Be BiteSmart’s Foundational Philosophy

Across the United States each year, millions of people are bitten by dogs. The most devastating injuries occur disproportionately in children under the age of five—often in their own homes, involving a beloved family dog. These are not stray-dog incidents. They are predictable—and often preventable—breakdowns in supervision, education, and understanding of canine behavior. But this is not just an American issue.

Dog ownership is global. Children and dogs live together in families across North America, Latin America, Europe, Africa, Asia, and Australia. The Internet has erased borders—and so must prevention. Be BiteSmart ^SM (BBS) is built with that reality in mind.

Our educational videos and digital tools—both current and in development—are freely accessible online. We are committed to delivering them to families anywhere in the world. Initially in English and Spanish, BBS education will expand into additional languages as needed.

Free matters. When prevention and education require payment, the families most at risk are often left behind. By making our science-based resources free and digitally accessible, we remove economic barriers and extend protection to households and communities— regardless of income or geography.

Every serious dog bite involving a child represents far more than a single event. In the United States and other developed regions, these injuries frequently result in devastating craniofacial trauma, reconstructive surgeries, and psychological harm lasting years. A child’s sense of safety, identity, and development can be permanently altered in a matter of seconds.

This risk knows no boundaries—affecting children in every community, in every part of the world.

In many parts of the world, the consequences are even more severe. In regions where rabies remains endemic and access to timely medical care is limited, a bite from a street or community dog can be a death sentence. Tens of thousands of people—predominantly children—die each year from rabies transmitted through these bites.

These are not entirely unavoidable tragedies, but in many cases they are preventable.

While our platform is designed to scale to reach hundreds of millions of children worldwide, our purpose remains grounded in something far more fundamental: one child at a time.

Because when a single child is spared a devastating injury—or spared death from a preventable bite—what has been preserved is not simply a moment, but a life trajectory. A childhood uninterrupted by preventable trauma. A future not defined by avoidable harm. A life that will go on to touch countless others in ways we cannot fully measure.

Please help us share this message: free, science-based education—designed for downloading and sharing—is available to any parent, caregiver, school, hospital, or injury prevention organization, anywhere in the world.

“A child will face many challenges in life. A preventable injury should not be one of them.
If together we prevent even one devastating injury—or save even one life—we will have preserved something immeasurable.”

~ Chris P. Janelli, Co-founder, Be BiteSmart Global Initiative

FREE Matters

Chris P. Janelli

Co-Founder and Chairman

Center for Canine Behavior Studies and Be BiteSmartSM

Across the United States each year, hundreds of thousands of people are bitten by dogs. The most devastating injuries fall disproportionately on children under five—often in their own homes, involving a beloved family dog. These are not unfamiliar or stray-dog incidents. These are often due to predictable and preventable breakdowns in supervision, education, and understanding of canine behavior.

But this is not just an American issue.

Dog ownership is global. Children and dogs live together in homes across North America, Latin America, Europe, Africa, Asia, and Australia. The Internet has erased borders—and prevention must do the same. Be BiteSmart (BBS) was built for that reality. Our educational videos and digital tools are available online in English and Spanish to families anywhere in the world—for FREE.

FREE matters.

When prevention requires payment, the families most at risk are often left behind. By making our science-based resources FREE and digitally accessible, we remove economic barriers and extend protection regardless of geography or income. A parent in Texas. A grandparent in Mexico City. A caregiver in Madrid. A preschool teacher in Miami. Access must never be the obstacle to safety—and we intend to expand into additional languages over time.

For years, I have studied not only dog bite statistics, but also the gaps within them. Emergency departments record injuries, but rarely the behavioral context, the missed stress signals, the unsupervised moment, the well-intentioned hug that crossed a boundary. Yet decades of pediatric and veterinary research point to a clear truth: the most serious dog bites to young children are preventable through education and informed supervision.

We are often asked how we measure impact. It is a fair question. But prevention carries a paradox, you cannot prove a negative. When a child pauses instead of hugging. When a parent intervenes before escalation. When a toddler walks away from a resting dog—there is no bite. No emergency room. No surgery. No lifelong trauma. No dataset capturing the crisis that never occurred.

The absence of tragedy is not the absence of impact.

Seatbelts save lives. Pool fencing prevents drownings. Car seats reduce fatalities. Education changes behavior—and behavior change reduces risk. When families understand canine body language and common trigger scenarios—disturbing a sleeping dog, approaching during feeding, unsupervised toddler interaction—the likelihood of injury drops dramatically.

Our mission is simple and global: reduce preventable pediatric dog bite injuries through FREE, accessible, science-based education delivered digitally at scale.

If even one child—anywhere in the world—avoids reconstructive surgery or lifelong psychological scars because of Be BiteSmart, this work matters. And if we reach millions—tens of millions—the quiet victories in homes across the world will be invisible, immeasurable, and profound.

Prevention is invisible. Its success is silence.

That is the future we are building.

Please join Dr. Dodman, me, and the entire CCBS team on this journey to prevent child injury.

Sincerely,
Chris P. Janelli

Comprehensive Pediatric Dog Bite Statistics and Prevention Framework

I. National Incidence – United States

Approximately 4.5–4.7 million dog bites occur annually in the United States.¹

Of these, an estimated 800,000–1,000,000 require medical attention.¹,²

Roughly 330,000 emergency department visits occur annually.³

Hospitalizations are estimated between 12,000–20,000 per year.⁴

Children account for approximately 45–50% of all victims.¹,⁵

II. Children Under Age 5 – Disproportionate Severity

Children under age 5 sustain a disproportionate number of severe injuries, with 60–80% involving the head, face, or neck.⁶,⁷

They are 2–3 times more likely to require operative repair compared with older children.⁷ Surgical management often includes multilayer closure, general anesthesia, and long-term reconstructive follow-up.⁷,⁸

III. Fatalities

The United States reports approximately 30–50 dog bite-related fatalities annually, with children under 10 disproportionately represented.⁹,¹⁰

IV. Circumstances and Location

Between 77–90% of pediatric dog bites occur in the home environment, typically involving a familiar dog.⁵,¹¹

Common precipitating behaviors include face-to-face contact, hugging, interrupting sleep, or resource guarding scenarios.¹²

V. Psychological and Economic Impact

Pediatric victims frequently experience post-traumatic stress symptoms, anxiety, and body image disturbances.¹³

Dog bites account for over one-third of homeowner liability claims annually, with payouts exceeding $1 billion per year.¹⁴

VI. Data Collection Limitations

National surveillance systems such as NEISS and CDC WISQARS do not consistently capture granular behavioral context, surgical detail, or long-term psychological outcomes, limiting prevention research.³,¹⁵

VII. Education as Primary Prevention

Peer-reviewed pediatric and surgical literature consistently concludes that dog bite injuries in children are largely preventable through early education and supervision.⁵,⁶,¹²,¹⁶

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends anticipatory guidance regarding safe child-dog interaction. ⁵

Behavioral analyses demonstrate that many severe injuries occur during predictable child behaviors, indicating that age-specific education could substantially reduce incidence.¹²,¹⁶

Importantly, prevention cannot be measured through the absence of injury; however, decades of surgical case series call for structured education as the primary intervention strategy. ⁵,⁷,¹⁶

References (AMA Format)

1. Gilchrist J, Sacks JJ, White D, Kresnow MJ. Dog bites: still a problem? Inj Prev. 2008;14(5):296-301.
2. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Nonfatal dog bite-related injuries treated in emergency departments.
3. National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS), U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.
4. Weiss HB, Friedman DI, Coben JH. Incidence of dog bite injuries treated in emergency departments. Public Health Rep. 1998.
5. American Academy of Pediatrics. Prevention of Dog Bites. Pediatrics. 2012.
6. Kahn A, Bauche P, Lamoureux J. Child victims of dog bites treated in emergency departments. Eur J Pediatr. 2003.
7. Garvey EM, et al. Dog bites in children: A surgical perspective. J Pediatr Surg. 2015.
8. Chen HH, et al. Analysis of pediatric facial dog bite injuries. Plast Reconstr Surg.
9. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Fatal dog attacks data.
10. Patronek GJ, et al. Co-occurrence of potentially preventable factors in 256 dog bite–related fatalities. J Am Vet Med Assoc. 2013.
11. Reisner IR, Shofer FS, Nance ML. Behavioral assessment of child-directed dog bites. Inj Prev. 2007.
12. American Veterinary Medical Association. Dog Bite Prevention Resources.
13. De Keuster T, et al. Psychological impact of dog bites in children. J Pediatr Psychol.
14. Insurance Information Institute. Dog Bite Liability Claims Report.
15. CDC WISQARS Injury Statistics Database.
16. Ostanello F, et al. Risk factors associated with dog bite injuries in children. Inj Prev. 2005.