The animal people have been updating their comprehensive dog attack report, and we thought it might be informative to share the latest stats and take a look at the trends and differences from the report we shared last year.
The most obvious trend shows pit bulls continue to increase the distance between themselves and other types of dogs, widening their lead as the number one killer. Since last year's report, 25 Americans were killed by pit bulls and close pit mixes, bringing the total to 226 mauled to death by pit bull since Sept 1982.
This continues the upward trend in violent pit bull attacks over previous decades. Rottweilers were responsible for 2 deaths during the same period; most breeds caused zero fatalities, and a handful of breeds each caused a single fatality.
Pit bulls and close mixes also increased their huge lead in non-fatal attacks on humans with 230 documented attacks causing serious bodily injury since last year's report. Unfortunately a great many, perhaps most, pit bull attacks go unreported, so what we're seeing here is unfortunately just the tip of the iceberg.
It's important to consider not only those who died from pit bull attacks, but also those who have suffered life-changing injuries, maiming and disfigurements. Just because someone survives a pit bull attack does not make everything fine. The physical and mental damage from a mauling stays with a person for the rest of their life, adversely affecting the quality of that life.
When a pit bull attacks it is typically not a quick fatal bite, but rather a prolonged mauling, pulverizing and macerating of whatever part of the victim it happened to clamp down on. If a pit bull attack victim cries out for help and others come to his aid, it is possible to cause enough damage to the attacking pit bull to pause or redirect its attack, giving the victim a chance for emergency treatment. If help does not come, the pit bull continues to maul the victim, tearing flesh from bone, and after 20 minutes or more of this torture, the victim mercifully loses consciousness. Death follows after further mauling, blood loss and tissue damage.
Here are highlights of the 30 year study of serious dog attacks -
thanks for keeping us up to date.
ReplyDeleteThanks for this. I know the pictures will shock a lot of people, but they need to see them. The reality that pit bull victims have to live is a lot more shocking than just looking at a picture of that reality.
ReplyDeleteThis is why all breeds must be listed in attack articles. Of course we know the Pitty Posse does not want pit's included in articles so they can effect the data.
ReplyDeleteThis cannot be repeated enough! Thank you for spreading the word.
ReplyDeleteJust so you can update you information. An ASPCA study showed that after DNA testing was done only 25% of the total group of dogs tested (that were all reported as pit bull attacks)were in fact pit bulls or pit mixes the other 75% were found to have zero pit bull DNA. It has also been proven that over 50% of reported pit attacks end up not being pit bulls at all but mistaken identity. So your report is inaccurate.
ReplyDeleteDNA tests have proven to be unreliable. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4a4CDvK868w
DeleteAnon:18 I challenge you to present a link to prove what you say. You don't make a comment like that without something to back yourself up and I don't believe you have it.
ReplyDeleteHow exhaustive is this list? I noticed zero instances of attacks from Newfoundlands (which really, isn't that surprising for anyone who ever had the pleasure of meeting one) And none for Tibetan Mastiffs either? That's a bit more surprising.
ReplyDeleteGreat Pyrenees have seriously never had a reported attack on a child since 1982? I'm not shocked since one owns me, but really, they're THAT well tempered?
DNA tests are a rip off. here is pit bull advocate dawn capp proving it.
ReplyDeleteI'm having a hard time believing that husky is the number three killer dog. Do you mean Siberian Husky or cross bred husky up in the Frozen North somewhere?
ReplyDeleteAlso, I know that people say huskies kill small dogs because they have prey drive, but don't they also have a highly developed sense of smell (like all dogs do) that tell them the difference between prey (food) and their own species (social partners?) Surely, they can't be that stupid.
@Anonymous 2:45 -
ReplyDeleteI understand your concern about the stats on Huskies, given what I know of their temperaments, and agree that the stats show much higher numbers for Huskies than I would have thought. But in the body of the report, Merritt Clifton offers some additional insight:
"Huskies appear to be a special case, in that even though they are common in the U.S., the life-threatening attacks involving them have virtually all occured in Alaska, the Northwest Territories, the Yukon, Labrador, and the northernmost parts of Quebec. In these regions, huskies are frequently kept in packs, in semi-natural conditions, and in some cases are even allowed to spend summers without regular human supervision. Thus many of the husky attack cases might be viewed more as attacks by feral animals, even though they technically qualified for this log because they were identified as owned and trained animals, who were supposed to know that they were not to attack."
So attacks from Huskies which are actually domestic pets are extremely rare, with most of the attacks occurring from semi-wild Huskies who had little human contact.
Why is there no small dog attacks? I know they happen, and a small dog can cause quite a bit a of damage as well.
ReplyDelete@anon 8:44 - the report lists attacks by all breeds, large and small.
ReplyDeleteLook, blame the owner, now I know it was the breed, but the majority was the person. I have over 20 pit-bulls, and they cuddle with my 6 year old sister. It is how they are raised, not their breed. I'm sorry for all of the victims.
ReplyDeleteNO ITS THE FUCKING DOG BLAME THE OWNER MY ASS , WHAT A OWNER GONE GET DONT ON THERE HANDS & LEGGS AND EAT A PERSONS FACE OFF TO SHOW THE DOGS HOW TO NO . THEY DO THAT ON THERE OWN . !
ReplyDeleteno dumb fuck its the owner,put any dog on a chain its whole life it becomes a bad dog or what we call (O.T.C).introduce your dog to other people and dogs while hes a pup and hes nothing but another child of yours.pitbulls have more willingness to please there owner than any other dog and there loyalty is unmatched.someone should put a picture of the owner right next to the so called killer pitbull and see whos the monster
ReplyDeleteMost Pit attacks are from Pits who are well loved well cared for and just jump their fence or off a balcony or happen in their owners house oftentimes killing a family member who trusted it. ahttp://blog.dogsbite.org/2013/08/father-of-darla-napora-killed-by-pet-pit-bull-writes-letter.html
Deleteno dumb fuck its part owner part dog.any dog left on the chain its whole life becomes a bad dog or what we call (O.T.C.)is it the dogs choice to be on a chain? and most dogs that do attack people are usually been beaten by there owner for not meeting there standards and thats what makes them scared.pitbulls will never bite there own owner in any circumstances there loyalty is unmatched.unless you put a knife to its neck and stick himand a reason why bad pitbulls attack kids is because there the same size or they were never around kids there whole life so get your facts right before you blame the dog little boy
ReplyDeleteWow, Cliff...mighty colorful and HIGHLY ignorant language and wording. I have to ask if your parents know that you are online making comments like this...not very wise to make statements that include the word "NEVER", I can only guess that you just don't know any better. "pitbulls will never bite there own owner in any circumstances there loyalty is unmatched.unless you put a knife to its neck and stick him" I guess Darla Napora and Rebecca Carey MUST have been sticking the pitties that they devoted their lives to, with knives...in the necks. But then again...you are right in one regard. Their beloved dogs DIDN'T bite them. They mauled them...to death. (that's just TWO examples)
ReplyDeleteMichael, you do not have pets, you have a yard. You are running a breeding operation. A million pits die every year in American Shelters and you, as a pit bull advocate, should give consideration to the suffering of these dogs.
ReplyDeleteCliff, pits attack and kill their owners, as well as the owner's children, neighbors, and the neighbor's pets and livestock, on a regular basis. Pit bulls were bred for an activity so violent that it is a felony in all 50 states. The criteria for inclusion in the breed gene pool was the desire and ability to attack unprovoked and to continue that behavior until death occurs. You are in denial of genetics, do you also believe that the world is flat?
Indeed, blame the owner. First off, the dogs don't really get the concept of blame. But the owners who clearly don't respect the breeding of this inherently dangerous dog, and are willing to subject themselves, their family, and the rest of us and our pets so they can make just what point I don't know (has something to do with a fragile masculinity issue). Regulate these dog...hint, this means the owners need to go through the process so they can be held responsible for these dogs. This is the only time pit bulls are just dogs.
ReplyDeleteOk I used to be a pit lover have had them all my life. Until one day my gator pit attacked me for absolutely no reason. It was really bad I had to get 17 stitches in my cheek and jaw line. My 6 month old son was laying a few feet away. If my boyfriend would not have been there he would probly have killed me I couldnt get dog to stop. He was abt 8 in away fromy juggler vain ...... point blank pit bulls are dangerous and unpredictable never in my life will I own another. Its absolutely not the owner. ... its the dog.... he never showed agression till that day... no not all pits are gona attack but who wonts to chance it. Everyone has there opinion... mine is never own a pit bull bread !!!!! And for the people who love them I just hope you dont have to find out the truth behind them they way I did!
ReplyDeleteYou can can breed a dog for a great many reasons but if no training towards those reasons happens all you have is a dog with certain physical and mental traits that will increase that dogs proficiency for such tasks. Here we have a lot of talk about pitbulls dog fighting background. Yes bitbulls were largely bred for fighting and sickeningly it still goes on to this day. But a thing to really keep I mind is that any real dog breeding is, at its base just taking certain traits from certain dogs and mixing them until the breeder has gotten their desired product. No dog breed has ever just appeared by itself. It took years of breeding for any of our modern day dogs to become what they are. After all all dogs were bred from wolves or other very very old and now extinct canine species. So back to the pitbulls. Does anyone realize how much effort goes into making a fighting dog? Maybe effort is the wrong word. Abuse would be a better fit. No fighting dog has ever come from a happy home. They are hit hard and a lot. They are neglected and sometimes people will go as far as starving the dog then throw in a small live animal such as a cat to initiate prey intincts. So they are literally tought that to eat you must first kill. That is an emense amount of mental abuse. It is also a choice made by a human being to put a dog through that. Dogs that dont fight get beaten until they do or they're killed. Fighting dogs are also often tought or learn as a means of survival to lie. So their body language such as play bows and wagging tails cant be trusted as its true emotions. Let that sink in. How badly does a dog have to be treated for how long before it learns to lie about such things and why would a human try to teach such things to a dog. A big problem is actually caused by rescue organizations who rescue fighting dog and break up the rings. Its good that the dogs get rescued and sometimes get adopted into happy homes but the lack of education provided to some shelters or to the rescuers is the problem. Alot of people who like/love pitbulls rescue first to help support the breed so they dont get put down without a chance at a good life. And alot of the time its ends happily ever after. But also sometimes it ends very badly for everyone involved. How can you expect to train and handle your new dog properly with no real prior knowledge of its previous life style? You cant. You think "oh, you were a fighting dog but now your rescued and its all better now" and your wrong. Think in terms of people. Think about the story of michelle knight. If a person goes through days or months or years of severe mental and physical abruse they are not just made better by a friendlier environment. It takes years of therapy for those people to be able to fit seamlessly back into society. A dog is no different. It may be in a better environment now but it probably thought it was safe once before and was proven very wrong. So its trust is gone no matter what. It may come back but joe blow is very likely very unqualified to know that. And a dog fighting dog owner is not going to go into detail about his "training" methods. So most everyone involved is playing roulette with this dogs life now. And their own. Some of these dogs could be rehabed back to being good dogs but they need the right people with the right knowledge to do so. Most pitbull attacks are from rescued dogs that most likely came from dog fighting. Its sad to say but usually thats the only way for a pitbull to be rescued because the run of the mill owner who mistreats their pitbull wont be reported.
ReplyDeleteGo understand your dog and educate it. Too much pple buy a dog like a sofa and consider them as the same thing... ALL DOGS CAN BITE one day ! don't forget ! Its not the dog's fault but ONLY the dog master's fault because he is the only one who have the power on his animal and the responsability fort the education.
DeleteThink before buy an animal... its not an object; its a living thing.
I don't like the Pitt but I do respect the breed,
DeleteMy two favorite breeds is the doberman pinscher and great Pyrenees,
The Pitt is a lot more aggressive than the doberman and Pyrenees,
I agree that it's the owner and not the breed but I still don't like the Pitt, I,m a doberman and Pyrenees man.
I love big dogs myself - especially Akitas and other primitive breeds, and Livestock Guardians. I like both the breeds you mentioned. Pyrs are great protectors, and very gentle with the ones they are supposed to protect. Dobies are good dogs, and nothing like the stereotype. Even in the so-called "decade of the dobermans" (i.e. "first it was the German shepherds, then it was the dobermans", etc etc) pit bulls killed far more than dobermans ever did.
DeleteI agree with some of what you say, but I'm getting a mixed message here. Are pit bulls more aggressive, or is it the owner, and not the breed that makes them what they are?
You guys on both sides need to stop using anecdotal stories and start showing hard statistics. Then, you need to have the personal courage and honesty to acknowledge those statistics, and not ignore them or claim they are biased because they don't like the facts.
ReplyDelete@Seann McAnally -
ReplyDeleteWe don't normally accept or even notice comments on article this old, but we happened to notice yours.
The published report is all about hard statistics. See a more recent update for more info, and compare.