Pit Bulls Lead "Bite" Counts Across U.S. Cities and Counties
DogsBite.org - City and county animal control departments in at least 16 U.S. states report that pit bulls are biting more than all other dog breeds. These states include: Arkansas, California, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Kansas, Michigan, Nebraska, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Rhode Island, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas and Utah. The often-quoted myth by pro-pit bull groups that pit bulls "do not bite more than other breeds" is
categorically false. In addition to the fact that pit bulls are the leading biters, the pit bull bite is also the most likely dog bite to inflict
serious and
disfiguring injury.
Last updated 12/27/09.Toledo, Ohio | (
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In December 2009, the Toledo Lucas County Health Department data showed that pit bulls led the number of bite incidents from January 1 to November 8. Of the 380 total bite incidents, 65 were attributed to pit bulls. This accounts for 17% of all bites, despite pit bulls accounting for less than 5% of the county's dog population. Though pit bulls are regulated under
Ohio and
Toledo laws, the breed still led all biting incidents. The Lucas County Dog Warden's office keeps track of the more serious bites. Of the 150 bites listed as "serious" this year, pit bulls and their mixes accounted for 42 (28%). In 18 of the cases, the victims were under 18 years of age.
Bakersfield, California | (
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In September 2009, it was reported that more than 2,400 dog bites had been recorded by animal control services in Bakersfield and areas of unincorporated Kern County since January 2007. "By a wide margin," the breed that bites most often is the pit bull, according to records compiled by the county. The city does not track bites by breed, which is an indicator that the city's animal service opposes BSL. The article also notes the questionable "mixed-breed" category: "Since 2007, pit bulls have bitten 389 victims in Kern. Mixed-breed dogs hold a dubious second place with 254 bites, and German shepherds are third with 140 bites."
Royal Oaks, Michigan | (
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Also in September, another Detroit suburb discussed pit bull legislation (
view related map). According to a report provided by City Manager Don Johnson on the 5,311 licensed dogs in Royal Oak, "Pit bulls account for only 1.7% of licensed dogs in Royal Oak but were responsible for about 35% of reported dog bite incidents this year." It is important to point out that Detroit is known as the "dogfighting capital" of the U.S., thus an area rich with the breeding and ownership of pit bulls with explosive aggression. The Detroit area is also the center of U.S. medical research regarding pit bull injury to humans
1. We do not believe this is a coincidence.
Mecklenburg County, North Carolina | (
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In August 2009, it was reported that pit bull bites were up 20% in Mecklenburg County. According to Charlotte-Mecklenburg Animal Care and Control, in the fiscal year ending June 30, 2009, pit bulls represented 208 bites. Labs were second with 152, followed by German shepherds and Chows. The news article followed the July pit bull attack involving 9-year old
Jisseth Moquete. The girl's neighbor, Jonathan Hall, had been "showing" the pit bull to her family in hopes they would buy the dog. As Moquete was petting the pit bull, the dog latched onto her face. A stranger had given the dog to Hall "for free" one day earlier.
Springdale, Arkansas | (
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Also in August, the mayor of Springdale, Doug Sprouse, said that
over half of the bites reported over the last 2 years have been by pit bulls. That can be a little misleading, he said, "but that's still a hefty number." City officials agreed that they wanted to "prevent bites before they happen," particularly by pit bulls, yet were hesitant about targeting a specific breed in the ordinance. The nearby city of Siloam Springs declares pit bulls "vicious" (
Sec: 10-101) and requires owners to adhere to restraint requirements, attain liability insurance and to muzzle their dog when off property. The law specifically targets pit bulls to
prevent future pit bull bites.
Hamilton, Ohio | (
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In July 2009, after a pit bull named "Monster"
escaped its pen and attacked its owner's 5-year old daughter, the Hamilton Health Department released bite statistics. From 2001 to July 2009, pit bulls lead with 157 biting incidents, representing 19% of all dog bites. Despite the fact that Ohio declares pit bulls "vicious" and requires special restraint measures (
955.22), pit bulls overcome these measures and still lead. The closest follower was "mixed," with 133 incidents (16%). Yet this category is questionable given that no dog in the U.S. is sold or adopted under the generalized name "mixed." Labs followed in third place with 65 incidents (8%).
Hillsborough County, Florida | (
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Also in July, the Tampa Tribune requested data on dog bites from the Hillsborough Department of Animal Services regarding the 2,400 cases recorded in the last 18 months. The data shows that 103 different dog breeds were responsible for the bites. Pit bulls
topped the chart with 371 incidents, 15% of all bites during the 18-month period. Labs followed with less than half of this amount with 151 incidents (6%). German shepherds ranked 3rd with 105 incidents (4%) and Chows ranked 4th with 80 (3%). As depicted on the chart, the Tribune seemed to think it was no big deal that one dog breed accounted for such a large percentage of bites.
Woonsocket, Rhode Island | (
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In June 2009, Capt. Kenneth Paulhus of the Woonsocket Police Department issued a 3-year report concerning the alarming pit bull trend. "In 2006, pit bulls accounted for 32 percent of all the dog bite cases in Woonsocket," Paulhus says in the report. "The number increased to 37 percent in 2007. The year 2008 reflected
half of all dog bites in the city were attributed to
pit bulls." He added that "many were serious." Animal Control Officer Doris Kay says in the report that she used to think all dogs were created equal. But she says she's learned that, "In Woonsocket pit bulls bite more often, and cause more injury, than any other breed."
Lincoln, Nebraska | (
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Also in June, after a pit bull attacked 10-year old Baylee Harris, Lincoln Animal Control officials said that pit bulls are the leading breed in reported attacks. Since September of 2008, there have been 38 pit bull bites in the city followed by Labs with 27. The
Lincoln County Animal Control 2008 Annual Report (truncated) shows that in 2008, a licensed population of 858 pit bulls and their mixes produced 60 biting incidents. The city's substantial population of Labs and lab-mixes, 5448 dogs, produced 39 bites in the same period. The data shows that 1 out of every 14 pit bulls in Lincoln is a biter, while its takes over 142 Labs to produce a bite.
Richmond County, Georgia | (
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In the same month, it was reported that Richmond County had 139 complaints of animal bites so far this year, 26 of them involving pit bulls. This is about 19-percent and the most of all dog breeds, according to the article. Diane Downs, the Director of Richmond County Animal Control, said that pit bulls "tend to get the most exposure because unfortunately they do the most damage." The news article came in response to a pit bull attack that left an Augusta man hospitalized. As we see in so many of these cases, the pit bulls escaped owner property (through a gap in the fence) "just to attack" a man who had been walking down the street.
Syracuse, New York | (
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In May 2009, it was reported that the Syracuse dog control department had responded to 19 pit bull bites since the start of the year. According to the article, this is nearly
double the amount during all of last year. "It's the beginning of dog control officer Jason Driscoll's shift," the article states, "and already he's responding to a pit bull call." In this instance, the two pit bulls (with a history of bad behavior) had also escaped owner property. Last year one of the same dog's bit a young girl. Dog control officers told WSYR TV that they run into trouble with other dog breeds as well, but pit bulls make up the "majority of reported attacks."
Dyersburg, Tennessee | (
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In April 2009, after a 16-year old girl was attacked by loose pit bulls while walking down a street, the Dyersburg Police Department reported there were 21 "dog bite" reports written in 2008. The figures show that nearly half of those bites (10) were from pit bulls. In the first four months of 2009, three of the five police reports written on dog bites involved pit bulls. The article also includes information from the Dyersburg City Attorney's office. City records show there were 35 court cases involving dogs within the last year. Of the 35 cases, 29 of them involved pit bulls. There were also six dog bite cases and all of those were from pit bulls.
Ogden, Utah | (
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In March 2009, the City of Ogden considered a new ordinance that would toughen requirements for pit bull owners including carrying liability insurance. Bob Geier, director of the Ogden Animal Shelter, was in support of this new ordinance. Based on the
APPA national survey statistics, Geier estimated that there are about 16,000 dogs in Ogden, including 3,200 pit bulls. During the last two years, pit bulls have accounted for about 20 percent of the dog population at the city animal shelter. During that same period, according to Geier, pit bulls and their mixes have been responsible for about
40 percent of reported dog bites in the city.
Lake County, Florida | (
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Also reported in March,
Marjorie Boyd, the director of Lake County Animal Services, said, "Pit bulls lead all breeds of dogs and cats in bite incidents the county has investigated in the past two years." According to Boyd, pit bulls represented 12.7 percent of bite cases in 2007, 12.5 percent in 2008 and 18 percent of cases thus far this year. The article came in response to the brutal mauling of 22-year old
Tracy Lindsey. At the time, Lindsey had been jogging down Getford Road when two pit bulls escaped owner property and attacked her. Lindsay was airlifted by a Life Flight helicopter to Orlando Regional Medical Center and rushed into surgery.
Broward County, Florida | (
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South of Lake County, the
Broward County Dog Bite Database depicts a vivid picture of the "top biter." During the years of 2005 to 2008, Labs produced 151 biting incidents with 98 inflicted on humans and 53 on animals, while Cocker spaniels produced 16 biting incidents with 15 on humans and 1 to an animal. In the same period, the pit bull/American Staffordshire terrier community produced a whopping
618 biting incidents with 323 inflicted on humans and 296 on the county's pet and livestock population. The data shows that human-aggression is just as prevalent as animal-aggression in pit bulls produced by local breeders.
Altoona, Pennsylvania | (
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Altoona city records showed in March that of the 5,056 dogs licensed in 2008, 162 (3%) of them were pit bulls or their mixes. City dog law officer, John Iorio, handled 178 biting incidents in 2008. Of these incidents, 110 (61%) involved pit bulls. Iorio believes the actual number of pit bulls in the city to be 400 (8%), but this hardly reduces the alarming number of bites attributed to them. In July 2009,
Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture (
PDF) records showed that 112 dogs in a 5-county region were declared legally "dangerous." Pit bulls accounted for 42 (38%) of these dogs. No Cocker spaniels or Labs appeared on the list.
Indianapolis, Indiana | (
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In February 2009, The Indianapolis Star reported that pit bull bites were at a record high -- 282 in 2008, an increase of 33 percent from the previous year and about three times the total from 2006. The
Marion County Dog Bite Database shows that pit bulls produced 490 biting incidents while Labs produced 152 incidents and Cocker spaniels only produced 27. The Star also reported that out of 3,000 pit bulls in animal care last year, nearly 2,500 were euthanized. Despite these statistics, the active pit bull community and the Indianapolis Humane Society, managed to "
table" a new
dog ordinance designed to reduce pit bull bites and deaths.
Wichita, Kansas | (
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In January 2009, the Wichita Department of Environmental Services released a number of pit bull statistics. The figures are based upon the Wichita Animal Control department's investigation of 733 dog bites and attacks in 2008. Included in the data are pit bulls encountered by the Wichita Police Department. In the 1-year period, 95% of police encounters with aggressive dogs were pit bulls. The report also showed that the percentage of pit bull encounters had increased from 66% in 2004 to 95% in 2008. Subsequently, four months after the release of this data, the City of Wichita enacted a mandatory
pit bull sterilization law.
- 55% of all dogs deemed dangerous were pit bulls (41 pit bull dogs deemed dangerous).
- 34% of attacks and bites involved pit bull dogs (246 pit bull attacks/bites).
- 28% of dogs found running at large were pit bulls (1,279 pit bulls found running loose).
- 25% of dogs impounded were pit bulls dogs (1,575 pit bulls impounded).
- 37% of all dogs euthanized were pit bull dogs (1,255 pit bulls euthanized).
- 23% of dog complaints involved pit bull dogs (2,523 complaints involved pit bull dogs).
North Texas Cities | (
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In August 2008, The Dallas Morning News reported that dog bite incidents from July 2007 to July 2008 in Duncanville, Cedar Hill and Mesquite, showed that a third (33%) of all animal attacks involved pit bulls. Each of these cities passed resolutions urging the state Legislature to
allow breed-specific laws, as lawmakers were hoodwinked by the dog lobby in 1991 and passed a preemptive state-wide anti-BSL measure (
822.047). The next closest breeds were German shepherds (9.6%) followed by Labs (9%). While breed population data was not available in this article, it's presumable that the pit bull population is lower than the other two breeds.
Ventura County, California | (
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In July 2008, Ventura County Department of Animal Regulation released a 1-year statistical report (July 2007 to June 2008). The report showed that pit bulls ranked 8th in licensing, but were still the number one biter producing 117 biting incidents in this period. Cocker spaniels, often cited by pro-pit bull groups as the leading biter, ranked 6th in licensing, but 8th in bite numbers with only 28 incidents. In September 2008, 5-year old
Katya Todesco of Simi Valley suffered catastrophic face and neck injury after she reportedly "bumped into" a pit bull. She died 6 days later. The pit bull mauling death of Katya was recorded as "one biting incident."
Lubbock, Texas | (
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In February 2008, the City and County of Lubbock experienced a "pit bull epidemic," which by March ended in the
deaths of 23 animals due to loose pit bulls. The February article provided 2007 Lubbock Animal Services data regarding dog incidents. Of the 247 dog bites, pit bulls accounted for 75 incidents (30%). Labs followed with just 17 incidents (7%) and German shepherds with 15 (6%). Unfortunately, the writers of the article were hoodwinked into the myth that pit bulls are one of the "most popular" dog breeds in the nation.
2009 U.S shelter data shows that the total U.S. pit bull population is no greater than 5% of all dogs.
San Francisco, California | (
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In July 2005, about 6 months prior to San Francisco enacting a
pit bull sterilization law, the San Francisco Chronicle reviewed hundreds of dog bites logged by the city. According to Animal Care and Control department records, pit bulls and their mixes accounted for 27% of reported dog bites since 2003, even though they accounted for only 6% of licensed dogs. Of the 900 bite incidents recorded in this period, 626 traced to a specific dog. Of those, 169 bites were attributed to pit bulls. As the Chronicle writer points out, "that's more than the number of bites by German shepherds (69), Labradors (58) and rottweilers (34) combined."
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Report: U.S. Police and Citizen Shootings of Pit Bulls 200804/22/09:
Report: U.S. Dog Bite Fatalities January 2006 to December 2008
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