According to Dogsbite.org, a watchdog organization protecting the safety of citizens from aggressive canines, more than four and a half million Americans are bitten by dogs every year, with about 20% of those bites becoming infected. Hospitalizations for dog bites and attacks have nearly doubled nationwide over the last 25 years, and more than 25,000 people require some form of constructive surgery every year as the result of an attack by a dog.