A growing number of public safety officials are becoming concerned with a rising number of dog attacks. Around 4.5 million people in the United States are bitten by dogs each year, HealthDay reports, and experts are trying to determine the best manner to protect citizens, especially young children.What is especially troubling is that most attacks are not caused by stray animals, but rather are the result of an aggressive pet that may have gotten loose
One victim of such an attack is 18-year-old Kelly Voigt, who was seriously hurt at 7 when a neighborhood dog unexpectedly injured her so badly that she required more than 100 stitches to close the wounds. She has since started a child safety campaign to help give kids the knowledge to prevent similar occurrences.
"It affected me in such a big way that I just didn't want anyone else to get attacked like I did, so we decided to do something about it," she told the news source.
Runners, walkers and mail carriers often face aggressive animals as well. Carrying pepper spray has proven to be an effective way to improve safety as it can disable a charging canine.
