Domestic dogs (Canis lupus familiaris) and forensic practice.

Abstract

In this editorial the specific contribution of domestic dogs (Canis lupus familiaris) to forensic issues is focused on. Dogs have long been associated with human activities and may be involved with the forensic evaluation of cases at a number of levels affecting death scene examinations, autopsies, and later analyses. Dogs may, of course, be responsible for deaths if they have attacked individuals. The most vulnerable are the elderly and young children although victims may be of any age, particularly if more than one dog is involved. While at least 25 different breeds of dog were reported in a series of fatalities in the United States, most attacks (60 %) involved pit bull-type dogs, German shepherds, and Rottweilers. Sexually intact, chained, male dogs are the most dangerous. Typically lethal injuries occur around the head and neck region, sometimes with extensive loss of skin and soft tissues. The abdomen and chest may also have been bitten, as may the buttocks and limbs if the victim was brought down by a dog(s) while trying to escape. The morphology of bite marks is influenced by the shape and nature of the dog's dentition, and the pattern of attack and dental arch shapes tend to be characteristic of a particular breed. Individual lesions consist of puncture wounds and lacerations often with areas of tissue avulsion. This is particularly so if the attacking dog has shaken the victim producing 'hole and tear' injuries. Death is due to exsanguination from tearing of blood vessels, air embolism from damage to neck veins, and/or blunt cranial trauma from crushing of the skull. Carotid artery dissection, asphyxia, or cervical cord injuries may also follow crushing injuries to the neck. At autopsy the possibility of all of these types of injuries should be considered. As well as performing an autopsy on the victim, a full necropsy examination should be undertaken on the euthanized dog. Language: en