dog. It was a 120-lb male. The dog attacked after the girl saw a lizard and screamed.[96]
2003	Rottweiler	Jennifer Nicole Davis	5	Killed by two dogs.[102]
2004	Pit bull	Annilee McKinnon	5	Killed by a neighbor's 3 dogs while playing in the front yard at the home of her birth parents. This was not the girl's regular residence because she had been living with a foster family for four years. The neighbor who owned the dogs had been cited two weeks prior because the dogs had gone into another yard and attacked a neighbor's dog.[133]
2007	Rottweiler	Tiffany Pauley	5	Killed when she wandered into a neighbor's yard[219]
2008	Pit bull	Pablo Hernandez	5	Killed by his family's chained dog[246]
2008	Pit bull	Katya Todesco	5	Killed by her neighbor's dog[259]
2009	Pit bull	Cheyenne Peppers	5	Killed by a dog belonging to her mother, a dog belonging to her mother's boyfriend, and a puppy produced by those two dogs.[269] Prior to the attack two of the dogs were chained up. The third dog, who was pregnant, was not chained at that time.[270]
2010	Mix (German Shepherd-Husky mix and Labrador retriever)	Kyle Holland	5	Killed by the dogs of his mother's live-in boyfriend. The boyfriend pled guilty to a charge of dangerous animal death and the mother pled guilty to child abuse and manslaughter. The mother was also charged with "accessory after the fact" because she tried to dispose of her boyfriend's marijuana plants before calling 911.[333][334]
2010	Mix	Cason Bryant	5	Killed in his own yard by five of his neighbor's dogs[352]
2011	Pit bull	Makayla Woodard	5	Killed by her neighbor's two dogs in her own yard.[362] The neighbor pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter and was sentenced to 20 to 24 months in prison.[363]
2013	Bullmastiff	Ayden Evans[503]	5	Killed inside the home of family friends near Jessieville, Arkansas where he had been staying for two weeks because his family's home inMoore, Oklahoma had been destroyed by tornados. After the child had started loudly crying, the 150 lb. dog came running out of a back room and attacked him. The dogs owner stopped the attack, but not before the boy had received serious wounds to the neck and face. He was rushed to a hospital in Hot Springs, AR where he was declared dead. The dog ran away, so authorities began trying to find it and euthanize it. Investigators declined to say just yet whether or not the owners would face any charges.[504][505]
2013	Pit bull	Arianna Jolee Merrbach	5	Killed after walking up to a chained dog that belonged to her aunt.[509] The dog had been kept on a chain in violation of the county's laws against prolonged tethering, and animal cruelty charges were being considered against the owner.[510]
2013	Husky	Jordan Reed	5	Jordan was found dead after being mauled by one or more loose dogs.
2013	Pit bull	Jordan Ryan	5	The boy was unsupervised at a family friend's house and entered a backyard pen where the dog was kept. The dog had been acquired 6 weeks earlier.[520]
2002	Mix (Rottweiler and 2 Rottweiler Pug mixes)	Genoe Novak	6	Dogs killed the boy after escaping from their yard.[93]
2005	Mix (Mixed breed and Pit Bull)	Tyler Babcock	6	Severely mauled by his next-door neighbor's two dogs.[135] The dogs were frequently loose in the neighborhood. One female dog was described as "part pit bull." The other male dog "had a large head and other characteristics of a pit bull," but investigators weren't sure if he had pit bull breeds in him.[134]
2005	Pit bull	Cassidy Jeter	6	Killed by her family's two dogs as she walked to a swing set with her 4-year old brother[141]
2005	Rottweiler	Sydney Akin	6	Killed visiting the home of a family friend[164]
2007	Rottweiler	Matthew Johnson	6	Killed by two dogs the family had just adopted[207]
2007	Pit bull	Sabin Jones-Abbott	6	Killed by his family's dog while trying to feed it[221]
2007	Pit bull	Scott Warren	6	Killed without warning by his family's dog[224]
2008	Pit bull	Isis Kreiger	6	Killed by her family's dog[252]
2010	Pit Bull	Anastasia Bingham	6	Killed while walking to a friend's home. Investigators unable to locate dog(s) involved.[313] Sheriff's deputies initially reported that a pit bull dog was responsible.[314] Authorities were never able to find or identify any dog responsible for the attack. The dogs that were first thought to be responsible were found not to be involved. However, investigators "received confidential tips that stated that there were three other pit bulls, owned by the child's relatives, that were killed and dumped in a wooded area."[315]
2012	German Shepherd	"John Doe"	6	Mauled to death by a medical service dog trained to help a military veteran suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).[408]
2013	Pit Bull	Nephi Selu	6	The boy was attempting to ride the dog "like a horse" when he was bitten a single time on the top of the head.[506] The two-year-old, un-neutered male dog had been acquired as a guard dog[506] and was kept in the backyard of the family's home.[507] After the bite, the family did not think he had been seriously injured and expected him to be fine "after a couple of stitches."[506] He was brought to the hospital 2 1/2 hours after being bitten and died two hours later.[506] The dog had up-to-date rabies shots and was properly licensed.[508]
2005	Malamute	Kate-Lynn Logel	7	Killed by her family's new dog in her back yard[151]
2006	Bullmastiff	Conner Lourens	7	Killed by his neighbor's dog[172]
2007	Pit bull	Zachary King, Jr.	7	Killed by his family's dog[222]
2008	Pit bull	Tanner Monk	7	Killed by four of his neighbor's dogs.[245]
2010	Mix (Pit bull, mixed-breed Shepherd)	Jason Walter	7	Killed by a neighbor's three pit bulls and a mixed breed dog while staying at the neighbor's residence.[343]
2013	Pit bull	Ryan Maxwell	7	Killed by a dog that was kept chained in the back yard of a home he was visiting. The dog may have been let off the chain by the boy or may have broken free before the attack.[462][463] The dog's owners had been cited previously for letting their dogs run loose. Officers had also been called to their house on reports that dogs were not being fed. Although no criminal charges were filed in relation to this dog attack, one of the owners, Jereme Carter, is now in jail on murder charges from an unrelated case.[464]
2013	Mix (Pit bull (2) or Bulldogs)	Tyler Jett	7	Attacked while riding his bike by his neighbor's two dogs and died 5 days later. The owner a week prior had received a citation for allowing his aggressive dogs loose and is currently facing criminally negligent manslaughter charges. Some sources identify the two dogs as "pit bull mixes";[469][470] other reports identified them as a "brindle bulldog" and an "Alapaha blue blood bulldog".[471][472] Some articles referred to them as both "pit bull mixes" and "bull dogs" within the same article.[473] Photos of the dogs exist.[474]
2004	Pit bull	Roddie Dumas, Jr.	8	Killed by his father's four dogs.[122] The father was charged with involuntary manslaughter and a federal charge of assaulting a postal worker who tried to rescue the victim.[123] He was convicted and sentenced to 20 years in federal prison after being convicted on the assault charge and related drug and weapons charges.[124]
2004	Mix (Bullmastiff–German Shepherd mix)	John Streeter	8	Killed by neighbor's two dogs while playing in his neighbor's backyard.[126]
2004	Pit bull-mix	Anton Brown	8	Killed by two dogs the family was keeping for a family friend.[131]
2009	Mix (Rottweiler, mix)	Brianna Shanor	8	Killed by a 100-lb dog that was chained outside a camping trailer that the dog used for shelter.[275]
2012	Mix	Tomas Henio	8	Killed by a pack of stray feral dogs while snowsledding on a hill near his home. One of the victims to be killed for one rare reason: Food.[456]
2010	Pit bull	Savannah Gragg	9	Killed in her home while opening the door to let the dog outside[331]
2011	Akita	Kristen Dutton	9	Killed by her grandfather's newly adopted dog.[364]
2001	Mix	Rodney McAllister	10	Killed by stray dogs in park where he had gone alone to play. His mother went to jail and lost custody of her other son for not supervising the child. Sparked review of Animal Control procedures because neighbors complaints about the free-ranging dogs in the park had not been successfully responded to. Sparked a police round-up of ten stray dogs in and around the park: two chows, arottweiler, a German shepherd and six mixed-breed dogs.[83]
2002	Rottweiler	Alicia Clark	10	Killed by her neighbor's six dogs. The dogs' owner received 2 years in prison for leaving her alone with the dogs which had previously exhibited dangerous behavior.[94][95]
2006	Mix	Matthew Davis	10	Killed by six dogs while walking home. In 2009, it was revealed that dogs attacked and killed the child for food.[199]
2007	Pit bull	Amber Jones	10	Killed when she tried to free a neighbor's dog after its collar was caught on their chain link as the dog tried to jump over the fence[205]
2009	Pit bull	Justin Clinton	10	Killed when visiting a friend by dogs owned by the friend's family.[286] A jury awarded a US$7 million verdict for negligence against the dogs' owners.[287]
2007	Pit bull	Seth Lovitt	11	Killed by his family's dog[233]
2005	Pit bull	Nicholas Faibish	12	There were two dogs in the home. The boy's mother felt that the male dog was acting possessive toward the female dog because she was in heat. So when the mother left to run errands, she locked the boy in the basement to keep him separated from the dogs. While she was gone, the boy left the basement and was killed by the dogs. The boy's mother was charged with felony child endangerment.[156][157]
2005	Mix (Pit bull, Mixed-breed dog)	Lydia Chaplin	14	Died of hypothermia after being attacked by 4 dogs (3 pit bulls, 1 mixed-breed dog) while walking alone at night in a rural area, one-half mile from home[136]

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[1] https://www.avma.org/KB/Resources/Statistics/Pages/Market-research-statistics-US-pet-ownership.aspx)

[2]  Sacks, Jeffrey; Sinclair, Gilchrist, Golab, Lockwood (15 September 2000). "Breeds of dogs involved in fatal human attacks in the United States between 1979 and 1998". JAVMA 217 (6): 836–40.10.2460/javma.2000.217.836 and http://www.cdc.gov/homeandrecreationalsafety/images/dogbreeds-a.pdf

[3] http://bucks.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/05/22/beware-of-biting-dogs-and-liability-claims/?_r=0

[4] http://dogbitelaw.com/legal-rights-of-dog-bite-victims-in-usa/negligence.html

[5] http://www.cesarsway.com/tips/yournewdog/introduce-your-dog-to-your-baby#ixzz2pdnY1uHB

[6] http://www.cesarsway.com/dog-behavior/dog-biting/How-You-Can-Prevent-Dog-Bites