In Canine homicides and the dog bite epidemic: do not confuse them, it has been pointed out that the dog bite epidemic as a whole involves all dogs and all dog owners, not just the breeds most likely to kill.
In all fairness, therefore, it must be noted that:
- Any dog, treated harshly or trained to attack, may bite a person. Any dog can be turned into a dangerous dog. The owner or handler most often is responsible for making a dog into something dangerous.
- An irresponsible owner or dog handler might create a situation that places another person in danger by a dog, without the dog itself being dangerous, as in the case of the Pomeranian that killed the infant.
- Any individual dog may be a good, loving pet, even though its breed is considered to be potentially dangerous. A responsible owner can win the love and respect of a dog, no matter its breed. One cannot look at an individual dog, recognize its breed, and then state whether or not it is going to attack.
Dogs most often make wonderful pets, however in certain circumstances, any type of dog can be dangerous. Even friendly dogs, can inflict great harm in the wrong circumstance.
The problem with statistics is that they are horribly inaccurate.
- Attacks go unreported
- Breeds are mis-identified
- Cause behind attacks (reason for them) are not included
- No details
- The BIGGEST factor in statistics is the simple fact that over 12 breeds of dog are lumped under the term "pit bull" - so these stats are based on the reports of bite incidents involving these 12 plus breeds. An "american pit bull terrier" bite, a "staffordshire bull terrier" bite, a "cane corso" bite, etc are all lumped together. YOu don't see that happening with golden, labrador, curly coated, etc retrievers. Hence the higher probably statistics for "pit bull." I would bet the numbers would go DOWN if the dogs where properly identified.
The reports will inevitably show popular large breed dogs as the problem. This is to be expected since large breeds can do more damage if they bite and due to popularity of certain breeds they have more individuals that could bite
Breed identification is often inaccurate with mixed breeds often identified as purebred. In many instances the identification is made by the victim or witnesses who are not trained in canine breeds or identification. Pit Bull identification is even less accurate than for other breeds like Dalmatians, Siberian Huskies, etc. As stated above, 'pit bull' is not a breed. It’s a term used to group together a minimum of three different breeds of dog. In fact, there are 25+ breeds that look like a 'pit bull' and are commonly identified incorrectly.
temperment test:
AMERICAN PIT BULL TERRIER 86.0% pass rate
SHIH TZU 78.0% pass rate
ROTTWEILER 83.4% pass rate
YORKSHIRE TERRIER 82.5% pass rate
BICHON FRISE 76.7%
BORDER COLLIE 81.1%
BOXER 84.0%
CHIHUAHUA 71.1%
COCKER SPANIEL 81.9%
