State Farm, Victoria Stilwell and members of the National Dog Bite Prevention Coalition have joined forces during National Dog Bite Prevention Week to educate adults and children about ways to reduce dog-related injuries. Members of the National Dog Bite Prevention Coalition include State Farm, Victoria Stilwell, Insurance Information Institute, United States Postal Service, American Humane, and the American Veterinary Medical Association.

“Educating the general public about dog bite prevention is more vital than ever,” says Stilwell. “As a dog behavior expert, I support the need to raise awareness and stop these incidents from occurring.” Stilwell urges people to join the discussion and share tips on being safe and responsible around dogs by using the hashtag #preventdogbites.

State Farm is one of the few insurance companies that does not have a breed restriction list and does not exclude homeowner or renter insurance coverage because of the breed of dog owned.

Instead, the insurance company works with world renowned dog trainer Victoria Stilwell to focus on educating people about responsible pet ownership and understanding dog body language. Being bitten or attacked by a dog can leave physical and emotional scars. For the dog, it can be a death sentence. Children make up more than 50% of all dog bite victims. The elderly and home service people like mail carriers are also high on the list of frequent dog bite victims.

While an overwhelming majority of interactions with dogs don’t result in injury, most dog bites could be prevented by practicing responsible pet ownership and educating people, especially children, about how to safely interact with dogs. Stilwell recommends the following tips to keep people safe from dog bites.

1. Learn canine body language. Too often people misunderstand or miss signals that a dog is uncomfortable. For example, a dog that yawns might not necessarily be tired. Yawning can also be a sign of stress.
2. Give dogs space. Dogs can feel threatened when strange people touch them, so take pressure off by giving them the choice to come into your space first to say hello.
3. Be humane. Dogs that are raised and trained humanely are more confident and less likely to bite than dogs that are trained using punitive methods or equipment designed to intimidate and cause pain.

Homeowners should talk to their insurance agent about coverage under a standard homeowner policy. Pet owners should consider a personal liability umbrella policy (PLUP) to provide extra coverage in case their dog does bite someone. Renters should consider getting renters insurance because most landlords do not provide coverage should there be a dog bite incident.

How You Can Help Prevent Injuries

Understanding a dog's body language and how to be a responsible pet owner can help reduce the number of dog bite related injuries. 

Dogs are very expressive animals. They communicate when they’re feeling happy, sad, nervous, fearful and angry through body language. “Whale eye” describes a dog who is showing the whites of their eyes and often indicates stress or anxiety. Whale eye can be a sign that the dog will soon become aggressive because a dog who is anxious is more likely to bite.

A chained dog can become a dangerous dog. Dogs that are kept on a chain or tether outside for long periods of time can become unhappy, frustrated and aggressive. Many cities and states now have tethering laws that state how long a dog can be kept on a chain or tethered outdoors. A responsible dog owner will take their dog outdoors regularly for exercise and fresh air but doesn’t leave a dog on a chain without social interaction. 

Dog Bite Prevention Quiz

Hover over the image below to learn more safety tips.

Postal Carrier Protection

There were 6,244 postal carriers bitten in 2017. If a letter carrier delivers mail or packages to your front door, place your dog in a separate room and close that door before opening the front door. This practice is helpful to consider for food and other package deliveries as well.

Top 15 cities for dog attacks to U.S. postal carrier in 2017

1. Houston, TX 71 attacks

2. Los Angeles, CA 67 attacks

3. St. Louis, MO 52 attacks

4. Cleveland, OH 49 attacks

5. San Diego, CA 46 attacks

6. Baltimore, MD 44 attacks

7. San Antonio, TX 44 attacks

8. Columbus, OH 43 attacks

9. Dallas, TX 40 attacks

10. Louisville, KY 39 attacks

11. Chicago, IL 38 attacks

12. Denver, CO 35 attacks

13. Long Beach, CA 32 attacks

14. Detroit, MI 32 attacks

15. Kansas City, MO 32 attacks

Dog bites are one of the most preventable injuries to children. But without a basic understanding of dog body language and how to be a responsible pet owner, children are repeatedly put into harm’s way. In fact, the most common age for dog bite attacks is children between 5-12 years old.

Kindness is Powerful is a new joint effort to educate children on dog safety. State Farm is teaming up with celebrity dog trainer Victoria Stilwell, kindness ambassador Megan Blake with Super Smiley, and Leah Brewer with 2013 Hero Dog of the Year, Elle the pit bull.

Kindness is Powerful focuses on teaching the value of kindness, positivity, and how to be responsible around dogs. The campaign also focuses on children and providing messaging around the need for education on dog bite prevention. Dogs trained through the State Farm Arson Dog Program participate by conducting demonstrations and sharing information about working dogs.

What will event attendees learn about?

Celebrity dog trainer Victoria Stilwell, from the Animal Planet show “It’s Me or the Dog,” provides important information about how dogs see people and interact with us.

Ambassadors of Kindness Super Smiley and Megan Blake demonstrate how being kind and respectful to dogs can result in a life-long friendship with your pet.

The importance of a dog’s body language and proper etiquette to employ when approaching dogs is demonstrated by Leah Brewer and Elle the pit bull.

Kindness is Powerful works with local organizations (YMCA, Boys and Girls Club, community organization, schools, etc.) to host Kindness is Powerful events for elementary and junior high age school children.

For more information:

• All Dog Breeds Deserve a Chance

• Victoria Stilwell: Information and Resources to Help Reduce Dog Related Injuries

• Elle the Pit Bull webpage

• State Farm Canine Assist Team Starting 5

Bloomington, Ill (May 11, 2016) — One of the most traumatizing accidents that can happen to anyone is being bitten or injured by man's best friend. Dog-related injuries result in physical and emotional scars to the victim. For the dog, it can result in abandonment or euthanasia. Last year State Farm paid a record $118 million as a result of 3,100 dog-related injury claims. Over the past decade, the insurer has paid nearly $1 billion for claims resulting from accidents involving a dog. While the number of dog-related injury claims paid by State Farm decreased 9.6% between 2014 and 2015, the amount paid for dog-related injury claims by State Farm increased 3.4%.

While an overwhelming majority of interactions with dogs don't result in injury, most dog bites could be prevented by practicing responsible pet ownership. National Dog Bite Prevention Week^®, led by the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA), is May 15-21, 2016. State Farm and members of the National Dog Bite Prevention Coalition have joined forces to educate adults and children about ways to reduce dog-related injuries.

State Farm: Top 10 States for Dog-Related Injury Claims in 2015

Source: State Farm - Homeowner, Renter, Farm & Ranch, and Commercial property claims

State Farm does not ask what breed of dog is owned when writing homeowner or renters insurance. Under the right circumstances, any dog might bite, regardless of breed. That is why the insurer works closely with internationally renowned dog trainer Victoria Stilwell to focus on educating individuals about responsible dog ownership and safely interacting with dogs.

"Educating the general public about dog bite prevention is more vital than ever", says Stilwell. "As a dog behavior expert and someone who also understands the pain and trauma of a serious bite, I fully support the need to raise awareness and stop these needless incidents from occurring."

Children make up more than more than 50% of all dog bite victims. The elderly and home service people like mail carriers are also high on the list of frequent dog bite victims. The US Postal Service reported that 6,500 postal carriers were attacked or bitten by dogs in 2015. That is an increase of nearly 14% compared to reported attacks in 2014. This increase is due in large part to last year's half-billion package delivery increase stemming from internet sales.

Insurance is an important aspect to being a responsible dog owner. When renting a property make sure to have rental insurance because most landlords do not provide coverage should there be a dog bite incident. If you are a homeowner, talk to your insurance agent about what is covered under a standard homeowner policy related to dogs.

Join State Farm, www.statefarm.com; Victoria Stilwell, www.positively.org; Insurance Information Institute, iii.org; U.S. Postal Service, usps.com; American Humane Association, americanhumane.org; American Veterinary Medical Association, avma.org; and the American Academy of Pediatrics, www.aap.org; to drive home the message that dog-related injuries can be prevented by educating children and adults about safely interacting with dogs and reinforcing responsible dog ownership.

About Victoria Stilwell

Victoria Stilwell is a world-renowned dog trainer, TV personality, author and public speaker best known as the star of the international hit TV series Greatest American Dog and It's Me or the Dog, through which she reaches audiences in over 100 countries. The torchbearer for force-free positive reinforcement dog training methods, Stilwell is the Editor-in-Chief of Positively.com and is the CEO of both Victoria Stilwell, Inc. and Victoria Stilwell Positively Dog Training (VSPDT): the world's premier global network of positive reinforcement dog trainers. A co-founder of the National Dog Bite Prevention Task Force, Stilwell is also committed to helping the cause of animal rescue and rehabilitation, working closely with organizations around the world to increase awareness about puppy mills, dogfighting, animal abuse, pet overpopulation, dog bite prevention, breed-specific legislation and other animal-related issues. Appearing frequently in the global media, Stilwell is widely recognized as a leader in the field of animal behavior. She serves as a National Ambassador for the American Humane Association and is on the Advisory Boards of DogTV, Dognition, RedRover and Canine Assistants. She is also the CEO of the Victoria Stilwell Foundation, providing animal behavior expertise and funding to smaller rescue shelters and positive training-based canine assistance organizations.

Elle is a therapy dog, but that isn’t why she is misunderstood. It is because she is a pit bull. In honor of Pit Bull Awareness Month in October, her story shows the positive qualities of the breed, and the influence a good owner can have on a dog and a community.

Elle and owner Leah Brewer live in Roanoke Rapids, NC. Since 2010 they worked as a team with Therapy Dogs Incorporated visiting nursing homes and schools in their community. The also participate in a reading program called “Tail Wagging Tales” to help students practice reading and strengthen their confidence. Students read to Elle and when they feel ready, they read and make presentations in front of their class.

“Elle was featured in a children’s book called Kiefer and Friends, and all her readers loved reading a story with her as one of the featured dogs,” said Brewer. “Elle doesn’t care if the student is a beginning reader or doesn’t like to read in front of people. She calmly sits by their side with a non-judgmental ear and offers a reassuring paw when need.”

Overcoming Breed Prejudices

When Leah first approached schools about the reading program, she was met with skepticism because Elle was a pit bull. That didn’t stop Leah. She was determined to show that Elle was a wonderful ambassador for a breed of dog that is often misunderstood.

Elle’s training and mission has as much to do with changing perceptions of pit bulls as with anything else. Elle helped a young boy overcome his fear of dogs during the library program, Brewer saw that as a breakthrough.

“At first, he was interested in Elle, but wouldn’t come near her,” Brewer said. “Over the span of a year, he went from that to being able to walk her on those final two sessions.”

Leah and Elle began to change minds by visiting the local retirement home and schools to demonstrate the safe ways children and seniors should interact with dogs. (Sadly, more than half of all dog bite victims in this country are children and senior citizens.)

“I remind the children that even though they know Elle, she is a dog and because of that, they should always ask first before petting her. Many times I have to remind the adults of this too because when they see Elle, they want to hug her. I can tell by Elle’s body language that she isn’t comfortable so I politely remind them about the proper way to approach a dog, even a dog they know.”

People began to notice that even though Elle is a strong dog, she has a strong, responsible and loving owner. Soon, the school was open to the idea of the reading program.

All of the years of hard work in their small pocket of North Carolina didn’t go unnoticed. In 2013, Leah Brewer and Elle the pit bull were honored when Elle was named the 2013 American Hero Dog of the Year at the American Humane Association’s (AHA) Hero Dog Awards. Once misunderstood, Elle is now the “Hometown Hero” in her community.

A new mission: Dog bite prevention

Today Elle is an ambassador for a new message about dog bite prevention and the fact that any dog can bite. Educating the public about responsible dog ownership and how to safely interact with a dog is more important than a dogs’ breed when it comes to reducing dog bite incidents.

To help spread this message and serve as a role model for other dog owners, Leah and Elle were invited to be a part of the National Dog Bite Prevention Week Coalition (May 18-24, 2014) by State Farm.

“State Farm met Leah and Elle during the 2013 American Humane Association Hero Dog Awards and we knew that they would be great representatives for dog bite prevention,” said Heather Paul, Public Affairs Specialist for State Farm. “Educating children about the proper way to interact with dogs and the importance of being a loving and responsible owner are key to reducing dog bites. Leah and Elle are perfect examples for this message.”