Conference Examines Trends in Rising Threat of Dog Bites

Six-year-old Larissa Casillas is terrified of dogs and plagued by bad dreams. And she has good reason to be.

Five months ago, the Placentia youngster approached a neighbor’s Rottweiler to stop it from eating an ice cream wrapper. The animal pounced, clawing and biting the girl so badly that she needed 56 stitches to close the wounds on her head and arms.

Animal control and health experts say that Larissa is among a growing number of dog bite victims who are part of a largely unrecognized health problem.

The number of dog bite injuries dwarfs the reported cases of mumps, measles and whooping cough combined, said Dr. Jeffrey Sacks of the federal Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta. He has compiled one of the few studies that look at the problem nationwide.

“There’s a lot of risks in life we can’t control, and here’s one that can be [controlled], very simply and with very little effort or money,” Sacks said.

In response to the work of Sacks and others, the American Humane Assn. co-sponsored a conference in Anaheim this week to promote awareness about the dangers of dog bites and encourage the public to take steps to prevent such attacks.

While some animal control experts say the problem is rampant, others note that statistics on dog bites often are sketchy.

During an eight-year period ending in 1994--the most recent year for which the CDC compiled such information--the number of dog bites requiring medical attention increased 37%. In 1994, more than 800,000 dog bites nationwide required medical care, according to the CDC study.

“It’s rampant, but because we haven’t been talking about it, the victims feel that they are the only ones. This is actually happening everywhere,” said Gini Barrett, director of the American Humane Assn.’s western regional office, and a conference speaker.

Animal control experts, including Barrett, attribute the more severe attacks to the fact that urban dwellers select pets for personal protection.

“I think we have an affinity here in Southern California for large, aggressive breeds of dogs that is unparalleled anywhere else in the nation,” Barrett said. “Crimes and a fear of crimes is a part of our culture.”

Some cities, including Los Angeles, do not compile statistics on dog bites because there is no money to do so, county health officials said. Experts say the figures that are available are likely to be low. Many bites go unreported and untreated, she said.

Another indicator of the problem: About one-third of all homeowner claims now involve dog bites, prompting some insurance agencies to raise premiums on policyholders with problem dogs, according to the nonprofit, Los Angeles-based Insurance Information Service. State Farm Insurance also co-sponsored the Anaheim conference.

Before the attack on his daughter, David Casillas never considered the threat posed by dogs, he said. But in the months since, he was surprised to notice others dealing with the consequences of a dog bite.

“It’s weird. We keep hearing and seeing stories of dogs attacking kids on the news,” he said. “It seems like this happens all the time.”

In the wake of the attack, animal control officials ordered the Rottweiler that attacked Larissa to be neutered and remain leashed whenever off the owner’s property. Casillas said thepenalties were too lenient given the severity of the attack.

He does not want the dog to be euthanized, just moved out of the neighborhood, and believes that the best safety measure is to educate people to be responsible pet owners.

“Putting the dog to sleep doesn’t do anything. The owner will just get a new dog,” he said.

Times staff writer Martha Willman contributed to this story.