~64% of Australian households have a pet
~50% of Australians will have an animal bite in their lifetime
~2% of Australians will be bitten in any one year with 1-2 dying from an animal bite (usually children bitten on head and neck)
85-90% of animal bites are dog bites, 5-10% are cat bites, 2-3% are human bites, 2-3% are rodents.
~100,000 will be injured from dog attacks each year with 13,000 seeking treatment in hospital
children aged < 5yrs are at greatest risk of dog bites and are often bitten on the face, whereas adults tend to be bitten on upper limbs from freely roaming dogs.
~75% of dog bites are caused by 5 of the 160 available breeds even though they account for only 31% of the dog population:
German Shepherds, Pit Bull Terriers, Blue/Red Heelers, Dobermans and Rotweillers.
these breeds are 4-5x more likely to bite than other breeds but other factors contribute such as training and neutering.
surveys have suggested that 50% feared dog attacks and 21% modified their behaviour towards dogs
most cat bites occur in women and are often unprovoked.