As Dog Bites Skyrocket In Ocean County, Health Officials Urge People To Be More Careful

OCEAN COUNTY, NJ — Ocean County officials are urging people to take more care around their pets after the county has seen a skyrocketing number of dog bites in 2025.

In the first six months of 2025, there were 874 dog bites reported to the Ocean County Health Department, officials said.

That number exceeds the total number of dog bites reported in all of 2024, which was 783, health officials said. In 2023, there were 714 dog bites reported, the health department said.

None of the dog bites have been fatal, the health department said.

It's not clear what is sparking the drastic increase.

Brian Lippai, a spokesman for the health department, said the data comes from bites reported to animal control officers or from medical facilities where people have sought treatment for an animal bite.

The county does not track the ages of those bitten, the breed of the dogs involved or the severity of the injuries, Lippai said, or any details on the circumstances surrounding the bite, such as whether it was a family member bitten by a pet or a dog running loose.

That's in part because the reports the county receives are handwritten on forms filled out by someone involved in the report, from animal control to the person who was bitten. For example, if you seek treatment in an emergency room for an animal bite, the emergency room staff will provide you with a form to fill out.

The county receives more than 1,000 bite reports each year, Lippai said, including not only dogs but cats, ferrets, rabbits and other animals.

Nationally, more than 4.5 million dog bites are reported each year, according to the American Veterinary Medicine Association. Of those, about 334,000 seek treatment in emergency rooms, with another 466,000 people seen in other medical settings, such as urgent care or their physician's offices.

Almost half of those bitten are children younger than 12 years old. Also at risk are people more than 70 years old, who comprise 10 percent of those bitten and 20 percent of those killed by dog bites, the veterinary association said.

The veterinary association also said data on breeds doing the biting is inherently unreliable.

"They do not give an accurate picture of dogs that bite," the association said. Larger dogs "can physically do more damage if they do bite and any popular breed has more individuals that could bite. Dogs from small breeds also bite and are capable of causing severe injury."

Categorizing breeds responsible for bites is problematic, the association said, because "the breed of the biting dog may not be accurately recorded, and mixed-breed dogs are commonly described as if they were purebreds."

The actual number of bites that happen may not be known because bites that didn't cause serious injuries may not be reported, and data on how many dogs are in a community is frequently incomplete because not every dog is licensed and registered, in spite of laws requiring it in most places, the association said.

Lippai said the county wants to remind people that many biting incidents can be prevented if people exercise awareness and take proper precautions around animals, including their pets, which are frequently the source of bites.

That means understanding and heeding your pet's behavior and learning how to approach and interact with them.

Children are particularly at risk of bites, said Daniel Regenye, the county's public health coordinator. He said it's critically important that parents teach their children how to behave around animals and supervise their interactions, especially with young children.

Many common triggers include startling a dog while it is eating or sleeping, provocation, fear or anxiety, pain, or illness, and protecting territory or food.

"Parents must teach their kids when and how to approach dogs safely. And if your dog bites and isn’t current on its rabies vaccine, by law, the dog must be quarantined either at home or at our shelter," Regenye said.

Dog bites have additional consequences beyond the trauma to the person or child who is bitten.

Jackie Strawder, manager of the county's animal shelters, said all too often people surrender their dogs to the shelter as a result of a biting incident.

"We see too many dogs surrendered to the two Ocean County Animal Facilities because their dog bit someone, and now they are fearful of that pet," she said. "That puts even more of a burden on all animal shelters by increasing the volume of impounds every year. It is unfortunate because most of these bites could have been prevented with either proper training or taking the proper precautions."

The health department offered these tips to help prevent bites:

• Never leave babies or children unsupervised with dogs, even with family pets.
• Properly socialize and train your dog.
• Ask permission from the owner before approaching a dog.
• Do not tease or chase any dog.
• Do not disturb a dog that is sleeping, eating, or caring for puppies.
• Never approach an unfamiliar dog, especially one that’s tethered or confined behind a fence or in a car.
• Never play with a dog unless supervised by an adult.
• If you are knocked down by a dog, roll into a ball and protect your face with your hands.
• If you are bitten, immediately report the bite to animal control or the OCHD.

"Dog bites can happen in an instant," said Ocean County Commissioner Jennifer Bacchione, the board's liaison to the Board of Health. "By learning how to approach, interact with, and understand canine behavior, we can drastically reduce the risk of bites and the trauma they possibly can cause."

The county has additional resources regaring dog bite prevention as well as information on the county's shelters on the health department website.