The (unbelievable) cost of dog bites: By the numbers

Dog-bite claims bled $412 million from insurance companies last year, and some say vicious pooches have become a serious threat to public health

Dog bites girl in China
(Image credit: Reuters/Corbis)

Snap! According to State Farm insurance, the nation's largest personal insurer, dog bites have become a "serious public health problem." Last year, the company paid out $90 million in dog-bite claims, and the insurance industry as a whole paid out almost five times that much. Here, a stats-based guide to the problem:

$412 million

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