Let me preface this first by saying I’m a dog lover, they’ve been my wonderful companions throughout my life. We love our dogs but know they can and do bite. It’s pretty hard to find anyone in this country who hasn’t been bitten themselves or knows of someone who’s suffered a dog bite. It’s reality, yet wolf haters get away with spreading evil anecdotal claims about wolves. These “stories” are often reported as fact in local and even MSM media without a shred of evidence to back them up. But statistics prove wolves are the least dangerous of all large carnivores in North America, rarely attacking or biting anyone. In the last 100 years, wolves have been accused in just TWO controversial fatal attacks, yet in 2013 alone 4.5 million people were bitten by dogs, including 2 million children and 5581 postal workers, dogs also killed 32 people last year.
Can you imagine the hysteria if these stats were reversed and it was wolves who were doing the biting and mauling?
So the next time wolf haters accuse wolves of being vicious, child attacking monsters remind them the most dangerous canines don’t live in the woods but in our homes.
We need to stop the false narratives about wolves as an excuse to eliminate them!!
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Boulder White Clouds Council
Exposing The Big Game
Footloose Montana
Friends of the Clearwater
Lockwood Animal Rescue Center
Louise du Toit
LUPUSLAETUS
Mercy For Animals
Northern Idaho Wolf Alliance (NIWA)
Predator Friendly®- Because Wildlife Matters
Project Coyote
Project: Wolf
The Nature Conservancy
The Ravensong Group
WildEarth Guardians
Wisconsin Wildlife Ethic-Vote Our Wildlife
Wolf And Wildlife Studies: Jay Mallonee (Independent Wolf Biologist)
Wolf Song of Alaska
Wolves in english ! Les loups en anglais !
WWP's Gray Wolf Page
Yellowstone To Yukon Conservation Initiative
Howling For Justice 
Everything possible and sensible should be done to prevent dog bites such as protecting mail carriers by having dog owners separate their dogs from the carriers’ routes to mail boxes, educating children about behavior around dogs, not trusting all dogs– maybe any dogs not to bite, showing dogs respect and not abusing and alienating them from humans, and much more preventive measures. However, a lot of the dog bites are a result of just the shear numbers of dogs in families and individual ownership and part of the risks of handling dogs. I have been bitten by my dogs when breaking up fights between them, when pulling out porcupine quills, and medically treating them. The absolute numbers of bites is high but in the context of numbers of dogs and numbers of Americans and extremely high levels of daily interactions, not so high.
Many children are not taught to treat dogs with respect and are abusive of dogs, especially the family dog. Some dogs are not very tolerant of disrespect or any abuse while others are more tolerant.
It is g,reat PR for wolves to point out the contrast between dogs killing and biting people statistics and wolf human injuries and deaths; and the greater danger from other animals. Even deer are statistically 30 times more likely to injure humans than wolves. But when addressing the issue we are dealing with gut level irrationality and primeval fear of humans versus predators. How many sharks have humans killed as a result of the Jaws movies and resulting hysteria versus the real chances of being hurt by sharks. It is something that has to addressed over and over and over.
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“It is g,reat PR for wolves to point out the contrast between dogs killing and biting people statistics and wolf human injuries and deaths; and the greater danger from other animals. Even deer are statistically 30 times more likely to injure humans than wolves. But when addressing the issue we are dealing with gut level irrationality and primeval fear of humans versus predators. How many sharks have humans killed as a result of the Jaws movies and resulting hysteria versus the real chances of being hurt by sharks. It is something that has to addressed over and over and over.”
Yes, Roger, it does put things in perspective. I usually post this every year to point out the ridiculous hysteria over wolves, when our beloved dogs bite so many people each year. I blame the owners for the most part, who don’t socialize their animals or mistreat them. For every loving owner there is one who will starve their poor dog or keep it on a chain it’s entire life. But you’re right, even pointing out the stats, irrationality still holds. Jaws was a good example of that and how it changed the way sharks are viewed.
For the wolves, For the wild ones,
Nabeki
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I am having a hard time believing these numbers. 4.5 million dog bites and two million children. Exactly where are these statistics coming from? We need to make sure we are factual about wolves and dogs. I do think turning dogs into villains of this magnitude is the best way to protect wolves. It seems to me this article over states the danger from dogs.
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Ron, 2013 was not an aberration, every year there are around the same number of bites. Most of the stats come from the ER, insurance companies, CDC, etc. It’s just a fact. The only reason I point it out is it shows how ridiculous the hysteria is over wolves, who rarely ever bite or attack anyone. And of course the stats of dog bites are going to be high because we live with our dogs and there are many irresponsible owners who don’t train their dogs or socialize them. I love my dogs but this puts the wolf hysteria in perspective. This isn’t the first time I’ve posted these stats, I usually do it every year and the numbers are about the same.
BITE-PAYING NUMBERS:
The Insurance Information Institute estimates insurers across the country paid out $483 million in dog-bite claims. State Farm paid out $104 million for 3,700 claims. Californians filed 449 claims and were paid $14.7 million; Illinois filed 309 for $8.9 million; Ohio, 221 claims for $4.2 million; Texas, 207 claims for $4 million; and Pennsylvania, 180 claims for $5.8 million.
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During National Dog Bite Prevention Week® and All-Year Round American Humane Association Offers Tips to Stay Safe
News Release | May 14, 2014
http://www.americanhumane.org/about-us/newsroom/news-releases/national-dog-bite-prevention-week.html
For the wolves, For the wild ones,
Nabeki
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Yes, but many dogs and cats are still murdered even if they bit someone when provoked, not to mention breed discrimination. Also, the numbers of “unwanted” dogs and cats killed in shelters is staggering. It is also a horrendous situation.
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Yeah, for the guff wolves get, german shepherds, pit bulls, dobermans and what have you should have a four digit price on their head and a multi-million government management plan!
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Reblogged this on Birdpond's Blog and commented:
Excellent and succinct summary – Really sheds light on just how hysterical and irrational this war on wolves really is.
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Re-blogged your excellent and to-the-point post –
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It is always the same. BTW ‘American Humane’ is not a good source as they have not been acting responsibly regarding animals used in Film and Television. Their own employees have filed complaints against them.
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Manes and Tails…just one link out of many, I don’t have any particular affiliation with then.
N.
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Reblogged this on Exposing the Big Game and commented:
I’ve been bitten by dogs several times, but I still love them all. Dogs sometimes bite; get over it. Wolves have to act like perfect saints at all times around humans to hope receive any tolerance, and still their vilified.
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And 95% of aggressions are due to HUMANS, CHILDREN AND ADULTS, due to ignorance, lack of empathy with animals and stupidity
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While I agree that dogs have bitten more humans then wolves since the beginning of time, it worries me they are compared to wolves.
Currently many dogs are being banned from cities, states, apartments, and insurance rates for certain breeds have gone up. All do to backyard breeders throwing out dogs to anyone with a dollar, breeders not screening homes, and of course the irresponsible homes that take in any dog.
Abuse and ignorance of dog behavior are main reasons for dog bites. So it’s hard to compare a wolf, with dogs that humans have allowed to harm humans. Wolves aren’t (usually) in homes or roaming the streets being neglected by humans, and is why they aren’t running around biting people.
There is hysteria about dogs, just give animal planet a few months and I’m sure they will do some special on ‘monsters in our homes’ or some ridiculous crap.
I guess I’m a little confused about the comparison?
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