Pitbulls, Rottweilers and Wolf Hybrids (wolfdogs) are no longer being covered in California homeowner insurance policies issued by Farmer's Group, Inc. insurance. As I began to write this story about dog bites, I looked down at my leg to see the reminder of my very own dog bite attack from a Labrador Retriever over 15 years ago. I was not bitten by the breeds that owners are now going to have to pay dearly for in California should the dogs bite someone. In 2012 there were 38 fatal dog bite attacks in the U.S.--61% or 23 by pitbulls. California and North Carolina led the nation with 4 deaths each--and 3 out of 4 deaths in California were caused by pitbulls.

CALIFORNIA DOG BITE DEATHS 2012

• Mail deliverer Diane Jenkins (59) was killed by a pitbull in Escondido while on her route
• Tyzhel McWilliams (8-months old) was killed by one of three pitbulls in an apartment where he lived. The child's mother had been living with the dogs for two years. In an interview 5 days after the baby's death, the mother expressed disbelief that the pit bull named Zulu that "seemed to watch over the infant like a protective parent" would take her baby's life.
• Remedios Romero-Solares (30) was mauled to death by one or more American bulldog-mixes in the backyard of a Fallbrook home where she performed housecleaning services.
• Esteban Alavez (34) was mauled to death by four pitbulls a homeowner allowed to run loose throughout a neighborhood in Fresno County.

The tooth mark on my leg has actually gotten bigger and redder as time goes on--go figure! I was walking in a neighborhood when a loose dog (Lab) ran up to me and bit me on my thigh. It happened so quickly, I didn't anticipate or expect it. The blunt force trauma left an ugly mouth-sized bruise, I had to get a tetanus shot, report the dog, and sue the owner who said it must have been my fault. After all was said and done, the cost to the homeowner's policy was around $12,000--my attorney collected nearly half and I got the rest. The money didn't pay for my pain (puncture wound), suffering, etc., but I was angered into action and sending a message after I heard that the dog had bitten a child in the neighborhood previous to my incident.

California has enacted dog bite statutes under which a dog owner can be found liable for injuries caused by his dog, eliminating the 'one-free bite' rule by holding a dog owner liable even if the dog has never bitten anyone or shown a tendency to bite. Under this statute, the dog's past behavior is irrelevant. The victim of a dog bite only needs to show that: the dog was owned by the defendant; the bite took place on public property or while the victim was lawfully on private property; the victim was actually bitten by the dog; and the victim was injured by the dog.

U.S. insurance companies paid out $480 million to people who were attacked by dogs in 2011.

San Bernardino County, California Ordinance
In August 2011, San Bernardino County Animal Care and Control, which oversees unincorporated areas and Highland and Yucaipa, reported a 9.6 decrease in dog bites after enacting a pit bull sterilization law in 2010.

Lancaster, California Ordinance
After Lancaster adopted a mandatory spay and neuter law for pit bulls and rottweilers in early 2009, it was reported just one year later, in January 2010, that the results of the ordinance were very positive: "A year ago, this city was overrun with individuals -- namely, gang members -- who routinely used pit bulls and other potentially vicious dogs as tools of intimidation and violence," Lancaster Mayor R. Rex Parris said. Homicide, rape, robbery and aggravated assault, fell by 45% last year, and there was a drop in overall gang crime by 41

San Francisco, California Ordinance
When the City of Auburn debated enacting a pit bull law in January 2010, the number of complaints of mean pit bulls has dropped dramatically. Pit bull owners are required to spay or neuter their pets. The county saw a 9.6 percent decrease in dog bites in the year since the spay/neuter program was instituted.

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