Dog attack
New numbers just obtained by NBC Charlotte show the number of dog bites in Mecklenburg County is on the rise.

From simple bit wounds to deadly attacks, they happen often in the Queen City.

Richard Schmalz lives in the SouthPark area and is now terrified to walk his dog outside.

"Since 2015, my dog and I have been attacked three times by aggressive dogs on the street," said Schmalz.

According to Schmalz he has his dog were almost home, just a few house away when a large dog started charging them.

"Out of the blue a very large 200 plus pound dog came through a gate and charged us. Knocking me down in the street and attacking my dog and myself," he described.

Puddles the dog suffered 46 puncture wounds, he was rushed to the vet. Puddles and his owner are on the mend now but that outcome is not always guaranteed.

Animal care and control handles hundreds of dogfights each year. Some types of bites have gone down, others have gone way up.

In March, police say 86-year-old Bessie Flowers was attacked by two American Pit Bull Terriers. One month later, a young boy was viciously attacked by a pair of dogs in an Archdale Neighborhood Park. He as barely conscious and covered in blood after being bitten.

According to Animal Care and Control the total number of bites has jumped up more 12-percent year over year to a total of 1,557 bites in 2016.

Melissa Knicely with Animal Care and Control says, "Children under the age of eight make up a large statistic of dog bites. And I think that's because a lot of times children are super active, the yell they run."

Knicely also attributes the rise in bites to more people moving into Mecklenburg County.

"Our population growth continues and so what that means for us is we're dealing with more animals. As the population grows, usually the numbers follow that."

Experts say some ways to protect yourself while out for walks include carrying a golf club, small bag or backpack or even a stick.

Those things can be used to create distance between yourself and an aggressive animal. As for Schmalz, he wants tighter rules and ordinances or at least neighbors who will control their pets.

"I feel more and more people are becoming more and more lacks of that issue and I feel that I should be able to walk my neighborhood safely without fear of an aggressive dog attacking us."