Fatal Dog Attacks

According to CDC data, every year in the United States, there are an average of 33 fatal dog attacks. These incidents disproportionately affect adults (64%), followed by children (28%) and infants (8%). Since 2016, at least 78 different breeds and mixed breeds have been implicated in fatal attacks, including Akitas, Boxers, Doberman Pinschers, German Shepherds, Great Danes, Huskies, Labrador Retrievers, Mastiffs, Rottweilers, and pitbull-types, among others. Scientific studies have determined that the leading causes of fatal dog attacks stem from preventable factors such as irresponsible ownership, neglect or abuse, failure to neuter dogs, and inadequate supervision of large or strong dogs around infants and young children. Contrary to unreliable information about breed-specific risk related to certain breeds, the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and numerous scientific studies have determined that a dog's breed does not determine aggression, bite strength, or propensity to bite. While every fatal dog attack is tragic, the majority of dog bite-related fatalities (DBRFs) are the result of human-controlled factors specific to the circumstances surrounding the incident.

Sources: CDC DBRF data | AVMA dog bite risk | Dog bite-related studies | Recent DBRF data

Dog Bite-related Statistics

78+

Number of breeds involved in fatal attacks in the U.S. since 2016, confirming that serious dog-bite incidents are not a breed-specific issue.

Source: Recent DBRF data

0.00001%

The risk of being fatally attacked by a dog (of any breed). On average every year in the U.S., insects cause more fatalities (~78) than dogs (~33).

Source: CDC WONDER data

9%

Percentage of a dog's behavior attributable to breed, confirming that breed has a minimal impact on behavior.

Source: Science.org study

84%

Percentage of fatal dog attacks that involve dogs that aren't neutered. Intact male dogs are associated with higher rates of aggression.

Source: JAVMA study

Breeds Implicated In Fatal Dog Attacks

Source: Recent DBRF Data | *Pitbull-type includes 4 unique breeds + 4 pitbull-type mixed breeds (American Pit Bull Terrier mix, American Staffordshire Terrier mix, Staffordshire Bull Terrier mix, and American Bully mix).

Dog Bite-Related Scientific Studies

Fatal Dog Attacks

Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association​

Co-occurrence of potentially preventable factors in 256 dog bite-related fatalities in the United States

Conclusions:

• Breed does not determine risk.
• Preventable factors related to irresponsible ownership are the primary cause of dog bite-related fatalities.

Source: Link to study

Breed-Specific Risk

Dog bite risk and prevention: The role of breed

Conclusions:

• Controlled studies have not identified any specific breed(s) as disproportionately dangerous.
• It is inappropriate to make predictions about a dog's propensity for aggressive behavior based solely on its breed.

Source: Link to study

Breed-Specific Aggression

Journal of Applied Animal Behavior Science​

Human directed aggression in domestic dogs: Occurrence in different contexts and risk factors

Conclusions:

• Breed does not determine aggression.
• Factors relevant to aggression include failure to neuter dogs and dogs subjected to punishment-based training methods.

Source: Link to study

Breed-Specific Aggression

Journal of Veterinary Behavior​

Comparison of golden retrievers and dogs affected by breed-specific legislation regarding aggressive behavior

Conclusions:

• Breed does not determine aggression.
• There were no differences in aggression between legislated breeds (e.g., Dobermans, Rottweilers, Pitbull-types) and the control group (Golden Retrievers).

Source: Link to study

Bite Severity Study

Irish Veterinary Journal

Dog bite injuries to humans and the use of breed-specific legislation: A comparison of bites from legislated and non-legislated dog breeds

Conclusions:

• Breed does not determine bite severity.
• There is no medical evidence of a difference between bites by legislated breeds (e.g., Dobermans, Rottweilers, Pitbull-types) and bites by other large or strong breeds.

Source: Link to study

Bite Severity Study

Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science

Defaming Rover: Error-based latent rhetoric in the medical literature on dog bites

Conclusions:

• A selection of disputed medical studies on dog bites contained "​clear-cut factual errors, misinterpretations, omissions, exaggerations based on misunderstood or inaccurate statistics, and misinformation about the significance of breed."

Source: Link to study

Breed-Specific Legislation (BSL)

American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA)

Animal control and legislative approaches to protecting a community from dangerous dogs should not be based on breed, but instead on promoting responsible pet ownership and developing methods to rapidly identify and respond to owners whose dogs present an actual risk.

Source: Link to statement

National Animal Control Association (NACA)

Breed-specific legislation (BSL) is ineffective as it fails to enhance public safety, is expensive to enforce, and violates the property rights of dog owners. We want our communities to be protected against dangerous dogs – and we want abused dogs to be protected from reckless owners. The focus of any policy should be on the behavior of the dog and the behavior of the owners.

Source: Link to statement

Association of Professional Dog Trainers (APDT)

The APDT opposes any law that deems a dog as dangerous or vicious based on appearance, breed or phenotype. Canine temperaments are widely varied, and behavior cannot be predicted by physical features such as head shape, coat length, muscle to bone ratio, etc. The only predictor of behavior is behavior.

Source: Link to statement

Humane Society of the United States (HSUS)

There is no evidence that breed-specific laws reduce dog bites or attacks on people and they divert resources from more effective animal control and public safety initiatives. Breed-based policies are based on myths and misinformation, rather than science or credible data.

Source: Link to statement

American Kennel Club (AKC)

If a community truly wants to fix the problem of dangerous dogs, then it needs to abandon the idea of breed-specific legislation (BSL). Time and time again, communities that have enacted BSL get unenforceable and costly laws, but no solution to the problem. Addressing the issue of irresponsible ownership is a much more effective method of animal control.

Source: Link to statement

American Bar Association (ABA)

The ABA urges all state, territorial, and local legislative bodies and governmental agencies to adopt comprehensive breed-neutral laws that ensure due process protections for owners, encourage responsible pet ownership and focus on the behavior of both dog owners and dogs, and to repeal any breed discriminatory or breed specific provisions.

Source: Link to statement