From a reader:

I hate to be the bearer of awful news, but according to the CDC, there were 279 fatal dog attacks in the U. S. from 1979-1994. We tend to run about 20-30 fatal dog attacks per year. Snakebite deaths in the U. S. average less than 10 per year. So Cosmo is more dangerous than the diamondback rattler I used to keep in a tank at home!