Posted on March 29, 2016 by Colleen Lynn

2016 Dog Bite Fatality: Pit Bulls Kill Visiting Elderly Family Member in Charlotte, North Carolina

Emergency vehicles outside the home where two pit bulls killed Bessie Flowers.

Victim Identified
UPDATE 03/28/16: The victim has been identified as 86-year old Bessie Flowers. Police have identified the attacking dogs as two American pit bull terriers. Both animals were properly licensed and vaccinated. Police confirmed they were called to the same address in April 2013 regarding a complaint about two aggressive dogs; no other details were provided. WSOC-TV also reports that the homeowners association is now considering banning pit bulls in the community going forward.

The same male neighbor who spoke to Time Warner Cable News is also in the WSOC-TV video footage. "There have been two incidents with those dogs," said the man who did not want to be identified. "They attacked other dogs here. No one has done anything about it. I constantly told people that they are going to kill someone," he said. That is exactly what the dogs did too. It is unknown if the earlier incidents were reported to police. So far officials have not addressed this.

Evening Updates

In an evening update by WBTV, circumstances leading up to the deadly attack were included. Flowers had been on the back deck of the townhome and was heading back inside when she slipped or tripped onto a dog bed. Her daughter's two pit bulls approached Flowers while she was on the floor and "apparently" began playing with her, which quickly escalated into a full-scale attack, said a police source. The dogs executed the killing bite, attacking her neck and head.

Flowers' daughter was able to separate the dogs and call for help. A portion of the 911 call was released to the media. Heavily breathing, the daughter said, "This is an emergency. My dogs attacked, they really hurt her. Please come!" When police arrived, Flowers was deceased on the floor, Captain Todd Lontz said. After seeing her own pit bulls attack and kill her mother, the daughter refused to sign the dogs over to officials, so animal control officers seized them.

03/28/16: Family Dogs Kill Woman
Charlotte, NC - An 86-year old woman was attacked and killed by two dogs while visiting a family member's home in south Charlotte. The victim, whose name has not been released, suffered "fatal dog bite injuries" and was pronounced dead at the scene, officials said. WBTV reports that the woman was visiting her daughter's townhome on the 3200 block of Luke Crossing when the lethal attack occurred. Captain Todd Lontz confirmed that the dogs involved "are actually family dogs."

"Sources say the woman suffered injuries to the neck and lost a substantial amount of blood." - WBTV, March 28, 2016

At this stage, police have not named the breeds of dogs involved, but neighbors told WBTV that the homeowner was "always walking two pit bulls on leashes." Photographs taken by WCCB confirm that both dogs are pit bulls, specifically red nose pit bulls. The Charlotte Observer reports that a neighbor said both dogs -- a male and female -- and their female owner had lived in the area for several years and at one point had served on the community's homeowners association.

Time Warner Cable News briefly spoke to an unidentified neighbor who was clearly upset. "[The pit bulls] attacked another dog two times and no one ever did anything about it," he said. "They never attacked a person, but they attacked two dogs." The footage also shows police gathered outside of the home where the woman was attacked and neighbors or possibly family members near the home's front door. CMPD’s Animal Care and Control took both pit bulls into custody.

Fifth Fatal Pit Bull Attack

This still unnamed elderly victim is the third fatal pit bull attack in North Carolina since January 2016 and the fifth since July 2015, when 6-year old Joshua Strother was fatally attacked by a pit bull that was adopted out three weeks earlier by the Asheville Humane Society. These victims include: Suzanne Story, 36, of Perquimans County, Talan West, 7, of Robeson County, Cathy Wheatcraft, 48, of Davie County and Joshua Strother, 6, of Henderson County, North Carolina.

View the DogsBite.org Google State Map: North Carolina Fatal Pit Bull Attacks.

Posted on March 25, 2016 by Colleen Lynn

2016 Dog Bite Fatality: Elderly Woman In ICU Dies After Violent Dog Attack In Thurston County

Two of the attacking dogs seen barking behind the dog owner's front window.

Dogs Put Down
UPDATE 03/25/16: We received confirmation this week from Kiro 7 News that all four dogs were put down after the 10-day quarantine. We received this same confirmation from Thurston County officials on Thursday. Also, after reviewing more online information about the incarcerated dog owner, we believe the person is the granddaughter of the name listed on the property records, but only her mother was residing at the home at the time of the attack; thus resolving that issue.

As for the dogs, which were all related to each other, they were a combination of first generation and another generation (its number unknown) of pit bull-Labrador and labrador-pit bull mixes, according to the Facebook pages of the dogs' owners and news reports following the attack. The difference being that some appeared more lab-like than others. Possibly, some heeler was mixed in as well. We discovered photographs of multiple litters on the Facebook pages of the owners.

03/09/16: Officials Impound Dogs
Gladys Alexander, 92-years old, did not survive her injuries. She died at 11:55 am Tuesday at Harborview Medical Center. On Sunday, four large dogs viciously attacked her after she entered into a neighbor's home to give her a newspaper. Animal services impounded the dogs a few hours after her death was announced. Up until this time, the dogs -- described as two adult and two younger pit bull-lab mix variations -- had been "home quarantined" in a type of comedy routine.

Friends and family members are upset that the dogs' owners face no criminal penalties. The dogs were legally confined to the owner's home when Gladys entered the home not knowing that her neighbor was away. One friend, Nancy Jenrette, told Kiro 7 News that she understands why nothing can be done. "At the same time, it just feels so criminal that she had to have suffered so tragically and that she ended up having to die in this manner. It's just horrific," Jenrette said.

Charges in the UK

In 2014, the amended Dangerous Dogs Act in the UK came into affect that allows authorities to seize dogs "dangerously out of control" in private places, including residences, and also provides penalties when serious attacks occur in these situations. England has basically said, "We don't care where your dog is vicious." If it violently attacks a person, the dog is "dangerously out of control." These changes were in part due to the public outrage after the death of Jade Anderson.

We do not know how (or if) UK authorities would have handled a case like Gladys Alexander, due to its technically trespassing nature. This would likely need to be examined in context with how frequently the two entered each other's homes, the nature of the day-to-day tasks the dogs' owner provided to Gladys and the dogs' history. Such a case would make an excellent test case under the amended Act, which helps to ensure the safety of persons visiting a dog owner's home.

The Dogs' Owners

County records show the owner of the home on Entrée View Drive SW -- a Kiro 7 video shows the numbered address. We were able to track this to who we believe the neighbor's granddaughter is (it is very common for the media to confuse relationship levels). This person was arrested and jailed on March 3, just three days before her dogs viciously attacked Gladys. So, the answer to our earlier question of how long the neighbor had been watching the three dogs is: Not very long.

Additionally, by reviewing the Thurston County Animal Control ordinance, we now understand why county officials must have "consent" from the incarcerated granddaughter in order to euthanize her three dogs. In many places simply "keeping or harboring a dog" -- which in this case would be the neighbor -- is enough to suffice as being the legal "owner" of a dog. In Thurston County, however, an "owner" only qualifies after keeping the animal for a period of fourteen consecutive days.

9.10.030 - Definitions
"Owner" means any person who harbors, keeps, possesses or maintains a pet animal, or who encourages a pet animal to remain about their property for a period of fourteen consecutive days or more, or the person named on the license/registration record of any animal as the owner. The parent or guardian of an owner under eighteen years of age shall be deemed the owner for the purposes of this chapter. - Title 9 Animals, Section 9.10.030, Thurston County, WA

03/08/16: Crime Scene Photos
In a Kiro 7 News update, we learn that the dog mauling victim is a World War II veteran and that one of her sons, Andrew Alexander, is a physician in California. We also learn that the neighbor's daughter -- the neighbor was temporarily dog sitting her daughter's three pit bull-mixes -- is incarcerated. The picture of the dogs' owners is becoming clearer. Just before the brutal attack, Gladys Alexander, 92, had walked over to her neighbor's home to give her a newspaper.

Previous reports said that the neighbor has regularly assisted Gladys with day-to-day tasks, and the two often went into each other’s houses.

As soon as she opened the door, four dogs inside viciously attacked her. The new Kiro footage shows the aftermath of the bloody carnage in the neighbor's home. According to animal control officer Iris Johnson, "It appeared that she was drug into the house about 10 feet." Again, the dogs are seen in the news footage because they are under a 10-day "home quarantine," which at this stage is appalling. County officials should have found a way to quarantine the dogs off-site.

The neighbor, who owns one of the attacking dogs, has agreed to have it euthanized. Due to the circumstances of the case -- and insufficient dog laws -- county officials have to receive "consent" from the incarcerated daughter, who by definition is a criminal, in order to euthanize her three dogs. Also, one of the female dogs is pregnant. So the neighbor has a pack of pit bull-mixes, one being pregnant, in her home and apparently was assisting a 92-year old woman with dementia.

It is unknown how long the neighbor had been caring for her incarcerated daughter's three dogs. Was it a few days, a few weeks or a few months?

The victim's son, Dr. Andrew Alexander, said that his mother's prognosis is not good. "We know she'll lose a leg," he said. "It looks like she'll lose an arm. We're not sure she's going to make it out of here alive." Alexander can't understand why a crime has not occurred. "This sort of violent act on someone to this degree," Alexander said. "I'm not convinced that there's no crime that did not happen." Alexander now must face the reality that there are no laws that protect his mother.

03/07/16: Victim Remains in Critical
Thurston County, WA - An elderly woman remains in critical condition after being brutally attacked by up to four dogs while visiting her neighbor's home. On Sunday, Gladys Alexander, 92, suffered life-threatening injuries when she entered into her neighbor's home who was away at the time. Her neighbor has regularly assisted Gladys with day-to-day tasks, and the two often went into each other’s houses. The neighbor owns one of the dogs and was "temporarily" dog sitting the others.

Thurston County Sheriff's Office described each of the attacking dogs as pit bull-mix variations, two adults and two younger dogs.

Gladys was airlifted to Harborview Medical Center at 6:05 pm Sunday. She remained in critical condition Monday. Her son, Wayne Alexander, told The Olympian she suffered severe injuries to her skull and lost a lot of blood. She also suffered broken bones in one arm and a broken leg due to the attack. If she survives through the next two days, doctors will amputate one of her legs and one of her arms, Wayne said. “The expectations of survival are pretty low right now," he said.

At the time of the attack, the neighbor was away on an errand. As soon as Gladys let herself into the home, the dogs violently attacked her, "dragging her down a hallway," according to a Kiro 7 News report. The neighbor returned home during the attack and quickly intervened by restraining the four dogs and calling 911. Thurston County Sheriff’s Office said the animals have been placed on "home quarantine" for 10-days and that no criminal charges are pending in the case.

On Monday, Komo News published part of the 911 call made by the neighbor. "Please hurry! There's lots of blood all over!" she told dispatchers. "She let herself in, which she doesn't normally do. And my dogs are protective. And she's a real small lady. And they started getting her," she said. The dogs attacked Gladys as soon as she entered the front door. The Komo footage also shows the dogs barking from the window in the home, as "home quarantine" means just that.

The three other dogs belonged to the neighbor's daughter, according to deputies. Animal Control is currently determining if any of the dogs should be designated "dangerous." Thurston County Sheriff's Sgt. Tim Rudloff said that his office is not aware of any previous problems with these dogs. On Monday, the neighbor agreed to have her animal euthanized. At that time, Thurston County Animal Services was attempting to contact her daughter who owns the other three dogs

Sheriff's Office News Release

Thurston County Sheriff's Office issued a release Sunday stating that patrol units were called to a home on Entrée View Drive SW in the Scott Lake community. Medical responders had been dispatched to the home for a 92-year old woman with life-threatening injuries caused by multiple dogs. The elderly victim, who has dementia, had gone to visit her neighbor who was not home. It was not unusual for her to enter the home because the neighbor helps her with day-to-day tasks.

According to the release, after entering the residence the victim was attacked by up to four dogs inside. Only one of the dogs belongs to the homeowner. She was "dog sitting" the other three for a relative, states the release. As the woman was being attacked, the homeowner arrived home and immediately intervened to stop the attack and called 911. The victim was airlifted to Harborview Medical Center at about 6:05 pm with life-threatening injuries consistent with a dog mauling.

There is no criminal case pending. Thurston County Sheriff’s Office identified the dogs as:

One adult, male dog of Pit bull / Lab mix breed.
One adult, female dog of Pit bull / Heeler mix breed.
One Juvenile, male dog of Pit bull / Lab / Heeler mix breed.
One Juvenile, female dog of Pit bull / Lab / Heeler mix breed.

View the DogsBite.org Google State Map: Washington Fatal Pit Bull Attacks.

Posted on March 18, 2016 by Colleen Lynn

"It happened to me. All of my experience, all of my knowledge, none of it mattered. None of it protected me or enabled me to stop that attack."

Photo shows two dogs on the trainer's team at that time during a training day.

DogsBite.org - A highly experienced dog trainer recently joined our Thank You letter campaign. The person shared as many details as possible. "In training circles, you just do not say negative things about bully breeds anymore," the person wrote. "If you do you are attacked, ostracized, labeled a failure or 'dog racist' … Terms like 'animal abuser' or 'cruel force training' get tossed at you."1 We deeply thank the trainer for writing in and sharing this powerful story with our readers.

Editorial note: We replaced the name of the specific military branch with the quoted generic term "military." We also added several links relevant to DogsBite.org content, but were not part of the letter.

Dear DogsBite.org,

"In my professional opinion, no other kind of dog is less predictable, less reliable, or more dangerous than these dogs are. Their owners’ irrational blind love for them just adds to the danger."

I am a retired dog trainer. I spent 26 years working with hundreds of dogs including more than 12 years spent managing a 300+ dog sled dog kennel that for 3 years housed 75 pit bulls that I handled every day, exercised, fed, and cared for while their owner, a breeder and kennel operator, was rebuilding her property that burnt to the ground during a wildfire. To say I have experience with this type of dog would be an understatement. I also ran teams of 22 sled dogs into the wildernesses of Montana, Wyoming, Alaska, Idaho, Utah and Oregon. These are extremely powerful, high prey drive dogs. I could command them, was confident and sure of myself around every kind of dog with no exceptions. I feared no dog, understood them, respected them and was confident working with them all.2

That changed forever on a cool spring morning in 2013 when I was walking my small yorkie mix, a trained service dog for me. I was less than 30 yards from my home walking the grounds of the complex I lived in. It was a little after 10:00 am on a Saturday. My dog was on his leash and I had picked up a can someone had dropped and was throwing it in the trash when a neighbor opened their door and a 7 year old pit bull mix exploded through it and went after my small dog. I knew it’s intent, saw it latch onto my dog and I fell on it. More than 20 years of experience handling dogs at my disposal made absolutely NO DIFFERENCE. I know how to disable a dog; I know how to restrain one. I had stopped dog fights before, some involving more than 10 dogs in a mass of snarling biting fury and emerged with cuts and bruises. Not that day, that day for several minutes I screamed and fought with the pit bull mix. The man with her did not own her, he was just watching her for a friend, a "military" family who had her listed as a "lab mix" to get her onto the military bases where they lived.

The "military" man looking after her just watched while the dog tried 3 times to kill my dog. Each time I stopped her and she turned on me, attacking me, driving me back then going after my dog again, who after the first attack was not moving anymore, but was screaming in terror and agony. I am haunted by every second of the attack, every second I could not stop it and was powerless to protect my beloved pet and myself. Finally the "military" man stepped in, drug the dog back into the apartment and locked it up before coming back outside. I was lying over the top of my dog, covering him with my body and terrified the monster that had attacked us would break out again. I recall the man giving me the number of the dog's owner, asking me not to be mad, and leaving me bleeding and sobbing over my crying pet.

You talk about victim blaming -- my own sister attacked me. She came to get me, driving my dog and me first to the emergency vet and then to the hospital. She told me to fill out a dog attack form that the emergency vet gave us and was encouraging me to go after the owner and apartment complex until she found out the family was "military." They had been out of town visiting sick family and were in the apartment waiting for orders to process that would have them PCS out of the state.3 My sister's husband is also "military" (the same branch). She is so proud of being "military" it’s sometimes overwhelming. When she found out it was a "military" family that owned the dog she demanded I drop everything. She told me my tears were stupid and unreasonable and that I was irrational and too emotional about what had happened. Me, a dog trainer, was having nightmares. I was also afraid to step out my door.

"These dogs give little to no warning before attacking. These dogs can be 2, 4, 6, 8 or 10 years old, and never a fly harmed or a growl made in all those years. Pit bulls are wonderful, until the moment they are not."

I was not allowed to say a single negative thing to the family. I was treated like, well, like it was all my fault, like I was wrong to show animal control the bites on my hands and legs, wrong to let them take pictures of my dog, and wrong to ask the family to pay his vet bills. From that day on she treated me like I was a criminal, a stupid, foolish, wrong and bad person because the family did get into trouble. They had not told the apartment about the dog, had hidden the breed from the "military" and if I didn’t shut up I would ruin their happiness. That I could not sleep, had massive PTSD attacks that crippled me if a door opened suddenly and could not work at my job training dogs because I was not "me" anymore didn’t matter. Saving that dog and it’s family mattered more to her than me and my dog.
My relationship with my sister became cold, I can’t trust her. She went out and got a purebred pit bull puppy -- even living on a military base KNOWING the rules --- to show her support of pit bulls, so she could have one of these poor misunderstood dogs. She has lived on base with her pit bull and two other dogs for 3 years, hiding the pit bull whenever maintenance came by. When a friend had something "bad" happen with her pit bull after it turned a year old and reported her, my sister hid the dog, lied to the base personnel and got away with it. In all of my years of handling these dogs I never feared them, but I do now, not because of the dogs really, they are what they are, but the people who love them. They don’t care about anyone or anything but those dogs. They will throw their own family and friends under a bus to protect these dogs. It’s like some bizarre sickness overcomes them and rational realistic thought, compassion -- anything human -- just vaporizes in them.
In my years as a trainer, I have seen a substantial number of these dogs attack other animals and their owners excuse it. I’ve seen owners covered in bandages excuse their dogs for the attacks that caused their injuries. I have seen good people, owners who loved their pit bulls and afraid of what they were dealing with, but so desperate that their dog not be what so many of them are, become blind to the warnings that their dog is careening toward a disaster.4 Some of the dogs I've seen were just not "wired" right either, they were wrong in the head, so obsessed with killing things. Their loving owners would come in with scars or fresh injuries, their eyes bright with tears begging me to help them and not wanting to hear from another trainer that they just needed to put the dog down. You cannot train away instinct; you cannot train away genetics. You cannot love it away either.
As a highly experienced dog trainer, who also studied behavior, rehabilitation, and nutrition in dogs for decades, I feel this type of dog is a threat to safety wherever it lives. The owners cannot be relied on to know their dogs or handle or manage them and keep others safe. These dogs give little to no warning before attacking. These dogs can be 2, 4, 6, 8 or 10 years old, and never a fly harmed or a growl made in all those years. Pit bulls are wonderful, until the moment they are not.
Nobody, not a professional, not an expert in the breed, not an owner, NOBODY, can look at a pit bull and tell which one will grow up to be okay, and which one will not. It is impossible to "raise them right." I’ve seen dogs raised every kind of right way. Then it turns and mauls someone or something. I have seen the other side too, dogs covered in fighting scars, missing chunks of their bodies, safer and easier to handle than a baby mouse and well behaved around other dogs. In my professional opinion, no other kind of dog is less predictable, less reliable, or more dangerous than these dogs are. Their owners’ irrational blind love for them just adds to the danger.
Every shelter worker who labels one a "lab mix" instead of a pit bull because they want it to be adopted throws their community under the bus. Every owner who lies about what their dog is to get them into a rental, places everyone who lives around them in front of a racing train. Every rescue that tries to "rehab" one that shows clear aggression, a clear willingness to cause injury to ANY living thing, is irresponsible, evil, and adding to the problem, adding to the truth that nobody can trust these dogs too. Absolutely nobody can trust anyone who owns one or loves this breed type and nothing said by anyone who loves them can be taken as truth. The lies seem to go with the dogs -- they are coated in lies, pain, fear and suffering.

"There is no need in today's society to keep these deadly creatures around. They were born for violence and death. We don’t need that, and we do not need them, truthfully, we never did."

It is my personal wish that the breed would vanish from this world and make it a better place. There are over 400 kinds of dogs, distinct breeds in this world, all but a handful are mostly safe to live with and be around. There is no need in today's society to keep these deadly creatures around. They were born for violence and death. We don’t need that, and we do not need them, truthfully, we never did. There isn’t anything they do that another type of dog could not do better, except kill and ruin lives.

Thank you for your website, for the truth it bares, for the courage it took to put it there. Even as tough as I am, I can't stand up to the hurricane of insanity around these dogs. Thank you for your time, your research and candid honesty. You're an inspiration. Reading your site gave me the courage to write this all down, the first time I have ever done so. As a dog trainer I had to take tremendous criticism whenever I refused to handle these dogs. Their owners are the cruelest nastiest people I have ever encountered. Especially when someone tells them their dogs are not angels and they should expect nothing but what they are getting after they come begging a trainer for help so their dog can play at dog parks or stop trying to kill cats or children. I understand how irrationally hateful the lovers of these dogs can be, and how hard, as a victim of the breed, life is after you have been attacked by one. I raise my lighter to your story, to your website, and if you ever need a seasoned canine training and behavior expert’s input, please contact me.

- Retired Professional Dog Trainer of 25+ Years

1In email correspondence after the letter was sent, the retired trainer replied in part: "In training circles you just do not say negative things about bully breeds anymore. If you do you are attacked, ostracized, labeled a failure or "dog racist" and these crazed lovers of the type will do anything they can to ruin you, discredit you. Terms like, "animal abuser" or "cruel force training" get tossed at you. "You don't know what you're doing, you're clearly not a good trainer if you can't do this," they say, referring to the God only act of making genetics not work, making breeding not work and making drives and instinct go away with some cookies and kissy noises. I've seen what these people are willing to do to anyone who disagrees with them or even just doesn't gush over the dogs like they do."
2When we asked if there were bad experiences with the pit bulls during the 3-year period, the trainer explained that these were working dogs, weight pull and more, not your common pet pit bulls. The person wrote that just over a dozen "had situations come up that in spite of being handled by well seasoned pros and housed in a kennel designed for extremely powerful, high energy, high prey drive NOT PET huskies of several kinds, in addition to dozens of other breed types we worked with over the years, even under those circumstances the pit bulls found ways to get loose." All of these dogs were put down because of aggression toward dogs at the facility or other animals, the trainer wrote, "one for trying to kill our horses and then a neighbor's cattle, all in one day. We spent 7 hours trying to catch the dog before we finally got hold of the owner and got permission to shoot it."
3Permanent Change of Station (PCS).
4In a follow up email, the retired trainer added, "I think that's what scares me most about pit bulls and their owners and supporters, the rescuers of that type of dog. This terrible blindness, the refusal to admit what is happening right in front of them, to push away reality so hard they are falling back and not doing anything to fix what has happened with the dogs. Some are so determined that the dogs are not the problem that they cause more maulings, set the dogs up in situations where they are just doomed to fail, where any kind of dog could fail not just a pit-type."

Posted on February 19, 2016 by Colleen Lynn

2015 U.S. Dog Bite Fatality Statistics - DogsBite.org

Fatal Dog Attack Statistics
DogsBite.org recorded 34 fatal dog attacks in 2015. Pit bulls contributed to 82% (28) of these deaths, the highest fatality count recorded for the breed and a 56% (18) rise from 2005. 82% also marks the highest percentage of deaths attributed to pit bulls in a single year in our 11-years of data collection (2005 to 2015). The last year the CDC collected "breed" data about fatal human dog attacks was 1998, 18-years ago. Since this time, pit bulls have killed 290 U.S. citizens.

34 U.S. dog bite-related fatalities occurred in 2015. Despite being regulated in Military Housing areas and over 700 U.S. cities, pit bulls contributed to 82% (28) of these deaths. Pit bulls make up about 6.6% of the total U.S. dog population.
Together, pit bulls (28) and rottweilers (3), the second most lethal dog breed, accounted for 91% of the total recorded deaths in 2015. This same combination also accounted for 76% of all fatal attacks during the 11-year period of 2005 to 2015.
The breakdown between these two breeds is substantial over this 11-year period. From 2005 to 2015, pit bulls killed 232 Americans, about one citizen every 17 days, versus rottweilers, which killed 41, about one citizen every 98 days.
See full report: 2015 U.S. Dog Bite Fatality Statistics - DogsBite.org
News release: DogsBite.org Releases 2015 Dog Bite Fatality Statistics; Percentage of Deaths Attributed to Pit Bulls Rises to 82% and Other Trends

This year's release includes statistics from our 11-year data set. From Jan. 1, 2005 to Dec. 31, 2015, canines killed 360 Americans. Pit bulls contributed to 64% (232) of these deaths. Combined, pit bulls (232) and rottweilers (41) contributed to 76% of attacks resulting in death. Charts and graphics are available for download on the 2015 Dog Bite Fatalities page. In the discussion notes, we examine 2015 trends and a chart that breaks down the 11-years.

Discussion Notes

2015 marks the highest number of deaths attributed to pit bulls (28) in a single year. It also marks the highest percentage of deaths attributed to pit bulls, 82%, in our 11-years of data collection (2005 to 2015). To visualize the degree to which pit bulls dominate fatalities, we created a chart that maps each year of our data. In 2005, pit bulls were estimated to be 5% of the total U.S. dog population. Today it is 6.6%.1 As this population rises, deaths inflicted by pit bulls rises with it.

Included in the chart is the combination of pit bulls and rottweilers (orange line). It shows that these two dog breeds overwhelmingly dominate attacks resulting in death. In fact, if these two breeds were excluded, annual fatal dog attack statics would reflect about 8 deaths per year, close to the mid 1970s, when both breeds had scant population numbers. For the pre-pit bull, rottweiler years, view: Human Deaths Induced by Dog Bites, United States, 1974-75, by Winkler et al.

In the 40-years since that study, the total U.S. human population has increased by over 100 million and the estimated U.S. dog population by 20 million.2 Animal control programs, local ordinances and enforcement, spay and neuter rates and dog ownership education have improved vastly since. (See: 1975 Special Report on Controlling America's Pet Population, by the HSUS). Not to mention the exponential growth in child safety, safety education and protocols since 1975.

None of these societal advances, however, are enough to stop pit bulls and rottweilers from killing.

Pit Bulls Reverse Traditional Metric

In 2015, fatal attacks inflicted by non-family dogs rose to 59%, up from the 10-year average of 47% (2005 to 2014). This percentage has been steadily rising over the years, but 59% is the highest percentage in our 11-year data set. Non-family dogs include the victim having no previous relationship with the dog or a very limited one, but are also determined on a case-by-case basis. In 2015, this included a rottweiler that was adopted out and killed its new owner 3-hours later.

Of the 28 deaths inflicted by pit bulls in 2015, 61% were carried out by non-family pit bulls. This is up 30% from the breed's 10-year average of 47%; the same number as the "all breeds combined" non-family dog average. So in 2015, pit bulls were the chief factor in reversing the longstanding metric of family dogs being the majority offender in all fatal dog attacks. Many of the non-family pit bull fatalities in 2015 were victims who were visiting the dog owner's home or walking near it.

Adopted Dogs Kill Three People

In 2015, 9% (3) of all fatal attacks involved dangerous dog breeds that were adopted out by county shelter facilities or a rescue. In June, the Asheville Humane Society -- who contracts to operate the Buncombe County, NC shelter -- adopted out a pit bull after it passed a SAFER temperament test, which killed a little boy 3-weeks later. Modern "state-of-the-art" temperament assessment tests, while better than no evaluation test at all, still cannot measure unpredictable aggression.

In November, after a 3-day hold, Jackson-Madison County Rabies Control adopted out a rottweiler to 57-year old Anthony Riggs, an experienced dog handler, who was brutally killed by the animal 3-hours later. Stunningly, Rabies Control has no evaluation policy or assessment testing at all. In both cases, the dogs were picked up as strays with an unknown history. Both cases also reflect the "reality" of modern sheltering -- adopt out dogs at all costs to keep euthanasia rates low.

"At this stage, the public must consider the shelter adoption of a dangerous breed to be a 'life or death' decision." DogsBite.org, 11/18/15

5-months after 6-year old Joshua Strother was killed by a young pit bull that passed the ASPCA's SAFER test, the ASPCA ceased the certification process. Animals 24-7 commented then: "The abrupt end to certifying SAFER test-givers appears to be meant to reduce potential liability to the ASPCA, even as the ASPCA continues promoting the test itself and pushing adoptions of pit bulls." Since 2007, U.S. shelter dogs have killed at least 42 people, according to the group.

The ASPCA now also recommends against the "food guarding" portion of their own test, one of the most basic safety tests of all, to ensure that fewer dogs are euthanized. "Stop euthanizing food guarders," states their website, and instead, "send them home." Some of the commenters are unconvinced. "I would hesitate to drop it from the evaluations because I think it is an important piece for new adopters to know," writes Pam. An adopter with young children would surely agree.

Insufficient Reporting

In 2015, two cases involved unknown dog breeds. In 5 cases (15% of all fatalities), the breeds were misreported or unreported, requiring extensive research efforts by DogsBite.org to obtain this information. Each of these cases involved insufficient reporting by local law enforcement or the media. This does not even include the mauling death of 7-year old Gaege Ramirez in Texas, where the Comal County Sheriff's Office simply told the media, "none of the dogs were pit bulls."

Insufficient reporting by local law enforcement and media organizations is unacceptable today. Modern communication, technology and information is simply too easy and accessible. We understand the limitations on Indian Reservations and why some small jurisdictions limit the media after a devastating fatal dog mauling. Yet, dog attacks resulting in the death of a person are a community issue. The public deserves to know the basic details for health and safety reasons.

Summary and Call to Action

11 years of fatal dog bite statistics and data is enough to evaluate the "breed-specific" issue. Pit bulls dramatically dominate attacks resulting in death. With the addition of rottweilers, these two breeds accounted for 76% of these deaths. When mastiff-type guard dogs and war dogs are added -- the types used to create "baiting" bull breeds and fighting breeds3 -- this small group of breeds is responsible for 84% of all deaths. Breed-specific laws are more needed now than ever.

Instead, what is happening today is the reverse, as powerful lobbying groups continue to push preemption bills on a state level that prohibit municipalities from enacting and enforcing breed-specific laws. Mercifully, over the last two years legislatures in 10 different states have rejected these bills, 86% have failed to pass. Currently seven states face this type of legislation in 2016, including: Georgia, Idaho, Kentucky, Michigan, Missouri, North Carolina and Washington.4

Our call to action this year is to use our statistics in correspondence with local and state officials, especially the chart showing 11-years broken down by year that depicts how heavily two breeds, pit bulls and rottweilers, dominate fatal attacks. As the CDC study stated 16-years ago, back when the percentage of deaths inflicted by the two breeds was lower than today, "there appears to be a breed-specific problem with fatalities." Our data shows this remains true and has worsened.

"Despite these limitations and concerns, the data indicate that Rottweilers and pit bull-type dogs accounted for 67% of human DBRF in the United States between 1997 and 1998. It is extremely unlikely that they accounted for anywhere near 60% of dogs in the United States during that same period and, thus, there appears to be a breed-specific problem with fatalities." - AVMA/CDC 2000

Data Collection Method: How We Collect U.S. Dog Bite Fatality Data

1Most popular breed in U.S. ain’t nothing but a hound dog, by Merritt Clifton, Animals 24-7, July 20, 2015 (www.animals24-7.org).
2U.S. human population 1975, U.S. Census Bureau and the estimated dog population in the U.S. during the late 70s noted in: Traumatic Deaths from Dog Attacks In the United States, by Pickney LE. Kennedy LA, Pediatrics, 1982;691:193-196.
3This grouping includes: American bulldogs, mastiffs and bullmastiffs, presa canarios and cane corsos.
4Just prior to publishing we learned that Washington State Rep. Appleton's bill failed for the third year in a row.

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