NEWARK – Mixed-breed dogs, Labradors and pit bulls bit the most people in 2014, according to data released by the Licking County Health Department and Newark Division of Police.
Licking County Health Department records show 260 dog bites reported in 2014. Of those, 25 were attributed to pit bull or pit bull mixes, while 24 were attributed to Labradors. Mixed breeds or mutts were responsible for 21 bites.
Newark police took reports on 71 dog bites throughout 2014, with 12 of those attributed to unidentified mixed-breed dogs. Another 10 were attributed to pit bulls or pit bull mixes.
The dogs are classified by the owner or by sight, Newark Division of Police Sgt. Paul Davis Davis said. Pit bulls are classified according to decisions filed in several court rulings related to vicious dog laws.
The breeds reported as having bitten a person in 2014 range in size from chihuahua to larger dogs such as Rottweilers, boxers and mastiffs.
Chad Brown, director of environmental health for the Licking County Health Department, said health care providers are required to report any animal bite they treat to the health department.
Classifying the breed of dog responsible for the bite is done on forms filled out by the patients at the doctor’s office, emergency room or other treatment center.
“We’re at the mercy of what they give us,” Brown said.
Improving the reporting process is under discussion in an effort to make it more accurate, he said.
As of Friday, the health department has received 19 reports of dog bites this year.
So far in 2015, Newark police have taken reports for three bites, all of which were by pit bulls, Davis said. Pit bulls tend to make up the majority of bite calls that police get, Davis said.
The Newark City Council has discussed potential legislation to remove breed-specific laws classifying pit bulls as vicious dogs. Proponents of the law change say the dogs are misunderstood and unfairly judged.
“If you take a dog out of an environment and you put it into a new one, its behavior and temperament will change” Steffen Baldwin, president and CEO of the Animal Cruelty Task Force of Ohio, previously told The Advocate. “It’s not the breed, it’s not some genetic thing from 200 years ago. ... It’s all about the environment the dog is being put in.”
Opponents of laws that allow pit bulls more freedom, such as allowing them to be unmuzzled in public, say the dogs are an accident waiting to happen.
“If you ask me, they’re nothing more than a crocodile on land,” David Ambrosini told The Advocate in December 2013 while good citizen laws for the dogs were being considered. Ambrosini said he lived near a pit bull.
Currently, Newark city law classifies pit bulls as vicious or dangerous dogs whether or not the dog has bitten anyone. A pit bull can be declassified if it passes the 10-part American Kennel Club Good Citizen test.
Breeds most likely to bite in Newark (2014)
1. Unidentified mixed breed — 12
2. Pit bull/pit bull mix —10
2. Labrador/Labrador mix — 10
4. Boxer/boxer mix — 9
5. Husky — 3
5. Beagle/beagle mix — 3
Source: Newark Division of Police
Breeds most likely to bite in Licking County (2014)
1. Pit bull/pit bull mix — 25
2. Labrador — 24
3. Mixed breed/mutt — 21
4. Boxer — 20
5. German shepherd — 10
Source: Licking County Health Department
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