Minneapolis Animal Care and Control Director Tony Schendel said the city is projecting a 30% increase in bites in 2024 compared to this time last year. That averages to more than 600 bites in 2024 compared to 480 in 2023.

Nybol Deng, a third-year University of Minnesota student, had a fear of dogs when she was younger after being chased by dogs twice. 

The first time, her next-door neighbor left their front door open too long which allowed their dog to escape and chase Deng and her siblings across the neighborhood for two minutes. The second time, a chihuahua came out of nowhere and chased Deng and her siblings down the street. 

“It wasn’t really like a big dog, but the fact it came out of nowhere, and it was a really fast dog was also really kind of scary,” Deng said. “I was like eight or something so all of these happened when I was relatively young, but I was scared of dogs when I was younger.”

Although Deng escaped without any dog bites, her story is one example of the fear and damage unleashed dogs can cause. While Deng’s experiences took place in Rochester, Minn., dog bites are on the rise in Minneapolis. 

Many bites can be attributed to Minneapolis residents not abiding by the leash law, Schendel said. That law, which requires owners to restrain their dogs outdoors, states leashes must be three times the length of the animal and cannot exceed five pounds while allowing the animal access to water and shelter. 

Besides owners keeping their animals on a leash, avoiding unknown animals is a way to stop bites, Schendel said.

Dr. Kristi Flynn, a University College of Veterinary Medicine graduate who works at the University’s Lewis Small Animal Hospital, said pet owners do a bad job of reading their pet’s behaviors.

“The saying I use and lots of other behaviorists use, it’s like punishing growling or those kinds of behaviors is like taking the batteries out of the fire alarm,” Flynn said. 

Some signs a dog is uncomfortable include panting when it is not hot, turning their body away or licking their lips, Flynn said. She added that when uncomfortable, animals are more likely to bite. 

Flynn said as a veterinarian, she likes hearing dogs growl so she knows when to pull away. 

“I’m always very grateful when a dog growls or gives me a cue that they’re stressed or worried because then I can move myself out of that situation. So I can be safe,” Flynn said. 

Schendel said besides leashing their pet, owners can keep themselves and others safe by checking fences and gates as well as ensuring their pets have their rabies vaccinations. 

If someone is bitten, call 911 and collect the pet owner’s information if possible, Schendel said. He added that Minneapolis Animal Care and Control will connect with the pet owner on those calls to ensure biting does not become a repeat experience.

It is not just dogs people should be wary of as cats can also be a potential bite risk, Schendel said. While there is no leash law for cats in Minneapolis, Schendel said cat bites and scratches can lead to more infections compared to dogs because cat’s mouths are dirtier.

“They’re licking their paws more frequently, things like that,” Schendel said. “So they just have a tendency to become infected, a greater likelihood of becoming infected than dog bites.” 

Flynn said approaching dogs in public could make the dog uncomfortable, leading to the dog biting out of instinct.

“If we could just ask that people give each other and their dogs space in public instead of everybody kind of rushing in to meet each other’s dogs and those kinds of things, I think that would help,” Flynn said.