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19 thoughts on “2018 U.S. Dog Bite Fatality Statistics - DogsBite.org

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  1. As always, Colleen — incredible work! Thank you so much for compiling these important statistics and providing the analysis essential to understanding what the numbers are telling us.

    The CDC should be so diligent and conscientious.

  2. Took me a bit to sit down and read this. Amazing work at following the data and interpreting the trends. I still find it hard to believe that these dogs are only now 7% of the dog population. Maybe it’s where I live but it’s basically a vast majority. Six of my neighbors on my block have them; four out of six have two of them. Only one other neighbor has a dog and it’s not a pit. This data is frightening for women, especially young adult females who tend to fall victim to all the pit bull adoption//rescue agenda. It’s also not completely surprising the increase in percentage of rescue/rehomed dogs that are responsible for fatalities. One has to wonder at what point the rescue organizations will say it is not worth adopting these dogs out.

    • Rescue organizations will be the last to get the memo about pit bulls and other dangerous dogs. However, wrongful death lawsuits could speed up this process.

    • I agree that these dogs seem to be far more than 7% of the population, at least where I live. I wonder if that is because people who own pitbulls are often very “in-your-face” about them, and don’t set any boundaries for their pitbulls.

  3. Incredible research, Colleen, thank you for your service in putting together this report. It was heartbreaking to scroll through it…I kept thinking, surely there can’t be that many more deaths, but the report kept going. So many completely unnecessary deaths, because of pitbull lies that the breed is gentle and trainable.

  4. This is great research. My only request would be to have consistent periods of years in the first chart. The first period covers 9 years, then 5 years, 4 years, 4 years and 3 years.

    A casual reader might just look at the totals and think that the numbers are dropping when actually it is the reverse.

  5. I worked Sunday and went out to get some pizza for lunch. There was a festival downtown and an older white haired guy was there walking a huge pit- a guy with ONE ARM. You can’t make this shit up.

  6. Sadly I suspect we are just getting started with the killings by shelter and rescue dogs. As live release rate über alles becomes battle battle cry at more and more rescues and shelters more and more unfit dogs, many of them pits, will be re-homed. Hopefully once some of the court cases wind their way through they system these shelters and rescues will be held financially responsible at least for their disregard of human life.

    • Go after the big money behind this “Save Them All” push. As in, the Best Friends Animal Society and organizations like it.

      Oh, and stop donating to them. Tell your friends and family to do the same.

  7. Saw my 20-something neighbors playing in the street with their dog and preschool-aged child over the weekend. A large, (80+ lb.) unneutered male pit bull, cropped ears, galloping around off-leash and this tiny little girl.

    Is having a big, tough dog to show off worth the risk to your child?

  8. I was just banned from the local Nextdoor for citing pitbull fatality statistics. The nutters are really policing that site. Good riddance.

    • Sounds just like the Nextdoor here in Tucson.

      I really have to restrain myself on that site. Because it’s infested with nutters.

    • Every single day here just north of Fayetteville, NC there is either a lost or found pitbull on the Nextdoor app. Often, more than one a day. I always assume that the “found” pitbulls were dumped. I, too have to restrain myself from warning people about approaching, capturing, or housing these dogs. I just quietly observe from afar.

    • I just met a nice fellow who has a bullmastiff x pitbull puppy which he intends to breed because she’ll have nice puppies. I didn’t ask what he’s breeding her to, but it really doesn’t matter. A person with a nice non-aggressive male isn’t going to allow the breeding,. But there are a zillion pitbull studs out there ready to service her. Too bad for the innocent puppies that didn’t ask to be born.

  9. Our local rescues and pounds/ himane societies are purposely mislabeling pits as everything besides pitbull
    Including ridiculous labels like
    Shih zu (sp) mix
    Labrador retriever- mix
    Oh and this one had me giggling as I showed my husband
    “Jack Russel Terrier”
    With false labels like that its almost unsurprising that people ACTUALLY think Jack Russels are more vicious than Pittbulls.
    My husband thinks mislabeling dogs in rescues and pounds should be illegal.

  10. To add to my previous comment
    The most often rehomed for free or low cost dog in my area is the Pittbull
    I wonder why
    Meanwhile byb are still making 500 a pop off them..

    How??

  11. Agree completely.

    The disproportionate suffering and death, both caused by bully dogs and suffered by bully dogs, begins with bully people.

    Most bully people do not care about bully dog welfare. They care about self, ego and their ability to breed, acquire, monger, and use bully dogs.

    If they actually cares about bully dog homelessness and suffering, they would insist in breeding restrictions.
    But they don’t, do they won’t.

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