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View a growing list of news articles that include information from DogsBite.org.
June 3, 2013
Woman Loses Arms After Family Pitbulls Attack Her
Ruth Manuel-Logan | NewsOne.com | Henry and Allen are behind the proposed pit bull legislation wholeheartedly. And they have data to back up their support. According to DogsBite.org, from 2005 to 2012, pitbulls have killed 151 Americans, about one citizen every 19 days. Of these deaths, fifty-two percent involved a family member and a household pitbull...
May 24, 2013
The Front Burner: Banning pit bulls saves lives and protects the innocent
Colleen Lynn Guest Columnist | Orlando Sentinel | So far this year, 13 of the 14 Americans who have been killed by dogs — 93 percent — were killed by pit bulls and pit mixes. This is well above the average of 60 percent from 2005 to 2012. As the pit bull population rises, more human fatalities ensue. During the last eight-year period that the Centers for Disease...
May 10, 2013
California Jogger Killed During Attack by Pit Bull Dogs
Sky Valley Chronicle | According to data supplied by dogsbite.org there were 38 U.S. fatal dog attacks in the U.S. in occurred in 2012. Despite being regulated in Military Housing areas and over 600 U.S. cities, 3 pit bulls contributed to 61% (23) of these deaths. Pit bulls make up less than 5% of the total U.S. dog population. Together, pit bulls (23) and rottweilers (3)...
May 7, 2013
Pulling our chain with pit-pull charm charade
The Lowell Sun | However, our state lawmakers opted to protect the civil rights of dogs over the public-safety of humans, apparently assuming that pit bulls indeed were getting a bad rap ... A series of findings, compiled by DogsBite.org, a national dog-bite victims' group, should lead any level-headed individual to an obvious conclusion: From 2005 to 2012...
April 24, 2013
Dog mauls, kills Prairie City girl
Jens Manuel Krogstad and Sharyn Jackson | Des Moines Register | Thirty-one fatal dog attacks occurred in the U.S. in 2011, the most recent year for which data are available, according to DogsBite.org. Pit bulls, which make up less than 5 percent of the U.S. dog population, accounted for 71 percent of the attacks, according to the website. The American...
April 23, 2013
Lakritz: Pit bulls really are the problem, not their owners
Naomi Lakritz | Calgary Herald | Calling the debate outdated, dogsbite.org, a public education website based in Austin, Texas, which tracks dog bite statistics, says the idea that “it’s the owner, not the breed, has caused the pit bull problem to grow into a 30-year-old problem. Designed to protect pit bull breeders and owners, the slogan ignores the genetic...
April 5, 2013
The Pit Bull Stigma
Alyona Minkovski | HuffPost Live | The live Google Hangout panel included: Colleen Lynn @dogsbite (Austin, TX) Founder and President of DogsBite.org; Dr. Jennifer Scarlett (San Francisco, CA) Co-President and Veterinarian at the San Francisco SPCA and Molly Darden @MollyDarden (Atlanta, GA) Managing Editor of Azizah Magazine, HuffPost Blogger...
April 4, 2013
Dangerous Dogs?
Jessica Key | Indianapolis Recorder | "The pit bull’s traits make it dangerous. It is a very tenacious dog. The dog is also unpredictable ... They show no signs of preparation of attack, they just do," said Garten who is a board member for DogsBite.org, a national dog bite victims' group. "Another trait is their tremendous bite. When they bite, they clamp down and don’t release."
March 30, 2013
Recent dog attack fuels pit bull debate
Nico Savidge | GazetteXtra | Lynn founded the blog DogsBite.org, which is critical of pit bulls and calls for mandatory sterilization to reduce the breed’s prevalence. The dogs’ violent reputation is "well-deserved," she said, in part because of maulings such as the one March 6 in Walworth. "We believe they’re born inherently dangerous because of their attack traits...
March 28, 2013
Viewpoints: What can be done about dangerous dogs?
BBC News | Colleen Lynn - founder and president of dogsbite.org - "Every country should help establish a human victim-centred organisation with resources and statistical studies. This organisation should be independent of influence and funding by dog breeder, veterinarian and animal welfare groups." We're a US charity dedicated to reducing serious dog attacks...
March 20, 2013
Texas Leads the Nation in Fatal Dog Attacks; Dog Bite Victims' Group Releases Report: Texas Dog Bite Fatalities, January 1, 2005 to February 17, 2013
DogsBite.org News Release | DogsBite.org, a national dog bite victims' group dedicated to reducing serious dog attacks, releases a report of Texas dog bite fatalities from January 1, 2005 to February 17, 2013. During this period, 34 Texans suffered death due to a dog mauling, making Texas the leading state in the nation for dog bite-related fatalities...
March 10, 2013
Gary Stein: Pit bull lovers throw a few bombs
Gary Steil | Sun-Sentinel | I could go on for a long time, but you get the idea. I was accused of being a doggie racist. I was accused of discrimination ... I stand by every word I wrote, that pit bulls don't belong in an urban area. I can give you statistics -- for one example, check out DogsBite.org. Pit bull lovers don't like that site, because it makes their dogs...
February 2013
Tough Love
Ron Cassie | Baltimore Magazine | According to DogsBite.org, a national dog-bite victims’ group, which monitors attacks, breed-specific legislation, and court rulings, more than 500 municipalities and 18 counties in the U.S. have some type of pit-bull-specific law. Founded by Colleen Lynn, whose arm was broken in a pit-bull attack...
January 11, 2013
DogsBite.org Releases 2012 Dog Bite Fatality Statistics, Features Two New Tracking Categories and Trends About Child Deaths
DogsBite.org News Release | On January 11, DogsBite.org, a national dog bite victims' group dedicated to reducing serious dog attacks, releases 2012 dog bite fatality statistics. Of the 38 U.S. fatal dog attacks that transpired in 2012, pit bulls contributed to 61% (23) despite comprising less than 5% of the total U.S. dog population...
December 17, 2012
Solesky Family Releases 911 Call at the Center of High Court Decision
DogsBite.org News Release | Anthony and Irene Solesky, the parents of a young pit bull mauling victim at the center of Tracey v. Solesky, an appellate court decision that declared pit bulls "inherently dangerous," release the 911 call of the attack upon their son. The life-threatening attack inflicted by a neighbor's pit bull occurred...
December 16, 2012
Site shows children the victim of most dog attacks
Aly Van Dyke | Topeka Capital-Journal | As of Nov. 12, 34 people have died from dog attacks this year alone. Half were children ranging in age from two days to six years, and the other half were adults ages 23 to 84. Two victims this year were 2-year-olds. The statistics come from DogsBite.org, a national website dedicated to educating people about dangerous dogs...
December 8, 2012
Dog restrictions, bans exist in Mobridge, Hecla and Leola
Jeff Bahr | Aberdeen American News | A pit bull may not be more aggressive than any other dog, Osterloh said. But a pit bull can do a lot of damage, he said, referring to the strength of its jaw muscles ... Marion, Hurley, Spencer, Sturgis and Tea have also passed dangerous dog ordinances, according to the website dogsbite.org.
November 15, 2012
Dog in Yadkin attack was dead when animal-control officer arrived
Jennifer Young | Winston-Salem Journal | Safety advocates emphasize that a baby should not be left alone with a dog. And even when an adult is present, an animal can do something unexpected, said Colleen Lynn, the founder of DogsBite.org, a group dedicated to reducing serious dog attacks. "The infant is helpless... and these attacks..."
October 4, 2012
‘An awful tragedy’
Cory Riner | The Robesonian | Bill Smith, director of the Health Department, said seven dogs that are at least part pit bull that attacked Hunt are being held ... According to an April 2009 study by Dogsbite.org, a public education website, from 2006 to 2009 there were 88 fatal dog attacks in the United States, and pit bulls were responsible for 52 of those deaths.
September 24, 2012
Infant dies after dog attack at Burleson residence
Wendy Corona | WFAA.com | Rayden was rushed to Cook Children's Medical Center in Fort Worth, where he died less than two hours later ... A group called DogsBite.org monitors deadly dog attacks. Last year, it found that pit bulls were behind 22 fatal maulings in the U.S. Together, pit bulls and Rottweilers accounted for 84 percent of all deadly dog attacks in 2011.
September 21, 2012
Dog bite website defends its credentials
DogsBite.org | The Vancouver Sun | Both authors ignored the peer-reviewed scientific study Hume wrote about in his article ... Pit bull injury data from DogsBite. org is cited in several areas of this study. Hume indisputably relied upon peer-reviewed data and Dogs-Bite.org data has been published in a peer-reviewed scientific publication. The pair next state...
September 12, 2012
Hume: Certain dog breeds and owners combine for violence
Stephen Hume | The Vancouver Sun | Let’s face an unpleasant fact: Pit bulls and Rottweilers are the lethal, loaded weapons of the canine world. A study by DogsBite.org, a U.S.-based group seeking to reduce serious dog attacks, found that from 2006 to 2008, pit bull-type dogs killed 52 Americans. From 2005 to 2011, pit bulls and Rottweilers combined...
September 5, 2012
Pit bull fans rally to defend breed
Jon Hand | Democrat and Chronicle | Colleen Lynn started the website in 2007 ... Lynn's website says that "perpetrators of this myth (It’s the owner, not the breed) also cannot account for the many instances in which pit bull owners and family members are victimized by their pet dogs. There are too many good pit bulls who still attack, unpredictably."
August 14, 2012
Does your dog attack?
abc2news.com | According to information gathered by DogsBite.org, there were 31 fatal dog attacks in America in 2011. Of those attacks, 71 percent were pit bulls. The site reports pit bulls also make up less than five percent of the total U.S. dog population. The website reports rottweilers to be the second most dangerous breed based on statistics – responsible for...
August 2, 2012
Woman fears roaming pit bulls after cat is eaten
Carol Christian | Houston Chronicle | Colleen Lynn of Austin, who suffered a broken arm during a 5-second encounter with a pit bull in 2007, maintains a website, www.dogsbite.org, about the breed. Lynn says pit bulls have a "dangerous tool set," including a propensity to attack without warning and to bite and hold. Lynn said Baert was lucky to avoid being mauled...
July 31, 2012
Pit bull owners want city law changed
Kent Mallett | The Newark Advocate | Duke Frost, R-5th Ward, a Licking County assistant prosecutor, presented statistics he found on the Internet at dogsbite.org, showing pit bulls represent 5 percent of the population but accounted for 71 percent of fatalities in 2011 in the U.S. Pit bulls accounted for 67 percent of fatal dog attacks in 2010, 44 percent in 2009...
June 22, 2012
Spate of Pit Bull Attacks Has Nation on Alert
Jamie Reno | The Daily Beast | Colleen Lynn is in the former camp. The founder of Dogsbite.org, which collects data on dog attacks, said these latest pit bull attacks are "tragic, but they aren’t shocking to me. People who have pit bulls are in denial about this breed." Lynn, herself a survivor of a pit bull attack, says 128 people in the U.S. were killed by pit bulls...
June 15, 2012
Pit bulls debated after bite leads to baby's death
Kristina Davis and Debbi Baker | U-T San Diego | Colleen Lynn, who runs DogBite.org and collects data on fatal dog attacks nationwide, contends pit bulls have dangerous traits ... "It’s bite is designed to inflict the maximum impact possible, and oftentimes when a pit bull starts to attack, you can’t get it to stop," said Lynn, who advocates for pit bull sterilization laws.
June 15, 2012
Maryland Court of Appeals decision: Friday June 15: Part One | Part Two
Midday with Dan Rodricks | WYPR.org | Guests include: Kevin Dunne, attorney with Ober Kaler who won the appeal in Tracey v. Solesky, Drs. John K. Bini and Stephen M. Cohn, University of Texas Health Science Center, authors of "Mortality, Mauling, and Maiming by Vicious Dogs," Colleen Lynn, founder and president, DogsBite.org and more...
June 8, 2012
DogsBite.org Launches Maryland Dog Bite Victim Advocacy Web Page in Support of the Court of Appeals Ruling
DogsBite.org News Release | DogsBite.org, a national dog bite victims' group dedicated to reducing serious dog attacks, launches a Maryland advocacy web page and corresponding email list to support the Court of Appeals ruling that holds owners of pit bulls and landlords financially responsible after an attack. Victims, parents, activists...
May 29, 2012
2-year-old dies in dog attack near Mount Pleasant, second fatality in six weeks
Tony Bartelme | The Post and Courier | Statistically speaking, it’s exceedingly rare to have two fatal dog attacks in the same area so close together in time. In 2011, the entire country had just 31 deaths related to dog bites, according to dogsbite.org, a nonprofit that tracks fatalities. Yet dog attacks themselves are quite common...
May 24, 2012
Onus on dog owners
Freddie Ng | theSundaily | According to DogsBite.org, from 2005 to 2011, a pit bull killed a US citizen every 20 days. Between 2006 and 2008, pit bull type dogs killed 52 people and accounted for 59% of all fatal attacks in the US while, combined, pit bulls and rottweilers accounted for 73% of those deaths. Britain introduced the Dangerous Dogs Act...
May 21, 2012
Dog bites and dog facts
WTHN.com | What is a Pit Bull? From dogsbite.org, "A pit bull type dog is a combination of dog breeds that includes the American pit bull terrier, American Staffordshire terrier, Staffordshire bull terrier, American bulldog and any other pure bred or mixed breed dog that is a combination of these dogs. The World's Most Dangerous Dogs...
May 17, 2012
‘Some Dogs Don’t Let Go’
Leslie Linthicum | ABQJournal Online | If you look at the numbers compiled for 2011 for U.S. attacks by the dog bite victims’ group DogsBite.org, pit bulls show up even more often ... Remember the details of that autopsy report and all of the multiple 1-inch to 3-inch cuts and punctures ... The motto of DogsBite.org is "Dogs bite. Some dogs don’t let go."
May 13, 2012
Dog that killed 1-year-old part of ongoing debate nationwide
Brian Haynes | Las Vegas Review-Journal | "There are a lot of animals in need out there. Why are we trying to save one that's killed someone?" said Colleen Lynn, who founded and runs dogsbite.org, a nonprofit group that advocates for dog-bite victims ... The bottom line is a child is dead, a fact that the dog activists tend to minimize, Lynn said...
May 10, 2012
EXCLUSIVE: Family of Baby Killed Speaks from the Scene of Pit Bull Attack
Matt Dougherty | KVIA.com | "It's the hold and shake bite style," DogsBite.org director, Colleen Lynn said. "And when they bite, they don't stop shaking" ... "When a pit bull has a bad day, it means something really bad is going to happen," Lynn said. "It's not going to be a bite. It's going to be a mauling, or as it was in this case, a death."
May 9, 2012
New Mexico Breeders Defend Pit Bulls After Baby Is Killed
Matt Dougherty | KVIA.com | DogsBite.org, the Austin-based organization for dog-attack victims, claims there were 31 dog-attack deaths in the U.S. in 2011. Of those deaths, 22 involved pit bulls, 71-percent of all the attacks. It is a startling number considering that pit bulls make up only five-percent of all dogs in the U.S. More than 700 cities in the...
May 9, 2012
Are breed-specific laws needed for pit bulls?
Brian Fraga | Las Cruces Sun-News | Dogsbite.org released a study that claimed pit bulls were responsible for 24 of 31 fatal dog attacks last year in the United States. From 2006-08, pit bulls also accounted for 52 of 88 fatal dog attacks, according to Dogsbite.org.
The 2000 CDC report said that that pit bulls and rotweillers were involved in more than half...
May 4, 2012
Maryland shelters, rescues brace for increase in Pit bull surrenders
Kate S. Alexander | Gazette.net | Humane groups bear the responsibility for Maryland being pushed to the point of a breed-specific declaration and a strict liability ruling for landlords, said group founder Colleen Lynn. “Humane groups have been totally aware of the pit bull problem for 30 years, and they refuse to stand behind laws that directly target the breeders...
May 3, 2012
Pit bull ruling outrages rescue groups, owners
Whit Johnson | CBS This Morning | Colleen Lynn, who runs an education website about dangerous dogs called DogsBite.org, wrote a brief to the Maryland court supporting the decision. She told CBS News, "When they attack, they don't stop. This is what ends up killing people. Pit bulls are the top killing dog breed." Lynn hopes other states will follow Maryland's lead...
May 2, 2012
Maryland Court Finds Pit Bulls to be 'Inherently Dangerous'
Martin Austermuhle | DCist | According to a Centers for Disease Control report cited by the court, pit bulls were responsible for 66 of the 238 dog bite-related fatalities across the country between 1979 and 1996; DogsBite.org reports that pit bulls were responsible for 71 percent of the 31 fatal dog attacks that took place in 2011.
April 27, 2012
One breed, two stories: Pit bulls' nature varies with who you ask
Emily Le Coz | djournal.com | But while all breeds can bite, pit bulls have caused 60 percent of U.S. canine-related fatalities even though they comprise just 5 percent of the U.S. dog population, according to 2005-2011 statistics from DogsBite.org, a national dog bite victims’ group. Most victims were children, the organization reported.
April 25, 2012
Chris Brown is now breeding pit bulls
Kate Wilkson | National Post | otential buyers can get to know "Precious," "Pretty," "Music," and five other little pit bulls, before deciding whether they’ll spend $1000 adopting a "Chris Brown Puppy." According to DogsBite.org, "a national dog bite victims’ group," 650 cities in the U.S. have enacted "dangerous dog laws" to regulate pit bulls.
April 25, 2012
DogsBite.org Announces Neighborhood Safety Campaign and New Brochure, 'How to Keep Your Family Safe from Dangerous Dogs'
DogsBite.org News Release | DogsBite.org, a national dog bite victims' group dedicated to reducing serious dog attacks, announces a neighborhood safety campaign with a new brochure in preparation for National Dog Bite Prevention Week, May 20-26, 2012. The safety brochure, How to Keep Your Family Safe from Dangerous Dogs...
April 1, 2012
Alabama legislation needed to address pit bulls
Pam Ashley (Letters to the editor) | TuscaloosaNews.com | My grandchildren will never be allowed to play in my yard until the pit bulls who killed Bleu are gone ... The organization DogsBite.org has a nationwide fact collecting site that should be viewed by everyone on both sides of this issue --- there will only be one side of the issue after that.
March 20, 2012
Owner says pit bulls were 'family members'
Melissa Crowe | Victoria Advocate | According to a 2009 report by DogsBite.org, 373 incidents were recorded in a 12-month period in 2008 nationwide that involved pit bulls and their mixes shot for public safety reasons by U.S. law enforcement officers and civilians. Of those incidents, 148 people were bit, six of whom died...
March 9, 2012
Statistics show pit bulls will kill
Matt Harding (Letters to the editor) | SeacaostOnline.com | Most notable among all facts is the following which can be referenced at www.dogsbite.org: "From 2005 to 2011, pit bulls killed 128 Americans, about one citizen every 20 days. Of these attacks, 51 percent (65) involved a family member and a household pit bull. In the first eight months of 2011..."
February 26, 2012
Pit bull owners not showing the love
Sun-Sentinel | Gary Stein | Just do go to DogsBite.org, and see pit-bull types at the top of the list for attacks. Go to the website for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which links to a journal that says from 1979 to 1998, "purebred, pit-bull-type dogs were responsible for the most fatal dog bites to human for that period, with 66 fatalities..."
February 13, 2012
Canine control
The Columbus Dispatch | According to DogsBite.org, a victims’ advocacy website, 23 Ohio cities, including Bexley and Reynoldsburg, ban or regulate pit-bull ownership, as do more than 625 other communities in the U.S. In Bexley, City Attorney Lou Chodosh said he’d be surprised if Bexley revoked its pit bull ban: "I think I can speak for the (police) chief...
February 2, 2012
As number of dog bites grow, debate over safety of breeds intensify
Cindy Horswell | Houston Chronicle | Colleen Lynn, who heads a national dog-bite victim group based in Austin, said 71 percent of the 31 dog-bite deaths recorded across the U.S. last year involved pit bull-type dogs. She describes them as "canine gladiators" known for their strength, tenacity and ability to ignore pain. Houston's animal control...
January 20, 2012
Thumbs up or down, city needs your input
News-Leader.com | Thumbs up ... The ordinance, which requires pit bulls to be registered, micro-chipped, and secured, helps keep Springfield residents safe from these vicious dogs. According to victims' group dogsbite.org, there were 31 fatalities nationwide in 2011 from dog bites. Of those, 22 were pit bulls. The facts here speak for themselves.
January 18, 2012
Wentzville considers changing pit bull regulations
Mark Schlinkman | St. Louis Post-Dispatch | Founder Colleen Lynn said when cities decide against restricting pit bulls, "we (in the public) are supposed to take the risk." Lynn started the website after she was injured in a pit bull attack in 2007 while jogging in the Seattle area. Pit bulls were involved in 22 of 31 fatal dog attacks across the United States last year...
January 17, 2012
Grandmother of toddler killed by pit bull hospitalized for shock
Cindy Horswell | Houston Chronicle | While many dog enthusiasts support the pit bull breed as being safe and blame misbehavior on trainers, a nonprofit group tracking dog bite incidents reported that 71 percent of 31 fatal attacks in the U.S. involved pit bulls in 2011. Harris County reported two deaths from pit bull attacks this past year...
January 16, 2012
30-Year Summary of Dog Attack Deaths and Maimings Report is Released by Animal People Editor
DogsBite.org News Release | Merritt Clifton, editor of Animal People, has released a 30-year summary of his report, Dog Attack Deaths and Maimings, U.S. & Canada, September 1982 to December 26, 2011. It has been over 10 years since the CDC published its 20-year fatal dog attack study. Moreover, the 30-year Clifton dog attack report measures a much...
January 16, 2012
Pit Bull Attack Victims May Have New Hope to Recover from Landlords After Maulings
DogsBite.org News Release | DogsBite.org, a national dog bite victims' group dedicated to reducing serious dog attacks, announces amicus brief filing in Solesky v. Tracey, recently argued in the Court of Appeals of Maryland. The case involves the parents of a young boy seeking damages for injuries inflicted by a pit bull owned by a landlord's tenant...
January 13, 2012
Pit bulls unsettle residents
Chance Wright | The Bolivar Commericial | According to DogsBite.org, a leading authority in advocacy for restricting and caring for pit bulls, between Jan. 1, 2006, and Dec. 31, 2008, "of the 88 fatal dog attacks recorded, pit bull type dogs were responsible for 59 percent, or 52. This is equivalent to a pit bull killing a U.S. citizen every 21 days during this three year period."
January 5, 2012
Marlins' Buehrle welcome in Dade, but his pit bull isn't
Elinor J. Brecher | The Miami Herald | Breed foes say that pit bulls kill or maim more people than any other type of dog. In statistics just released, DogsBite.org, a national dog bite victims' group, said that pits were responsible for 22 of the 31 fatal dog attacks in the United States in 2011, "despite only comprising about 5 percent of the total U.S. dog population."
January 4, 2012
Our take on: Pit bull mayhem
Orlando Sentinel | Despite the horror stories involving little girls or old men, Florida continues to ban local governments from imposing breed-specific dog ordinances, like requiring special enclosures or muzzles for breeds known to shred humans. Before McSweeney died, we asked state legislators to tell him why the state won't give local jurisdictions the freedom...
January 4, 2012
DogsBite.org Releases 2011 Fatal Dog Bite Statistics; Features Trends About Victims of Fatal Pit Bull Attacks
DogsBite.org News Release | On January 4, DogsBite.org, a national dog bite victims' group dedicated to reducing serious dog attacks, releases 2011 fatal dog bite statistics. Of the 31 U.S. fatal dog attacks that occurred in 2011, pit bulls contributed to over 67% despite only comprising about 5% of the total U.S. dog population. The next deadliest dog breed...
December 7, 2011
Good dog, bad dog
Stathi Paxinos | The Age | Colleen Lynn, an American website designer, became a vocal advocate against pit-bull types after she was attacked by a pit bull while she was out running ... "We don't know which one is going to go off -- nice pit bulls kill their owners. We do not say that every pit bull is born vicious. We do say every pit bull is born with a dangerous tool set."
December 7, 2011
Town OKs ban on new pit bulls
Roger Holsinger | World-Herald | According to DogsBite.org, other Nebraska cities that have banned pit bulls include Auburn, Ceresco, and Minden. Loup City bans pit bulls, rottweilers and Doberman pinschers. Osceola bans pit bulls, chows, Dobermans, rottweilers, American bandogge mastiffs and Neapolitan mastiffs, while Omaha has certain restrictions...
November 24, 2011
Lady — A Lovable Liability?
Scott Shelters | The Post-Journal | Some local governments and U.S. military housing areas became so concerned about pit bulls that they created special regulations for them, according to dogsbite.org. Those decisions may have resulted from the number of dog attacks that caused bodily harm for North Americans in recent years.
November 22, 2011
DogsBite.org Releases Hero Stories; Honoring Those Who Risked Their Lives to Stop a Pit Bull Mauling
DogsBite.org News Release | On November 22, DogsBite.org, a national dog bite victims' group dedicated to reducing serious dog attacks, releases Hero Stories, a collection of 78 stories depicting individuals, and in several instances pets, who placed their life at risk to save the life of an innocent person or pet under attack by a pit bull.
November 14, 2011
Letters and comments: Glaze protects kids
John C. Sprenger (Letters to the editor) | La Grande Observer | The founder and president of the site, Colleen Lynn, said, "Those like Blaylock fall into the category of reckless for thinking her pit bull is safe in the immediate presence of kindergarten children." Lynn went on to say, "These pit bull ambassadors have two things in common. 1. The misguided notion..."
November 2, 2011
What's the truth about pit bulls?
Tammy Vo | KGun-TV | Colleen Lynn created dogsbite.org after she was attacked ... "The truth about pit bulls is that they're dangerous. They're born with a dangerous toolset. They were selectively bred for dogfighting and because of that, they have a very unique bite style... a lock and hold and shake. That is what causes extreme damage to victims."
October 31, 2011
It's time for tough laws on pit bulls
Billie J. Pesek (Letters to the editor) | The Arizona Republic | Some cities have banned them, and others have strict rules regarding pit bulls. Refer to the website DogsBite.org, a national dog bite victims' group dedicated to reducing serious dog attacks. How many injuries or deaths does it take to bring this to the attention of our city and state officials?
October 18, 2011
UF researchers help develop coyote plan
Karen Voyles | The Gainsville Sun | In contrast, statistics compiled by www.dogsbite.org, a public education website about dangerous dogs, show domestic dogs are responsible for about 5 million attacks on Americans each year, and an average of 1,000 people a day go to an emergency room for treatment of a dog bite. The organization also determined...
September 22, 2011
A morning stroll shouldn’t be a matter of life and death
Kent Harper | Mesquite Local News | According to the website DogsBite.org, between 2006 and 2008 pit bull-type dogs killed 52 Americans and accounted for 59 percent of all fatal attacks. Pit bulls aren’t the only dangerous dogs, of course. Add rottweilers to the statistics during that period and the two breeds account for 73 percent of the deaths...
September 6, 2011
It's rah-rah for Vick and the pit bulls
Paul Carpenter | The Morning Call | The http://www.dogbites.org website says 71 percent of dog attacks that injure people are by pit bulls or similar breeds, even though such breeds represent only 5 percent of the American dog population. There are 100 times as many cases of bodily harm caused by those breeds as by big bad Dobermans...
September 5, 2011
Newborn dead after family dog attacks
Hallie Jordan and Anita Hassan | Houston Chronicle | DogsBite.org recorded 33 fatal dog attacks in 2010. Fifteen of the victims were 4 or younger, according to the website. Most recently, a 9-day-old baby was mauled to death earlier this month in North Carolina. "Just like all relationships, a dog needs time to become familiar with the new baby in the home...
August 12, 20111
Pacifica tragedy renews pit bull debate
Justin Berton and Kevin Fagan | San Francisco Chronicle | Colleen Lynn, director of the nonprofit Dogs Bite in Texas, absolutely disagreed. Her organization contends that pit bulls kill more people than any other breed, and that at the very least every locality should pass laws requiring they be spayed and neutered. In the Bay Area, only San Francisco...
July 15, 2011
Nelson: Pit bulls' bad rep earned
Robert Nelson | Omaha World-Herald | "If you just see the total number of dog bites in any given area, it can be very misleading," said Colleen Lynn, founder of DogsBite.org, a Texas-based organization that tracks dog attacks and dog-related legislation around the country. "And those numbers can be used to mislead if they're taken out of context."
July 9, 2011
Views mixed on pit bulls in light of recent attacks in Schuylkill County
Peter E. Bortner | Republican Herald | Colleen Lynn, Austin, Texas, survived a pit bull attack in 2007 in Seattle, and later founded DogsBite.org, a website that chronicles attacks by such dogs. "The pit bull problem arose ... because of the severity of the attacks. They are a fighting breed," Lynn said. Owners do play a role in creating problem pit bulls...
July 5, 2011
Editorial: Dangerous dogs
The Columbus Dispatch | Pit bulls were behind 59 percent of 88 fatal dog-bite attacks in study of incidents in 2006, 2007 and 2008, according to DogsBite.org, a victims' advocacy group. The study concluded that the number of deaths caused by pit-bull attacks were "equivalent to a pit bull killing a U.S. citizen every 21 days during this three-year period."
June 26, 2011
Pit Bulls: Safe or Dangerous?
Sarah Grieco | NBC San Diego | Colleen Lynn, founder of Dogsbite.org, said the example of the recent attack exposes pit bulls as a hazardous breed. "We know not all pit bulls are going to attack," she said. "Pit bulls are not born vicious, they are born dangerous. If you're going to own one you need to know." Lynn believes both genetics and a dog's surroundings...
June 21, 2011
The Pit Bull Debate: Crackdown, Ban or Nothing?
John Wilkens | SignOnSanDiego.com | "We have to stop pretending there isn't some giant elephant in the room," said Colleen Lynn, who launched the website dogsbite.org in late 2007 after a pit bull bit and broke her right arm while she was jogging. "It's a problem that isn't disappearing." By her count, pit bulls killed 104 people nationwide between 2005...
June 18, 2011
Pit bull attacks cannot go unabated
Jeannette Krebs | PennLive.com | In Pennsylvania, communities are not allowed to create laws that ban dogs of a specific breed. But the problem is this seems to be a breed-specific issue. Pit bulls make up about 5 percent of the dog population in the United States, but they account for 44 percent of the attacks, according to DogsBite.org, a national group...
June 3, 2011
Council discusses animal control ordinance
David Lazenby | Daily Mountain Eagle | Citing information from the non-profit website dogsbite.org, Scarlett Braddock said 40 states have breed-specific laws that target pit bulls. "Between Jan. 1, 2006 and Dec. 31, 2008, a pit bull killed a U.S. citizen every 21 days," Braddock said. "Now, since some of those ordinances have been put into effect...
May 31, 2011
When family dogs attack: Are some breeds too risky?
The Week | This tragedy could easily have been prevented, says DogsBite.org. Jones says he wouldn't have kept the dogs in the home if he thought they were dangerous, and Jubeark insists the Cane Corso (named Machete) was "good with kids." Come on. Anyone familiar with these breeds knows that keeping them "in a home with three toddlers...
May 11, 2011
The (unbelievable) cost of dog bites: By the numbers
The Week | Number of pit bull attacks that caused bodily harm from 1982 to 2010, according to an Animal People study. Pit bulls were implicated in more attacks causing bodily harm, maimings, and death than any other breed. Rounding out the study's list of the five most dangerous breeds were the Rottweiler, Husky, wolf hybrid, and Bull mastiff.
May 4, 2011
Texas bill would give dog owners life in prison for certain attacks
Alex Bentley | Pegasus News | There seems to be no indication why the bill was limited to just children under 18 and seniors 65 and over, although their relative inability to protect themselves perhaps played a role. No specific breeds are mentioned in the bill, but as DogsBite.org points out, the bill only applies to dogs that have a history...
March 31, 2011
Latest attack by vicious breed won't muzzle pit bull fans
Kerry Dougherty | The Virginian-Pilot | According to Dogsbite.org Inc., a national organization that keeps track of fatal dog attacks, more than 60 percent of all such fatalities are caused by pit bull-type dogs. According to the group, there have been eight fatal dog attacks in the United States so far this year. Five were caused by pit bulls...
March 27, 2011
PRO: Banning pit bulls would eliminate breed responsible for most dog-bite fatalities
Kayla Bell | Victoria Advocate | As far as human fatalities go, pit bulls accounted for 59 percent of 88 dog-bite deaths in the United States from 2006 to 2008, according to a review of media reports done by dogsbite.org. Another study by the Centers for Disease Control found that pit bulls accounted for 32 percent of all dog-bite deaths from...
February 11, 2011
Pit Bulls: Man's Best Friend or Worst Enemy?
Sue Manning | Associated Press | Lynn said Vick's dogs hadn't been bred for generations like those in so many illegal fighting rings. But, she said, all fighting dogs should be euthanized because they are too unstable. Despite temperament tests given by some shelters, Lynn said a dog that has been trained to fight will always be a risk...
January 27, 2011
Ban the ownership of pit bulls?
J. Martin Brennan | Detroit Free Press | Any dog can bite or attack another animal or human, but pit bulls top the list when it comes to the number of attacks, the severity of injuries inflicted on people and animals, and the number of U.S. fatalities from dog mauling. According to DogsBite.org, between Jan. 1, 2006, and Dec. 31, 2008...
January 14, 2011
Multiple Factors In Pit Bull Behavior
Mark Rumsey | WFAE.org | It's as least the second pit bull attack in the Charlotte area in the last month. In December, a pit bull attacked a 6-year-old in Matthews. A group that tracks dog attacks called Dogsbite.org reports there were 33 fatal dog attacks in the U.S. last year. Pit bulls were responsible for 67 percent of them.
January 7, 2011
Colusa Woman Alive When Pet Mauled Her
Todd R. Hansen | Tri-County Newspapers | According to DogsBite.org, a national group that works to reduce dog attacks, there were 33 deaths attributed to dog maulings in the U.S. last year — 67 percent, or 22 fatal attacks, by pit bulls. Twenty of those victims were children 11 or younger. California had the most fatal attacks with seven...
December 1, 2010
Despite Attacks and Deaths, Pit Bull Bans Unlikely, Experts Say
Jimmy Alford | News-Journal.com | ationally, pit bulls are attributed with 67 percent of all the fatal dog attacks for 2010, and 44 percent in 2009, according to Dogsbite.org. In Texas, Muckleroy has been the only dog bite fatality in 2010. Another recent pit bull-related death occurred when a Van Zandt man died from a heart attack...
November 19, 2010
Recent Dog Attacks Jar Pet Owners
Kim Lamb Gregory | Ventura County Star | Other organizations, such as dogsbite.org — a movement dedicated to protecting people from dog attacks — support breed-specific legislation that requires mandatory sterilization for dogs statistically shown to be aggressive, such as pit bulls and Rottweilers. Several California cities...
November 5, 2010
Pit Bull Owners Feeling Pit-Bullied
Layron Livingston | KLTV | A study by DogsBite.org found from January 2006, to December 2008, 19 dog breeds contributed to the deaths of 88 Americans. Nearly 60 percent of those deaths were caused by pit bulls. Brenda Boyd owns 10 of them. "They're warm, compassionate, social, friendly...everything that people say they're not," she said...
October 20, 2010
Organization Rails Against Pit Bulls
Jill King Greenwood | Pittsburgh Tribune-Review | That makes this area the one with the most such dog assaults in the state, said Colleen Lynn, a Web designer in Texas who was attacked in 2007 and started dogsbite.org, which follows news reports of pit bull attacks. "Pit bulls are dangerous, and their bite is nasty," Lynn said. "Not all pit bulls will go off...
September 17, 2010
Pit Bulls: Are They More Dangerous Than Other Breeds?
Joel Metzger | Calaveras Enterprise | Several hundred years ago, the pit bull was developed specifically for dog fighting. What sets them apart is that when they bite they have a hold-and-shake bite style. They have that because it causes the most damage to its victims. Unpredictable aggression is bred into the pit bull breed...
August 1, 2010
Barnidge: Are Pit Bulls Man's Best Friend or His Worst Enemy?
Tom Barnidge | Contra Costa Times | Statistics tell you that pit bulls are the most dangerous dogs on the planet. From 2006-08, according to DogsBite.org, they accounted for 59 percent of U.S. fatalities by dog attack. From 1982 to 2009, they were responsible for more than twice as many deaths as Rottweilers (they ranked second)...
July 24, 2010
Pit Bull Factions Find Peace in S.F. Neuter Law
Carolyn Jones | San Francisco Chronicle | Lynn, whose arm was broken by a pit bull in 2007, says spay-neuter laws and mandatory insurance for pit bull owners is the answer. Owners might think twice about adopting a strong, sometimes unfriendly dog if they had to carry $300,000 worth of insurance for it, she said.
July 20, 2010
Victims Families Blame Memphis Police for Deadly Pit Bull Attack
Joyce Peterson | My Eyewitness News | According to DogsBite.org, pit bulls were responsible for 59% of all deadly attacks be between 2006 and 2008. More than 500 U.S. cities have passed laws banning or restricting pit bull ownership. The effort to ban pits in Memphis has repeatedly failed in the Memphis City Council.
July 20, 2010
Pit Bulls: Information, Data Behind the Debate
Colorado Springs Gazette | Pit bull-type dogs and Rottweilers were involved in more than half of these deaths. Many nations have breed-specific laws banning the import, sale or breeding of certain types of dogs, such as pit bulls, according to DogsBite.org, a group dedicated to reducing serious dog attacks by creating laws.
July 11, 2010
College Student Mauled in Pitbull Attack
NECN | "A couple streets down it is kind of nerve-wracking -- you got to watch your back about the hoodlums around here." There has been no word on the victim's condition. According to DogsBite.org, over the last three years pitbull-type dogs were responsible for killing 52 people in the United States and accounted for 59% percent of all fatal attacks.
July 7, 2010
Charges May be Filed in Dog Attack on Woman
Winston Jones | Douglas County Sentinel | According to the Web site DogsBite.org, pit bulls and rottweilers account for about 80 percent of all dog attacks that cause bodily harm. During a three-year period from 2006 to 2008, pit bull type dogs killed 52 Americans and accounted for 59 percent of all fatal dog attacks, the site says.
June 21, 2010
DogsBite.org Releases Data of Cities with Successful Pit Bull Laws; Data Shows Breed-Specific Laws Work
DogsBite.org News Release | On June 18, DogsBite.org, a national dog bite victims' group dedicated to reducing serious dog attacks, released data of municipalities across the country, and one instance in Canada, that showed the successful results a municipality experiences after adopting a breed-specific pit bull law.
June 18, 2010
Why Dogs Are Not Your Child's Best Friend
Anne Kingston | Macleans.ca | Most attacks in Canada occur in rural areas or native reserves, says Colleen Lynn, founder of Dogsbite.org, a blog that tracks dog bites. Children, unsurprisingly, are the most vulnerable. A June 2008 Canadian Veterinary Journal study found that of the 28 people who died of dog attacks between 1990 and 2008...
May 28, 2010
Hastings Farmer Kills Pit Bull After Attack on Cow
Justine Griffin | St. Augustine Record | "We used to see a lot of these dogs in the rural areas of the county, but we're starting to see them through the city now, too," Studivant said...
May 19, 2010
Daughter Saves Westmoreland Dad From Attacking Dog
WTAE Pittsburgh | The website DogsBite.org says 32 people died from dog attacks in 2009 in the United States, and 56 percent of those cases involved pit bulls and Rottweilers. According to the website, pit bulls killed 82 Americans from 2005 to 2009 and Rottweilers killed 21 Americans during that same time period.
May 15, 2010
Base to Take Action Against Residents with Unregistered Dogs
Hope Hodge | Jacksonville Daily News | In a six-month period last year, there were 318 pit bull attacks in the U.S., according to the website DogsBite.org. Six of the attacks were fatal while 10 caused the victims to lost one or more body parts. North Carolina averages one fatality due to dog attacks per year...
May 15, 2010
DogsBite.org Releases Data of U.S. Fatal Pit Bull Attacks from the Early and Mid 1900s
DogsBite.org News Release | On May 12, DogsBite.org, a national dog bite victims' group dedicated to reducing serious dog attacks, released data showing that pit bulls killed U.S. citizens as early as 1901. Between 1901 and 1947 pet pit bulls and fighting pit bulls killed at least six U.S. citizens, one of which was 2-year old Bert Colby Leadbetter of Lynn...
May 14, 2010
Though Subject of Breed Bans, Pit Bulls Earn Love
Cary McMullen | The Ledger | At least one Web site devoted to the victims of dog attacks labels the breed "dangerous." DogsBite.org was founded and run by Colleen Lynn, who was the victim of a pit bull attack that left her with a fractured arm. "The manner of the bite causes severe injuries," Lynn said by phone from her home in Texas.
May 1, 2010
Pit Bulls
Gary Wilkes | Off Lead & Animal Behavior | Contrary to the popular concept that breed specific legislation doesn't work, there are many examples across the US and Canada where serious dog bites and fatalities have dramatically decreased because of laws focusing on just a few breeds of dogs. Websites such as dogbites.org catalog and cite both...
March 30, 2010
How to Defeat a Pit Bull with Your Bare Hands
David Schmader | The Stranger | 56 percent of all fatal dog attacks in the United States in the past five years were committed by pit bulls, according to a report released last week by the organization DogsBite.org. "During the 1980s and 1990s, fatal dog attacks averaged 17 per year. The death-by-dog-bite rate now is nearly double this amount...
March 29, 2010
Steve Markwell's Rescue Takes In Dogs Branded 'Dangerous'
Johnny Dodd | People Magazine | Asking for Trouble? Of course, not everyone thinks that's a good thing. "What he's doing is completely misguided," says Colleen Lynn who started the victims' rights group dogbite.org after a pit bull attack left her with several severely crushed bones. "We just hope he doesn't get his arm chewed off."
March 25, 2010
Editorial: Does City of Marshall Need to Ban the Bulls?
Marshall Independent | The difference is with pit bulls, you're dealing with a dog - part bulldog, part terrier thanks to selective breeding - that has shark-like jaw strength to go along with a "hold and shake" bite style designed to inflict the maximum damage possible on their victims - canine or human. (From 2006-2008 pit bulls killed 52 Americans, the Web site DogsBite.org said)
March 3, 2010
Keeping Vicious Dogs a Liability that Could Land Owners in Jail
Jeff McShan | KHOU.com | One of the lawsuits involved an attack in which a 2-year-old girl was bitten in the face. Doctors said she'll need cosmetic surgery when she gets older. According to dogsbite.org, 19 different dog breeds contributed to 88 fatalities in America from January 2006 through December of 2008. Pit bulls accounted for 59 percent of those deaths.
February 24, 2010
Who's to Blame for Pit Bull Attacks, the Dogs or Their Owners?
Radio Times with Marty Moss-Coane | Marty Moss-Coane interviews Colleen Lynn, founder of DogsBite.org: Which end of the leash to blame after dog attacks? And should there oughta be a law? Three pit bull attacks on humans over the weekend in Philadelphia, including the fatal mauling of a 38-year-old Fishtown woman by one of her mother's six pit bulls...
February 23, 2010
Home Where Girl Mauled Target of Prior Dog Inquiry
Bill Thompson, Suevon Lee and Fred Hiers | Ocala.com | Colleen Lynn, founder of the group and herself a victim of a pit bull attack, has been following the Haaker story. She noted that the Haakers advertised on their Web site that they bred Scott-type American bulldogs, which are cousins of pit bulls. As such, Lynn believes they largely share the temperament...
February 22, 2010
Rochester Hills Mulls Whether to Create Vicious Dog Law After Pit Bulls Maul Pekinese Pup
Sheena Harrison | MLive.com | ... to the city council, according to the Press. It is unclear whether Rochester Hills would make its current laws stricter for any vicious dog, or if the city will consider crafting breed-specific legislation. Several Michigan communities have laws that ban specific breeds they have deemed to be dangerous, according to Dogsbite.org.
February 21, 2010
Mother's Pit Bull Kills Fishtown Woman
Craig R McCoy | The Philadelphia Inquirer | According to the organization Dogsbite.org, dogs killed an average of about 30 people a year nationwide over the last three years. According to a review of Inquirer archives, the previous fatal attack in Philadelphia occurred in 1981, when Mary Logan, 81, was killed by several of the mongrel pets she kept in her house...
February 19, 2010
71-pound Pet Dog Bites, Kills Newborn in Independence
Abby Simons and Paul Walsh | Startribune.com | However, Colleen Lynn, founder and president of an organization called DogsBite.org, said in an e-mail that while huskies kill only a fraction of the people that pit bulls do, "husky type" dogs have killed six people, including three infants, nationwide since January 2006. "We call huskies 'crib snatchers' at DogsBite.org"...
January 20, 2010
Judge Rules Dog Laws Unconstitutional
KXII-TV Staff | While laws concerning animal attacks vary from state to state, many groups argue that laws in Texas are already too lenient when it comes to prosecuting the owners of vicious animals, groups like dogs bite.org. "We are a national dog bite victims' group dedicated to reducing serious dog attacks," said founder Colleen Lynn. She says...
January 8, 2010
Dog Bites
Mike Lafferty | Orlando Sentinel (blogs) | An organization called DogsBite.org is out with some new statistics about dog attack fatalities. Not surprisingly, of the 32 attacks it discovered in 2009, pit bulls were involved in 14 of those, or 44 percent...Pit Bull defenders hate these findings, saying they're inaccurate and unfair. Oh, yeah, it's also the fault of dog owners...
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