See main article: List of fatal dog attacks. This is a list of human deaths caused by dogs, which became publicly known in the form of reports, cause of death statistics, scientific papers, or other sources. For more information on causes of death and studies related to dog bite-related fatalities, see Fatal dog attacks.
Since 1998 deaths have been collected according to ICD-10 International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems. With the help of cause-of-death statistics, recommendations for action and strategies can be derived, for example, for epidemiological research, prevention of deaths, and so on.[1] Deaths from or after dog bites are very rare, they count as preventable deaths. W 54: Bitten or Struck by dog is the classification according to ICD-10.[2]
According to an evaluation of the number of deaths in the period from 2009 to 2019, an average of 3.3 people died per year throughout Germany. The states of Rhineland-Palatinate, Schleswig-Holstein, Bremen and Saarland had no deaths during this period. In 2005, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2012 and 2019, there were no deaths nationwide, according to statistics.[3] [4]
Deaths per year according to the Federal Statistical Office of Germany:[5]
| Date | Age | Sex | Dog type (Number) | Location | Circumstances | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 35 | M | American Bully XL | According to the police, the dog had already seriously injured the owner's partner two weeks earlier when she fell on the icy road. The man was found by a passerby, he was covered in blood and suffered serious injuries to both his arms. When the officers arrived, the dog was sitting next to the 35-year-old. The dog then aggressively charged the paramedics who tried to help. The police shot the dog. The man died in hospital.[6] | |||
† | 88 | F | German Shepherd | Saxony-Anhalt, Halberstadt, Emersleben | The woman was discovered with hypothermia and bite wounds. She died the next day. The autopsy concluded that she died from blood loss. The charges of involuntary manslaughter against the 53-year-old dog owner and breeder were dropped in August 2024. The investigation revealed that the dog was in a closed kennel on private property and could not have gotten out on its own. It remained unclear why the victim went into the kennel. The dog was not euthanized.[7] [8] | |
| 81 | M | English Bulldog (4) | Brandenburg, Worin | The victim was bitten by the neighbor's four dogs while mowing the lawn. He suffered severe injuries to his arms and legs and died in hospital four weeks later.[9] | ||
| January 10, 2023 | 87 | F | American Bully | Rhineland-Palatinate, Neuhofen, Rheinauen | According to the police, the woman wanted to carry a package to her relatives' house when the family dog she knew well grabbed it. The relatives saw the attack but were unable to stop it in time. The woman died at the scene. The dog had not previously been noticed as aggressive. The police believe it was an accident. The dog was seized by the public order office and taken to an animal shelter. It was decided to euthanize the dog when resocialization was not possible.[10] [11] | |
| 40 | M | Labrador | North Rhine-Westphalia, Weeze | A racing cyclist collided with another cyclist's dog while overtaking him and fell. He died a few days later in hospital. The police believe it was a tragic accident because the dog did not run directly towards the racing cyclist.[12] | ||
| <1 | M | Pit bull type | Hesse, Bad König | The family dog "Kowu" bit the 7-month-old infant in the head, it died later in the hospital. Police described the dog as a possible Staffordshire mix.[13] | ||
| 52 | F | American Staffordshire Terrier cross | The dog owner's sisters saw a lifeless body lying on the floor through the apartment window. Firefighters broke into the apartment and found the two victims covered in blood. The dog named "Chico" was taken to a shelter. Nearly 300,000 people signed the online petitions demanding that the dog be rescued and that it be given a chance for resocialization. The case was also made explosive by the fact that the dog was already known to the responsible authorities. Neighbors had already complained years ago about the barking and reported that he was not kept in a manner appropriate to the species. The dog was later euthanized. [14] [15] | |||
| 27 | M | |||||
| 2018 | 52 | F | Unknown | Lower Saxony | The woman sustained a minor injury from a dog bite and died due to an infection with capnocytophaga canimorsus 4 to 6 days later.[16] | |
| 47 | M | Rottweiler | Saxony, Chemnitz, Roßwein | The man was attacked while walking the dog. His mother tried to get the dog away from him, which took about 15 minutes. He died due to blood loss.[17] [18] | ||
| 72 | F | Kangal | Baden-Württemberg, Sigmaringen, Stetten am kalten Markt | According to the public prosecutor's office, the Kangal attacked the victim when she passed the property on a footpath where the dog was kept. He killed her with bites to the head and neck. Police killed the dog.[19] | ||
| 62 | M | Dobermann | Thuringia, Nordhausen, Wülfingerode | The son found his father, bitten to death by his own dog. It is unclear why the dog attacked the man.[20] [21] [22] | ||
| 57 | F | Rottweiler xGerman Shepherd | Thuringia, Sömmerda, Kindelbrück | The family dog attacked and killed the woman. The dog was euthanized.[23] | ||
| 3 | M | Rottweiler | Saxony-Anhalt, Wittenberg, Zörnigall | The boy was visiting his great-grandmother who was caring for the dog named "Spike", the pet of the boy's father. The boy had known the dog since birth. The police shot the animal several times to clear the way for the emergency doctor to get to the boy.[24] [25] | ||
| 3 | F | American Staffordshire Terrier (4) | Thuringia, Oldisleben-Sachsenburg | The girl was attacked by her aunt's dogs. The great-grandmother came to the rescue of the girl and was seriously injured. All dogs were euthanized by authorities with the aunt's consent.[26] The aunt was charged with negligent homicide.[27] [28] [29] The Nordhausen district court has sentenced the dog owner to one year of probation and 80 hours of community service for negligent homicide.[30] | ||
| <1 | F | Husky x German Shepherd | Brandenburg, Cottbus, Saspow | The family dog named "Bingo" knocked over the stroller and attacked the 8-week-old child. The dog was brought to an animal shelter. His assessment showed no signs of increased aggressiveness towards people and animals, he was not euthanized. The owners agreed to rehome the dog.[31] [32] [33] | ||
| <1 | Rottweiler | Lower Saxony, Cuxhaven, Samtgemeinde Land Hadeln | The dog of a family member opened the door to the room where the 4-month-old child was and attacked it. The dog was euthanized the same day.[34] | |||
| 92 | F | American Staffordshire Terrier | Saxony-Anhalt, Gross Rossau | The woman was bitten by the dog and succumbed to her injuries on the spot. The dog's owner was on vacation at the time of the incident. The dog sitter let the dog run around freely on the property where the woman lived. The reason for the attack is unclear.[35] [36] | ||
† | 69 | M | Unknown | Brandenburg | The man sustained a minor injury from a bite by his dog and died a few days later due to an infection with capnocytophaga canimorsus.[37] | |
| 36 | F | Pit Bull | Bremen | The victim was killed in her apartment by her dog. An arriving police officer killed the dog.[38] | ||
| 86 | F | Rottweiler | Brandenburg, Senzig | When the woman brought water to the dog named "Brando", she was bitten and died a little later from her injuries. The dog was euthanized.[39] [40] | ||
| <1 | M | Rottweiler | Saxony-Anhalt, Hobeck | The 6-week-old child was in the yard in its stroller and started crying. The family dog knocked the stroller over and killed the infant. The father shot the dog with a hunting rifle.[41] [42] | ||
| 24 | M | Labrador mix | Baden-Wuerttemberg, Untergruppenbach | When a Jack Russell Terrier and a Labrador mix began fighting over a stick, the dog owner tried to protect the Jack Russell. The Labrador mix snapped and injured the man's carotid artery. The man panicked due to the profuse bleeding and ran away, leaving his companions unable to help him. He bled to death before the rescue workers arrived.[43] | ||
| 6 | M | Rottweiler (2) | Rhineland-Palatinate, Zweibrücken | An adult woman and a boy were walking the dogs in the forest. When he fell, the unleashed female dog charged at him and bit. The male dog then got out of the collar and bit as well. The child died on the spot.[44] | ||
| 11 | F | German Shepherd | Schleswig-Holstein, Lutzhorn | The girl was playing in the garden with the family dog when she was bitten several times and died.[45] | ||
| 6 | M | Staffordshire Bull Terrier | Hamburg | See: Volkan Kaya Two dogs jumped into a schoolyard and attacked about ten children, leaving two injured and one dead. The dogs were shot dead by responding police and two people were arrested.[46] [47] Following this, another fatal dog attack earlier the same year, and a long series of serious injuries caused by fighting dogs, the German government enacted laws banning certain breeds, including penalties of up to 100,000 Deutsche Marks ($48,100 USD).[48] [49] | ||
| Pit Bull | ||||||
| March 5, 2000 | 86 | F | Rottweiler | North Rhine-Westphalia, Gladbeck, Rentfort-Nord | The victim was taking out the trash when the dog attacked her. The dog bit into the pensioner's head and neck and severed her cervical spine. Neighbors rushed over and hit the animal with spades but couldn't save the injured woman. According to the public prosecutor's office, the daughter of a Rottweiler breeder was taking a walk with three Rottweilers who were not on a leash in the early hours of the morning. The dog named "Easy" disappeared for a while and returned to the nearby breeding grounds by herself. The dog had attacked and injured a child three years before the fatal attack. The Essen public prosecutor's office alleged negligent homicide. The 21-year-old was sentenced to ten months for negligent homicide (juvenile sentence to probation).[50] [51] [52] [53] | |
| 48 | F | Pit bull (2) | Brandenburg, Uckermark, Milow | She was in front of her house with her two dogs. When a 13-year-old girl cycled past the property, her dogs chased after the girl. When the owner tried to stop the dogs they turned on her and killed her. [54] |
https://www.rki.de/DE/Content/Infekt/EpidBull/Archiv/2006/Ausgabenlinks/24_06.pdf?__blob=publicationFile