2024 Fatal Dog Attack Breed Identification Photographs

Nonprofit Captured 65% of Breed Identification Images in 2024

Photographs of six fatally attacking dogs in 2024 obtained from multiple sources.

Jump down to view all 2024 breed identification photographs or read our analysis first.

DogsBite.org - In 2013, we began the tradition of publishing breed identification photographs of fatally attacking dogs when available through news reports, animal control agencies, police departments, social media and public information requests. Of the 66 dog bite fatalities recorded in 2024, 56% (37) had some form of a breed identification photograph. Our nonprofit was responsible for capturing 65% of them. Pit bulls and their mixes represent 68% of the identification images collected in 2024.

Of the 37 cases with breed identification photographs, 57% (21) comprised images captured or republished by news media; 65% (24) comprised images located on social media pages of the dog's owner or family members; and 65% (24) comprised images that were the result of our research and otherwise may have gone unpublished. Police and animal control agencies released dog identification images after only 3 deaths, yet 76% of all deaths (50 of 66) involved dogs taken into quarantine.

(Percentages are higher than 100% due to a single death containing multiple dog images, each attributed to a different source, as well as images that fall into overlapping publishing categories.)

Identification Photographs (2013-2024)

From 2013 to 2024, images captured by our nonprofit have risen from 26% to 65%. Images captured by media have fallen from 79% to 57%.

Chart A shows 12 years of breed identification photographs collected from 2013 to 2024.

Media Gains Since Covid

Taking a closer look at the four Covid impact years (2020-2023), when media reports of fatal dog attacks declined, breed identification images captured by media averaged only 32%. Last year shows the first gain in media captures since the Covid years. From the 32% average between 2020 and 2023, media captured images rose to 57% in 2024, a 78% rise. While our nonprofit's capture rate rose during these same Covid impact years -- attaining a 78% average -- we fell to 65% in 2024, a 17% decrease.

Most media captures occur while they are on location of the fatal attack. They photograph images of the dogs being confiscated by authorities. In 2024, media was on location more frequently than during the Covid impact years. For instance, media rushed to the scene -- by air and by land -- after Dominic Cooper, 35, was killed by his pack of breeding pit bulls in California. Media were also on location after Pedro Ortega, 26, was killed by his three XL bullies on a children's playground in Mesa Viking Park.

Chart B shows the rising number of breed identification images captured by our nonprofit since 2013 and how media captured images declined during the Covid impact years to 32%.

Unreleased Breed Data 2024

Of the total recorded 66 dog bite fatalities in 2024, 10 cases lacked all breed information (15%). A FOIA by our nonprofit lowered that number to 9. Our research into the Facebook pages of the dog owners and victims -- providing details about the attack -- lowered that number to only 8 cases (12%) when full breed information was unknown. In 2022, the landscape was far worse, when 33% of all recorded fatal dog maulings lacked breed information until we brought forth multiple time-consuming FOIAs.

In 2024, 23% of deaths involved 1 or more dogs shot at the scene, which often diminishes the ability to collect breed identification images.

Characteristics of the 10 cases in 2024 where authorities did not release breed data include: 70% of victims are adults ≥ 35 years old; 100% involved non-family dogs (when known 9/9); 78% of the attacks occurred off the owner's property (when known 7/9); and 67% involved a pack of 4 or more dogs (when known 6/9). In the 2 cases where breed data was discovered, 1 involved a pit bull, and the other involved 3 different breeds: rottweiler-mix (2), German shepherd-mix (1) and chihuahua-mix (1).

Pack Attacks & Off Property Attacks

In 2024, pack attacks fell back to the pre-Covid level of 15%. In 2023, there was a sharp rise in pack attacks, comprising 29% of dog bite fatalities. Obtaining breed images in pack attacks can be challenging, but in 2024, images were captured for 70% (7/10). In 6 of those cases, 86%, media was on location capturing images, or republishing images shot by witnesses. In over half of those cases (4/6), the pack only involved a single dog breed, such as a pack of great danes or a pack of pit bulls.

In 2024, off-property attacks continued to be elevated and comprised 36% of dog bite fatalities -- a 44% rise from the pre-Covid years of 25%. But it is a decrease from 2023, when off-property attacks comprised 42% of deaths. Surprisingly, dog breed images in off-property attacks, which are also challenging to obtain, were captured in 71% (17/24) of cases. Again, this is largely due to media being on location more frequently. Of the 17 off-property attacks with images, media captured 71% (12).

Chart C shows how frequently media captures images of dogs in off-property attacks. Prior to Covid, media captured 45% of cases; that dropped to 21% during the Covid impact years.

Breed Misidentification Conflicts

Several breed identification conflicts arose in 2024. They began with the death of Beau Clark. The Morgan County Sheriff's Office identified the dog as a pit bull, then changed it to an "Olde English bulldogge," a close bull baiting breed relative. Morgan County Animal Shelter Director Darren Tucker, "whose department collected the dog’s body and sent off specimens for analysis, said the animal appeared to be a pit bull-mix weighing between 40 and 60 pounds," reported The Daily Decatur.

After a child was killed by a dog at Limestone Sphynx and LFD Great Danes, whose parents operate the kennel, the Ogle County Sheriff's Office said the dog involved was a "mixed-breed," even though the kennel only sold "AKC registered great danes" -- purebred dogs. After his death, the boy's parents published on the LFD Great Danes kennel's Facebook page, "Due to a loss in our immediate family we've decided that we will no longer be raising great danes." Few details were released by police.

When Brooklynn Park police stormed through a fence and shot two pit bulls attacking a child, they saw adults using "hammers and pickaxes to get the dogs off" the child, stated a search warrant. Several days later, while the child was in a coma on the verge of death, the parents fiercely stated, "THEY WERE BULLDOGS! NOT PIT BULLS."1 Police later clarified the dogs were American bullies of the "XL variety," a mixture of pit bull and American bulldog. Police noted "this breed is banned in the UK."

Bulldog, pit bulldog, American pit bulldog, pit dog, fighting bull terrier ... But "a rose by any other name would smell as sweet." - William Shakespeare

Summary

In 2024, over half, 56% of dog bite fatalities had some form of a breed identification photograph, a decrease from the 11-year average of 62% (2013-2023). Our nonprofit captured nearly two-thirds of them, 65%. Pit bulls and their mixes represent 68% of the identification images collected in 2024, also a decrease from the 11-year average of 73%. Breed identification images captured by media rose to 57% in 2024, up substantially from the Covid impact years (2020-2023) average of 32%.

In 2024, there was an increase of breed identification photographs captured in pack attacks and off-property attacks -- the most challenging images to obtain. Images were captured for 70% (7/10) pack attacks. In 6 of those cases, 86%, media was on location capturing images, or republishing images shot by witnesses. Breed images were captured for 71% (17/24) of off-property attacks, also due to media being on location. Of the 17 off-property attacks with images, media captured 71% (12).

Finally, of the total recorded 66 dog bite fatalities in 2024, 10 cases lacked all breed data (15%). Through our nonprofit's research and FOIAs, we lowered that number to 8 cases, 12%. Characteristics of cases where authorities did not release breed data include: 70% of victims are adults ≥ 35 years old; 100% involved non-family dogs (when known 9/9); most occurred off the owner's property, and most involved a pack of 4 or more dogs. Two of these pack attacks occurred on Indian reservations.

2024 Fatal Dog Attack Breed Identification Photographs

Reuben Pierce - Jacksonville, Arkansas

Photos of multiple recent pit bulls in the dog owner's home (social media & dogsbite.org)

See: Full blog post | Reuben Pierce, 70-years old, died three months after being mauled by pit bulls on October 30, 2023, in Jacksonville, Arkansas. His estate sued the owners, Kenneth Cash and Jennifer Swartz, for "wrongful death, negligence, battery" and punitive damages. A judge awarded the plaintiff $5 million in compensatory damages and $10 million in punitive damages.

Leonora Hale - Chiefland, Florida

Photos of catahoula leopard dogs on victim’s facebook page (social media & dogsbite.org)

Willie Mundine - Indianapolis, Indiana

Photos of 1 or both fatally attacking loose pit bulls (police/animal control & news media)

See: Full blog post | Willie Mundine, 85-years old, was killed by two pit bulls on January 30, 2024, in Indianapolis, Indiana. A police officer shot one dog to stop the attack. A week earlier, the same pit bulls attacked Mark Lowe and his dog "Dante." A day earlier, the pit bulls attacked Richard Hayes "just yards away" from where Mundine was attacked, leaving Hayes hospitalized.

Kenneth Pierson - Longview, Texas

Photos of 2 of 4 dogs, of unreleased breeds, seized from dog owner’s home (news media)

Harold Phillips - Detroit, Michigan

Photos of three pit bulls on dog owner's Facebook page (social media & dogsbite.org)

See: Full blog post | Harold Phillips, 35-years old, died while hospitalized after being attacked by three pit bulls on January 29, 2024, in Detroit, Michigan. Phillips had just exited a bus when the dogs got loose and attacked him. "The dogs bit a pretty big hole out of his arm and tore his artery, so he lost a lot of blood," his wife, Shauntaye Phillips, said. He died on February 2, 2024.

Dominic Cooper - Compton, California

Photos of 2 of 5 adult fatally attacking breeding pit bulls (news media)

See: Full blog post | Dominic Cooper, 35-years old, was killed by his pack of breeding pit bulls on February 16, 2024 in Compton, California. When Los Angeles County deputies arrived, they encountered 13 agitated pit bulls. Several were fighting near Cooper's body. A news chopper captured graphic images of his blood soaked body lying inside a kennel by overturned food bowls.

Brayden Heery - Milford, Connecticut

Photos of fatally attacking family husky, “Dakota” (social media & dogsbite.org)

Child John Doe - Monroe Center, Illinois

Photos of great danes from the family’s breeding business (social media & dogsbite.org)

Baby "Lennox" Doe - East Hartford, Connecticut

Photos of fatally attacking dalmatian-pit bull mixes (news media, social media & dogsbite.org)

See: Full blog post | Baby "Lennox" Doe, 1-year old, was killed by a family dog on March 13, 2024 in East Hartford, Connecticut. Police said, "the mother and the child were playing on a trampoline" when the dog attacked the baby. The baby's father described his dogs as "dalmatians mixed with pit." He said the primary aggressor, a male, had never shown aggression before.

Courtney Williams Cox - Brooks County, Georgia

Photos of 2 of 15 dogs, of unreleased breeds, seized from dog owner’s home (news media)

Amaya Carmack - Greeneville, Tennessee

Photos of fatally attacking family husky “Damascus” (social media & dogsbite.org)

Adult John Doe - Farmington Hills, Michigan

Photos of fatally attacking family pit bull, "Homer" (social media & dogsbite.org)

See: Full blog post | Adult John Doe, 40-years old, was killed by his own dog on May 18, 2024 in Farmington Hills, Michigan. A relative discovered his body and called 911. The medical examiner ruled the cause of death "K-9 mauling." Animal control took the dog, a pit bull-mix, into custody. The victim had owned a male pit bull-mix, "Homer," since 2017, according to his Facebook page.

Ezra Mansoor - Knoxville, Tennessee

Photos of fatally attacking family husky, "Mena" (news media, social media & dogsbite.org)

Adult Jane Doe - Los Angeles, California

Photos of fatally attacking family pit bull, "Ice" (dogsbite.org FOIA, news media & social media)

See: Full blog post | Adult Jane Doe, 53-years old, was killed by her pit bull on May 30, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. Records obtained from Los Angeles Animal Services state that "Ice," was "under quarantine for a Level 5 bite to the throat of the owner." LAAS updated the bite to Level 6 after being informed of her death. There were no mainstream media reports about this attack.

Willard Norton - Town Creek, Alabama

Photos of 1 of 2 fatally attacking pit bull-mixes (social media & dogsbite.org)

See: Full blog post | Willard Norton, 83-years old, was killed by his neighbor's two pit bulls on June 2, 2024 in Town Creek, Alabama. Norton was tending to his roses in his yard when the dogs attacked. The same dogs had killed Norton's dog last year. A day before the fatal attack, the dogs' owner tried to rehome her female pit bull, stating in part, "she can clear a 4 foot fence easily."

Toby Berkley - Snyder, Texas

Photos of two pit bulls on dog owner's Facebook page (social media & dogsbite.org)

See: Full blog post | Toby Berkley, 40-years old, was killed by two pit bulls on June 27, 2024 in Snyder, Texas. Police found Berkley dead in the roadway. The dogs' owner, Marco Aguirre, made public statements afterward, including: "So yeah they are my dogs and I will take full responsibility for their actions but I will not take any responsibility for any foul play and actions my dogs did."

Theresa Rhodes - Bolivar, Tennessee

Photos of 1 of 2 fatally attacking at large pit bulls (police/animal control & news media)

See: Full blog post | Theresa Rhodes, 61-years old, was killed by two pit bulls on July 1, 2024 in Bolivar, Tennessee. Police found Rhodes bleeding in the middle of the street. She had "extensive injuries sustained from a dog attack." Police shot at two dogs that were hovering nearby, causing them to flee. A photograph of one of the pit bulls was issued as an advisory until it was captured.

Jaxson Dvorak - Lorain, Ohio

Photos of two fatally attacking family dogs being seized by authorities (news media)

See: Full blog post | Jaxson Dvorak, 6-years old, was killed by one or both family dogs -- a pit bull, and a shepherd-mix -- on July 3, 2024 in Lorain, Ohio. Arriving officers were notified the boy was "pronounced dead from injuries sustained during the attack." The 911 caller told dispatch she got a call from her uncle who was watching her kids. He told her, "The dog ate his face."

Johnny Fontenot - Arkadelphia, Arkansas

Photo of fatally attacking family XL bully/pit bull-mix seen as puppy (social media & dogsbite.org)

See: Full blog post | Johnny Fontenot, 41-years old, was killed by his own pit bull-mix, an XL bully, on July 3, 2024 in Arkadelphia, Arkansas. Arriving officers found Fontenot deceased laying in the driveway. Police determined he was attacked during the night. The dog had been neutered, as required by ordinance. Fontenot's wife purchased the dog from Nelson Bullies, LCC in 2022.

Adult John Doe - Houston, Texas

Photos of 2 of 4 fatally attacking at large dogs (dogsbite.org FOIA)

See: Full blog post | Adult John Doe, 87-years old, was killed by four dogs on July 6, 2024 in Houston, Texas. A witness told police that between 8:00 and 9:00 am, he saw three dogs charging the victim, who was defending himself with his trash cans. When he drove by the victim's home about 2:00 pm, "he saw what looked like legs." There were no media reports about this attack.

Adult Jane Doe - Tuscaloosa County, Alabama

Photos of a pair of bullmastiffs on victim's Facebook page (social media & dogsbite.org)

Covil Allen - Brooklyn Park, Minnesota

Photos of one family pit bull on dog owner’s Facebook page (social media & dogsbite.org)

Davina Corbin - Feather Falls, California

Photos of 2 of 25 dogs that were part of a fatally attacking great dane pack (news media)

Robert Holguin - Oakland, California

Photos of a cane corso-Neapolitan mastiff on owner’s property after the attack (news media)

Zoey Hawkins - Visalia, California

Photos of three family pit bulls on dog owner’s Facebook page (news media, social media & dogsbite.org)

See: Full blog post | Zoey Hawkins, 4-years old, was killed by a family pit bull on September 4, 2024 in Visalia, California. Zoey was getting out of a kiddie pool when the male dog latched onto her armpit and shook. The parents had a dedicated Facebook page for "Tara," a female pit bull. Two other pit bulls and pit bull advocacy memes were also seen on the parents' pages.

Jiryiah Johnson - Converse, Texas

Photos of 2 of 3 fatally attacking XL bully/pit bull-mixes (news media, social media & dogsbite.org)

See: Full blog post | Jiryiah Johnson, 1-year old, was killed by papered XL bullies in Converse, Texas on October 7, 2024. The babysitter, who owned the dogs, had left Jiryiah with her 13-year old daughter. When the dogs started attacking the baby, the teenager barricaded a door "using her body" to protect the baby until help arrived. The babysitter was charged with three felonies.

Chevy Womack - Torrance, California

Photos of fatally attacking family pit bull-mastiff mix “Rambo” (social media & dogsbite.org)

See: Full blog post | Chevy Womack, 1- month old, was killed by a family pit bull-mastiff mix inside her home on October 8, 2024 in Torrance, California. Last Halloween, when the mother could not find the dog, she warned friends on Facebook, "Rambo can get aggressive if you have gloves, a helmet, or a mask on. I don't want him running around and mistakenly hurt anyone."

James Provost - Albany, New York

Photos of 2 of 9 adult pit bulls fatally attacking a man (news media & social media)

See: Full blog post | James Provost, 60-years old, was killed by multiple pit bulls on October 9, 2024 in Albany, New York. Provost had been in a backyard adjacent to where the dogs were kept. The dogs got through the fence and attacked him. Witnesses filmed part of the attack on their cell phones. A news agency published a still frame of the video showing the man's body blacked out.

Jo Echelbarger - Ashville, Ohio

Photos of two fatally attacking pit bulls, "Apollo" and "Echo" (news media, social media & dogsbite.org)

See: Full blog post | Jo Echelbarger, 73-years old, was killed by a pair of pit bulls with a history of aggression on October 17, 2024 in Ashville, Ohio. Echelbarger had been weeding a flower bed on her patio when the dogs attacked her, leaving her with a "hole in her neck." Police charged Adam Withers and his mother Susan Withers with one count of felony involuntary manslaughter.

Chris Culbertson - Kansas City, Missouri

Photos of 2 of 7 fatally attacking pit bulls captured on surveillance camera (news media)

Jeriline McGinnis - Boston, Massachusetts

Photos of family pit bulls "Deuce" and "Buddha" (news media, social media & dogsbite.org)

See: Full blog post | Jeriline McGinnis, 73-years old, died after being attacked by one of her four pit bulls on November 18, 2024 in Boston, Massachusetts. The dog also seriously injured her husband. Their landlord, civil rights leader Jean McGuire, described the couple as having "a pit bull family." She added that the McGinnis’ would breed the dogs and sell the pit bull puppies.

Caleb Brown - Jacksonville, North Carolina

Photos of 1 of 2 fatally attacking family pit bulls, "Xena" (social media & dogsbite.org)

See: Full blog post | Caleb Brown, 8-years old, was fatally bitten in the neck by one or both family pit bulls on November 29, 2024, in Jacksonville, North Carolina. Investigators said the child and a sibling were letting the dogs out of the residence to use the bathroom when the attack occurred. Family members said the dogs had not show aggression prior to the deadly attack.

Amelia Yu - Covina, California

Photos of a family rottweiler and rottweiler-weimaraner mix seized (news media)

See: Full blog post | Amelia Yu, 5-years old, was killed by multiple dogs she had grown up with on December 8, 2024 in Covina, California. The child was in the backyard with her father when she fell. The three dogs -- a rottweiler, a rottweiler-weimaraner mix, both male, and a female Doberman -- immediately began attacking her. She sustained fatal injuries to her torso and head.

Pedro Ortega - San Diego, California

Photos of 1 of 3 fatally attacking family XL bully/pit bull-mixes (news media)

See: Full blog post | Pedro Ortega, 26-years old, was killed by his three XL bullies in front of his son on a children's playground in Mesa Viking Park on December 13, 2024 in San Diego. A neighbor's surveillance camera captured one bloodsoaked dog with a taser dart sticking out of its neck. Another neighbor captured photos of the same dog as it was removed from a vehicle.

Hector Pierna - Beaumont, Texas

Photos of two fatally attacking pit bull-mixes after being seized (animal control & news media)

See: Full blog post | Hector Pierna, 78-years old, was mauled to death by a pair of loose pit bulls while walking home on December 16, 2024 in Beaumont, Texas. Police found Pierna critically injured, suffering from dog bites. He was taken to a hospital where he died. Pierna was attacked just two houses away from his own. Authorities captured both pit bulls; no owner was located.

Samara Rogers - Augusta, Georgia

Photos of two fatally attacking pit bull-mixes being seized by authorities (news media & social media)

See: Full blog post | Samara Rogers, 21-years old, was killed by two pit bull-mixes while walking on December 18, 2024 in Augusta, Georgia. She sustained severe bite wounds to the face and torso and died at the scene. News footage shows officers removing two large pit bull-mixes from the owner's home, Charles David Blackwell, who was charged with involuntary manslaughter.

Kingsley Wright - Cincinnati, Ohio

Photos of two pit bull-mixes on the biological father's Facebook page (social media & dogsbite.org)

See: Full blog post | Kingsley Wright, 3-years old, was brutally killed by two pit bull-mixes on December 27, 2024 in the Roselawn neighborhood of Cincinnati. At the time, she had been staying the night with her biological father for the first time. Her father told 911 that he awoke about 7:50 am, walked into the living room, found blood all over and his daughter dead on the floor.

How We Track Photograph Sources

We track the identification photograph's original source. There may be multiple images of a dog thus, multiple sources may be attributed to a single attack. We also track where the image was published. For instance, after Jiryiah Johnson's death, media captured all three dogs being seized by authorities from multiple angles. We obtained images of the dogs from the owner's and co-owner's social media pages. Thus, the photographs were sourced to news media, social media, and DogsBite.org.

What is simpler to measure in our tracking and analysis is the rising number of breed identification photographs located on the dog owner's or family member's social media pages, from only 16% of all collected images in 2013 to 65% in 2024, a 306% rise. It is also easy to see the small number of images provided by law enforcement even though most dogs after a fatal attack are held alive in quarantine. Police released identification images after 3 deaths this year, 8% of cases with images.

Photograph Tracking Categories

• DogsBite.org published only; no news media republished the photograph
• U.S. news media supplied original photograph and/or republished photograph
• Social media website supplied breed identification photograph
• Law enforcement or animal control department supplied photograph
• Canines shot to death at the scene of a fatal dog attack
• Canines held in a quarantine facility after a fatal dog attack

Breed identification photographs from six pack attacks in 2024 when media was on location.

Related articles:
01/30/24: 2023 Fatal Dog Attack Breed Identification Photographs - DogsBite.org
01/20/23: 2022 Fatal Dog Attack Breed Identification Photographs - DogsBite.org
01/12/22: 2021 Fatal Dog Attack Breed Identification Photographs - DogsBite.org
01/12/21: 2020 Fatal Dog Attack Breed Identification Photographs - DogsBite.org
08/31/15: Who Can Identify a Pit Bull? A Dog Owner of 'Ordinary Intelligence'...