A Ledger-Enquirer exclusive: Nearly 1,200 dog bites recorded in Columbus over past 3 years
After a Columbus woman had her leg amputated following a dog attack in March, the Ledger-Enquirer obtained documents that reveal dog bites have become a common occurrence in Muscogee County.
Over the past three years, 1,165 dog bites have been reported to Columbus animal control — an average of 388 per year.
In 2020, there were 431 reported bites. Last year, the number dropped to 339. While the data does not describe each bite in detail, the attacks can be severe.
In 2020, two tan pit bulls attacked a couple at night, leaving one in critical condition, the L-E reported.
On March 1, a woman conducting a survey of housing for a public agency was bitten so badly by a pit bull that her leg was amputated: Kim Golden, the COO for Neighborworks, suffered a severe wound that required amputation of a lower part of her leg.
Golden testified in a hearing regarding the dog’s future, saying she now has to crawl up and down the stairs in her home to take a shower.
“I saw parts of my body that shouldn’t be on the outside, on the outside,” Golden said during her testimony.
The Columbus Animal Control Board met Thursday night to discuss the outcome of “Cowboy,” the pit bull mix belonging to Edward Murray that bit Golden. Murray argued at the same hearing the Golden was on his property and should have used common sense to avoid the attack.
The board upheld its previous classification of Cowboy as “vicious,” after an appeal by Murray, said Canita Johnson, a division manager for the city’s Animal Control Board. She said that means Cowboy will remain in custody of the animal control office until further court proceedings.
While Georgia law defines a bite as something as simple as a scratch, public works director Drale Short said, a majority of the bites reported come from victims being bitten by animals the person doesn’t know.
A study published in March 2019 showed a national average of over 300,000 emergency department visits for dog bites per year between 2005 and 2013.
Rabies is another concern connected with animal bites. If someone is bitten by a dog that isn’t updated on its shots the dog is required to go into quarantine for at least 10 days while it’s monitored for signs of rabies.
The Georgia Department of Public Health confirmed one case of rabies found in a dog in Columbus in March after it was attacked by a raccoon.
Dr. Rebecca Reamy at Piedmont Columbus Regional has treated people for dog bites at the hospital.
She said when people arrive with dog bites, medical staff try to determine who the dog belongs to and whether they have a current shot record. Hospital staff work with animal control to determine the vaccination status of the dog.
The rabies vaccine consists of four shots administered to the site of the bite and to the leg or arm.
Piedmont Columbus Regional treated 436 animal bites in 2022, according to records they provided.
Reamy said dog owners should keep their animals vaccinated and have dogs neutered or spayed. People should avoid stray dogs and not disturb dogs while they’re sleeping or eating.
“I would just say for families not to ever think that their dog won’t ever bite, because every dog has the possibility of biting,” she said.
