Fatal Dog Attacks in the U.S.
  • Fatal Dog Attacks in the U.S.
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Fatal Dog Attacks in the U.S.

Fatal Dog Attacks

fatal dog attacks
According to CDC data, every year in the United States there are an average of 33 fatalities due to fatal dog attacks. Of these, approximately 64% involve adults, 28% involve children, and 8% involve infants. Since 2016, at least 65 different breeds and mixed breeds have been involved in fatal dog attacks in the U.S. including: Akita, Boxer, Doberman Pinscher, German Shepherd, Great Dane, Husky, Labrador Retriever, Mastiff, Pitbull-Type, Rottweiler, and many others. Scientific studies have determined that the most common causes of fatal dog attacks are preventable factors related to irresponsible ownership, abuse and/or neglect, failure to neuter dogs, and failure to properly supervise large or strong dogs around infants and children. Contrary to unreliable information about breed-specific risk related to certain breeds, the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA), the CDC, and multiple peer-reviewed studies have concluded that a dog's breed does not determine aggression, bite strength, or risk. 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 and prevention | Dog bite-related scientific studies | ​​Recent DBRF breed data

Dog Bite-Related Fatality Statistics

Statistics, fatal dog attack data, and breed risk rates:

65+

​Number of different breeds involved in fatal dog attacks in the U.S. since only 2016, ​confirming that serious dog bite-related incidents are not a breed-specific issue.
Source: Recent DBRF data

25+

​Number of different breeds associated with fatal dog attacks in the U.S. identified in a CDC study that analyzed 20 years of dog bite-related fatality (DBRF) data.
Source: CDC DBRF study

12+

Number of different breeds with similar risk rates for dog bite-related fatalities (DBRFs) including: Malamutes, Chow Chows, Saint Bernards, Huskies, Great Danes, Rottweilers, Doberman Pinschers, Mastiffs, Pitbull-Type dogs, Akitas, German Shepherds, and Bulldogs.
Source: Breed DBRF risk rates

0.00001%

The risk of being fatally attacked by a dog (of any breed) given an average of 33 fatal attacks every year in the U.S. and a population of 330,000,000. According to CDC data, fatal dog attacks are exceedingly rare - lightning strikes cause more fatalities (~36/year) than dogs.
Source: CDC DBRF+Lightning data

17.6%

Percentage of fatal dog attacks where valid breed determination was possible by expert evaluation and/or scientific breed identification methods (DNA etc.).
Source: JAVMA study

84.4%

Percentage of fatal dog attacks that involve un-neutered dogs. Un-neutered dogs (of all breeds and both genders) are associated with higher rates of aggression.
Source: JAVMA study

Breeds Involved In Fatal Dog Attacks

​Breeds and mixes involved in fatal dog attacks in the U.S. since 2016:
1. Akita
2. Alaskan Husky mix
3. American Bulldog
4. American Bulldog mix
5. American Bulldog-Great Pyrenees mix
6. Australian Cattle Dog mix
7. Belgian Malinois
8. Belgian Malinois-Bulldog mix
​9. Black Mouth Cur mix
10. Border Collie mix
​11. Boxer
12. Boxer mix
13. Brazilian Mastiff
14. Bulldog mix
15. Cane Corso
16. Cane Corso mix
17. Chow Chow mix
18. Coonhound
19. Dachshund mix
20. Doberman Pinscher

21. Doberman Pinscher mix
22. Dogo Argentino
23. Dutch Shepherd
​24. English Bulldog
25. English Mastiff
26. French Bulldog mix
27. French Mastiff
28. German Shepherd
29. German Shepherd mix
30. Giant Schnauzer
31. Great Dane
​32. Heeler-Mastiff mix
33. Hound mix
​34. Husky mix​
​35. Husky-Australian Cattle Dog mix​
​36. Husky-Shepherd mix
37. Labrador Retriever
38. Labrador Retreiver mix
39. Labrador Retriever-Great Pyrenees mix
​40. Labrador Retriever-Shepherd mix
41. Leopard Cur mix
42. Malamute-Wolf Hybrid mix
43. Mastiff
44. Mastiff-Great Dane mix
45. Mastiff-Labrador Retriever mix
46. Mastiff-Presa Canario mix
47. Neapolitan Mastiff
48-51. Pitbull-Type and mixes*
52. Pocket Bully
53. Queensland Heeler
54. Retriever-Hound mix
55. Rottweiler
56. Rottweiler-Mastiff mix
57. Saint Bernard
58. Sheltie-Corgi mix
59. Shepherd mix
60. South African Boerboel
61-65+. Various mixed breeds

* "Pitbull-type" includes at least 4 different breeds
Source: Recent DBRF data (updated October, 2022)

Dog Bite-Related Scientific Studies

Peer-reviewed studies on fatal dog attacks, breed risk, aggression, and bite severity:
Fatal Dog Attacks Study
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
Breeds of dogs involved in fatal human attacks in the United States
Conclusions: Over 25 different breeds were associated with fatal dog attacks. For public safety, breed-neutral regulations are more effective.
Source: Link to study
Breed Risk Study
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 Aggression Study
Journal of Applied Animal Behaviour 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 un-neutered dogs and dogs subjected to punishment-based training methods.
​Source: Link to study
Breed Aggression Study
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 the legislated breeds 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 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
Additional studies: Dog bite-related scientific studies

​Position Statements on Breed Specific Legislation (BSL)

Organizations that have rejected BSL (dog bans) as an effective approach for public safety include:
National Animal Control Association (NACA)
"Dangerous or vicious dogs should be labeled as such as a result of their actions or behavior and not because of their breed. Any dog may exhibit aggressive behavior regardless of breed. Additionally, breed specific legislation may create an undue burden to owners who otherwise have demonstrated proper pet management and responsibility." 
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."
Link to statement
Association of Professional Dog Trainers (APDT)
"Canine temperaments are widely varied, and behavior cannot be predicted by physical features. The only predictor of behavior is behavior. The solution to preventing dog bites is education of owners, breeder, and the general public about aggression prevention - not legislation directed at certain breeds."
Link to statement
Certification Council for Professional Dog Trainers (CCPDT)
"The solution to preventing dog bites is education of owners, breeders, and the general public about aggression prevention and responsible dog ownership, not legislation directed at certain breeds."
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."
Link to statement
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."
Link to statement

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Fatal dog attacks, dog bite-related fatalities, dog bite statistics, DBRF
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Updated December 22, 2022
  • Fatal Dog Attacks in the U.S.
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