A comprehensive study of reported dog bites over a one year period in that state of CO yields some unsurprising results:
1. Most dogs don't bite.
2. Any dog can bite, regardless of breed.
3. Loose dogs contribute significantly to bite stats.
4. Unsupervised children left with dogs are at risk for bites.
These are all common sense findings to my mind and further proof that targeting specific breeds for punishment will not reduce bite stats. Despite the findings of this study, Denver, CO maintains its ban on Pitbulls.
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I read through this report and then did a post on some of the highlights along with some tips and hints (after all it is Dog Bite Prevention Week) at my blog.
The study is interesting but is also very regional and I think this might be a good template for other communities to follow--and I hope we do since the national figure of 4.7 million reported dog bites is a really old figure and needs to be updated.
To make it easy to find you can click on my user name (I put the direct link to the post there).
I looked at some of the links you provided, and I have to say, "American Humane" has completely FALSE information about Pit Bulls.
It's unfortunate. Not only do they have the "bad rap", there are people giving out false information about their bite stats and breed history.
Here is some examples:
" * At least 25 different breeds of dogs have been involved in the 238 dog bite-related fatalities in the United States.
* Pit bulls and rottweilers account for over half of these deaths. "
Where are those statistics?
And:
"The pit bull is a type of dog bred for fighting, not a specific breed. Responsibly bred and owned, the American Staffordshire Terrier and the Staffordshire Bull Terrier -- often referred to as pit bulls -- are not fighting dogs."
This is THE most ignorant statement I have ever heard, I want to scream.
Sorry, just had to share! I love your Blog, and read it every day!
Hi Liz,
Thanks for saying you are a regular reader. I wondered who that was, hee hee.
I provided two links - one to Examiner and one to NCRC. Not sure if maybe there was an Amer. Humane link on one of those pages or...? At any rate, I agree there are many dog bite stats out there that seem to be woven from whole cloth. The people using the made up figures feel no need to justify them and the people supporting them don't question.
Actually, dog bites in Denver have increased since the breed ban went into effect.
Not only that, but Denver has the highest rate of serious dog bites in the state. It's about triple the rate for Boulder, which does not have a breed ban (and which, based just on my personal observation, has lots of bully breeds).
My theory is that the rise in dog bites is because BSL creates a false sense of security about other types of dog. If you tell people that certain types of dogs are inherently dangerous, you're implying that other breeds are inherently safe, which is likely one of the reasons Labs are responsible for so many bites.
Oh, I think I got the links from the Examiner, that linked to American Humane...Here: http://www.americanhumane.org/about-us/newsroom/fact-sheets/dog-bites.htmlLisa, THANK YOU for that info! That is incredibly helpful. Now that the "vicious" dogs have been banned, they're now seeing other breeds that bite, too. They ALL bite, but the media hype surrounding Pit Bulls has people only focusing on that one breed, just targeting that one breed.
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