I.I.I. says the increase can be attributed to “increased medical costs as well as the size of settlements, judgments and jury awards given to plaintiffs, which have risen well above the rate of inflation in recent years.”

According to Bloomington, Ill.-based State Farm, the company paid more than $109 million in claims resulting from 3,800 dog bite claims in 2011.

California was number one on State Farm's list for dog bite claims and money paid out, with 527 claims for an estimated $20 million. Illinois was second with 309 claims and $10 million.

In conjunction with National Dog Bite Prevention Week, which runs May 20-26, the U.S. Postal Service released its list of the top 25 dog-attack city rankings.

Los Angeles was number one with 83 attacks, followed by San Diego with 68 and Houston with 47.

The Postal Service says that, nationwide, there were more than 5,577 postal workers attacked in 1,400 cities. The attacks on workers cost the Postal Service close to $1.2 million last year.

According to the center for Disease Control and Prevention, there are more than 4.7 million people bitten by a dog each year and 800,000 seek medical attention for their bites. Of those bitten, more than half are children.

As part of a campaign, the participants in National Dog Bite Prevention Week have issued a series of tips to reduce the risk of dog bites.

Among the steps:

• Socialize your dog so it know how to act with other people and animals.
• Discouraging children from disturbing a dog that is eating or sleeping.
• Avoid exposing your dog to new situations in which you are unsure of its response.
• Never approach a strange dog and always avoid eye contact with a dog that appears threatening.