November 14, 2020
A dog's breed does not determine aggression, risk, or bite severity!
Recent dog bite incident data confirms that dog bite-related fatalities (DBRFs) and serious dog bite-related incidents are not a breed-specific issue; furthermore, the data also confirms that breed-specific legislation (BSL) is not only ineffective, but also entirely obsolete given the number of breeds involved in fatal attacks.
In fact, since only 2016, at least 47 different breeds and mixed breeds have been involved in fatal dog attacks (listed in Table 1 below) in the U.S. including: Akita, Boxer, Doberman Pinscher, German Shepherd, Great Dane, Husky, Labrador Retriever, Mastiff, Pitbull-Type, Rottweiler, and many others; moreover, the number of incidents associated with each breed is more closely related to each breed's population size and its risk rate than to any "inherent risk" in a specific breed or dog type.
While every serious dog bite-related incident is tragic, the number and variety of breeds implicated in fatal dog attacks is clear evidence that these incidents are not a breed-specific issue while also validating the importance of comprehensive breed-neutral regulations for public safety.
Additionally, the data validates what multiple peer-reviewed studies have concluded such as breed does not determine risk and that breed-specific dog bans (BSL) are ineffective because serious dog bite-related incidents involve many different breeds and mixes.