Dogs BITE you faster when it’s hot: Vets warn that attacks are 11% more likely on sunny days
- Dogs are 11% more likely to bite in high UV, and 4% more likely on hot days
- But rainy days make dog bites less likely, the researchers found
When the sun has its hat on, Rover is more likely to sink its teeth into your leg, a new study has revealed.
But rainy days make dog bites less likely, the researchers found.
The findings are based on an analysis of 69,525 dog attacks in eight U.S. cities between 2009 and 2018 — about three bite incidents per day.
Dogs aren’t the only species that get feisty and aggressive when the temperature rises.
Previous research has found that people become more violent as the weather warms up, with homicide rates rising in the heat.
When the sun has its hat on, Rover is more likely to sink its teeth into your leg, a new study has revealed (stock image)
It has also been shown that rhesus monkeys, rats and mice become more aggressive on hot days.
But until now, it was unclear whether dog attacks on humans followed this trend.
Clas Linnman, an assistant professor at Harvard Medical School, and colleagues examined data on dog bites in eight U.S. cities: Dallas, Houston, Baltimore, Baton Rouge, Chicago, Louisville, Los Angeles, and New York City.
They then examined the relationship between the number of dog bites, daily temperature levels and levels of the air pollutants ozone and particulate matter (PM2.5).
They also assessed levels of ultraviolet light — the light from the sun that causes sunburn — and the amount of rain or snow.
The authors reported that the number of dog bite incidents increased by 11 percent on days with higher UV levels, by four percent on days with higher temperatures, and by three percent on days with elevated ozone levels.
But rainy days make dog bites less likely, the researchers found (stock image)
In Scientific Reports, the authors state: ‘We conclude that dogs, or the interactions between humans and dogs, are more hostile on hot, sunny and smoggy days, indicating that the societal burden of extreme heat and air pollution also includes the cost of animal aggression. ‘
The number of dog bite incidents decreased slightly (by one percent) on days with more precipitation.
The authors reported no changes in dog bite incidence on days with higher levels of PM2.5.
The authors caution that the dog bite records do not include information about other factors that may affect an individual dog’s risk of biting, such as dog breed, sex, whether the dog was neutered or spayed.
Previous research has shown that dogs are more likely to bite people when the victim already knows the dog and when the human is trying to interact with the dog.