Newsroom ::

March 6, 2010
Defending the pit bull
Mike Danahey | The Courier News | Contacted last week, Beck mentioned the Web site dogsbite.org, which, on its homepage, states, "In the 3-year period from 2006 to 2008, pit bull-type dogs killed 52 Americans and accounted for 59 percent of all fatal attacks. Combined, pit bulls and Rottweilers accounted for 73 percent of these deaths." According to Beck, pit bulls...

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..."

February 8, 2010
Boca Raton: One attack gets dog muzzled
Boca Raton News | The website dogsbite.org says there are nearly 160 breeds of dog in the US -- and just two of those breeds account for 70 percent of attacks that end in death or serious injury: pit bulls and rottweilers. The website also argues that pit bulls were selectively bred for a violent activity that is now a felony in all 50 states: dog fighting.

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...

December 7, 2009
Elderly dog attack victim succumbs to injuries
Tina Alvey | The Registered-Herald | "We do anticipate filing additional charges, but none have been filed yet." The four dogs confirmed authorities to have been involved in the attack were euthanized last Tuesday. A fifth dog awaits disposition. Bowden’s obituary, printed in Monday’s edition of The Register-Herald, referred friends to the Web site dogsbite.org...

December 2, 2009
Opinion: Responsibility
The Registered-Herald | From 2006 to 2008, pit bull-type dogs killed 52 Americans and accounted for 59 percent of all fatal attacks. Closer to home, 70-year-old Lowell Bowden of Monroe County was critically injured last Friday when he was attacked a pack of at least four dogs about a quarter mile from his home near Lindside. Monroe Sheriff Michael...

October 11, 2009
Pit bull threat escalates in Western Pennsylvania
Robin Acton | Pittsburgh Tribune-Review | "You don't hear of things like that with a golden retriever," Ferree said. "It seems to me that this breed has just blown a wire somewhere." Indeed, animal control groups say pit bulls appear to be responsible for most bite attacks. DogsBite.org, a national group of dog bite victims, said Pennsylvania is fourth...

October 5, 2009
Marines tighten leash on pit bull policy
Teri Weaver | Stars and Stripes | "It's pretty horrifying to see the jaws of one of these dogs ripping into you," said Colleen Lynn, who was attacked a pit bull two years ago and now runs a Web site, www.dogsbite.org, dedicated to tracking attacks. "It never goes away." Marines living on a base where another service controls housing will continue to...

September 29, 2009
Jeannette officer kills charging pit bull that cornered letter carrier
Mary Pickels | Pittsburgh Tribune-Review | In 2008, Pennsylvania came in fifth in the nation for the number of pit bulls shot -- police officers or citizens -- to ward off attacks. Pennsylvania had 20 out of 373 such shootings, according to DogsBite. "The primary argument out there today is pit bull owners who say ... 'I raised my dog well, it won't attack.' Our side is...

September 29, 2009
Pit bull mauls infant girl to death
Sharon C. Fitzgerald | Charlottesville Daily Progress | DogsBite.org, a public education Web site on dangerous dogs, reported 23 people in the U.S. were killed in 2008 in dog attacks. Of those, 16 were children. In those 23 cases, 15 child and adult victims were killed pit bulls, the DogsBite.org study showed. In Orange County, two dogs are listed on the...

September 20, 2009
Pit bulls No. 1 in bites
Steven Mayer | Bakersfield.com | Since 2007, pit bulls have bitten 389 victims in Kern. Mixed-breed dogs hold a distant second place with 254 bites, and German shepherds are third with 140 bites reported. According to DogsBite.org, pit bull type dogs killed 52 Americans and accounted for 59% of all fatal attacks fron 2006 through 2008...

September 15, 2009
Hercules to consider crackdown on dog attacks
Tom Lochner | Contra Costa Times | ...anyone who sees a loose dog to call county Animal Services at 925-335-8300 or Hercules police dispatch at 510-724-1111. The Web site DogsBite.org, which bills itself as a national dog bite victims' group dedicated to reducing serious dog attacks creating common sense laws, cites laws in several California...

August 12, 2009
Pit bull ban debate getting hairy
Kathryn Richert | YourHub.com | "Pit bulls are bred differently than other animals," he said. "They can turn on a dime." He said it's not realistic to try to identify the pit bulls that won't attack from the ones that might. Colleen Lynn, president of www.dogsbite.org, a Web site that publishes information about dangerous dogs, says when pit bulls attack...

July 26, 2009
Time to ban pit bulls?  PDF file
Tom Moor | South Bend Tribune | However, others argue the breed is unsafe. In 1989, Denver became the first city in the nation to ban the ownership or harboring of pit bulls. Since then, more than 250 municipalities have adopted pit bull bans, while others have adopted BSL ordinances, according to dogsbite.org. According to the Web site, pit bulls, Rottweilers...

June 16, 2009
Palm Beach County considering "dangerous" dog update  PDF file
John Johnston | Boca Raton News | The website dogsbite.org says there are nearly 160 breeds of dog in the US - and just two of those breeds account for 70 percent of attacks that end in death or serious injury: pit bulls and rottweilers. The website also argues that pit bulls were selectively bred for a violent activity that is now a felony in all 50 states...

June 12, 2009
Pit bulls recently attacks Jonestown woman; authorities put dogs down
Andy Ross | Clarksdale Press Register | A report published this April Dogsbite.org, a national dog bite victims group, does shed some insight into the issue, however. The study recorded a total of 88 fatal dog attacks in the U.S. during a three year period between January 1, 2006 and December 31, 2008. Of those attacks, pit bulls were responsible for 52...

June 10, 2009
Charges are filed against 2 in attack pit bull  PDF file
Danny Valentine | Des Moines Register | It was the second pit bull to be shot and killed Des Moines police this year. U.S. law officials and others killed at least 319 pit bulls in 2008, according to DogsBite.org, a national safety group. Five pit bulls were shot in Iowa last year; one in Des Moines. Vicious dogs must be licensed in the city, and owners...

June 3, 2009
DogsBite.org Releases Report: U.S. Police and Citizen Shootings of Pit Bulls 2008
DogsBite.org News Release | DogsBite.org, a national dog bite victims’ group dedicated to reducing serious dog attacks, releases its 2008 report on pit bulls shot for public safety reasons. The 20-page report documents 373 incidences in which U.S. law enforcement officers and citizens were forced to shoot a dangerous pit bull to prevent an attack...

May 27, 2009
The Mailbag: Pit Bull Nation Pushes Felger To A New Level
Michael Felger | WEEI Sportsradio Network | I almost enjoy their abuse. But the nutty dog crowd? Yikes. Those people represent another level, and this week I got to experience it. As you might imagine, they were all fired up over my column on Tuesday, which led off with the inspired line, "Pit bull owners typically fall into two categories: Creeps. Or imbeciles...

April 23, 2009
City County Councillor Offers Proactive Solution to Indy's Most at Risk Dog, the Pit Bull  PDF file
Mike Speedy | Indystar.com | Indianapolis - Friday, April 24th, Councillor Mike Speedy will file a proposal called the At Risk Dog proposal. He is making this announcement at Brenda Hill’s house standing side-by-side with her family. The At Risk Dog proposal is designed to protect people from devastating dog bites and pit bull breeds from abuse...

April 22, 2009
DogsBite.org Releases 3-Year Fatality Study: U.S. Dog Bite Fatalities January 2006 to December 2008
DogsBite.org News Release | DogsBite.org, a national dog bite victims' group dedicated to reducing serious dog attacks, releases its first multi-year report on U.S. dog bite fatalities. The report covers a 3-year period -- from January 1, 2006 to December 31, 2008 -- and analyzes data gathered from 88 dog bite incidences that caused death...

April 1, 2009
U.S. Army Bans Pit Bulls & Rottweilers
Merritt Clifton | Animal People | U.S. Army commanders at more than 40 bases around the world are moving to implement a new “Pet Policy for Privatized Housing Under the Army’s Residential Communities Initiative Privatization Program,” which prohibits pit bull terriers, Rottweilers, Doberman pinschers, chows, and wolf hybrids. Issued as an order...

March 30, 2009
Kids, Watch Out: Dog Bite Season Ahead!
Odile Fredericks | WRAL.com | Many countries currently have enacted breed specific laws that make it illegal to import, sell or breed certain types of dogs, such as pit bulls, according to Dogsbite.org, a national dog bite victims' group dedicated to reducing serious dog attacks creating laws. According to information on the group's Web site, pit bulls...

January 30, 2009
Pit Bull Terror Demands Vigilance Across Nation
Karen Land | KC Tribune | For some, a pit bull ban seems to be the best option. In 1989, the City of Denver passed a pit bull ban which still exists today. According to www.dogsbite.org, “Over 250 U.S. cities have enacted breed specific laws (BSL), nearly all focus on pit bull type dogs.” Parts of Canada, Ireland, Germany, Switzerland, and Australia are just...

January 12, 2009
Cuyahoga County begins yearlong buyout plan to cut workers
Michael K. McIntyre | Cleveland Plain Dealer | Lakewood City Councilman Brian Powers, who proposed the law Lakewood passed last year that bans new pit bull dogs and forces those who already own pit bulls to register them, was honored recently the dog bite victim's advocacy group Dogsbite.org. The group, on its Web site, called Powers, who was...

January 11, 2009
Cities want to regulate dog breeds, but need state support
Elizabeth Langton | Dallas Morning News | Cedar Hill, Frisco, Mesquite and others have also expressed interest, but so far no legislator has stepped forward to champion a change during the Legislature's 2009 session, which begins Tuesday. Just before leaving office, former Rep. Tony Goolsby, R-Dallas, asked Attorney General Greg Abbott in November...

December 17, 2008
Lucas County Dog Warden receives recognition
Alex Parker and JC Reindl | Toledo Blade | Tom Skeldon’s critics have been growling for months that he lose his job. Now, an advocacy group for dog bite victims says the Lucas County dog warden is the best this year in America. The group, DogsBite.org, has named Mr. Skeldon its "Dog Warden of the Year." "Tom Skeldon has vigorously worked to...

December 16, 2008
Tom Skeldon: Dog Warden of the Year 2008
DogsBite.org News Release | Tom Skeldon has vigorously worked to prevent horrendous pit bull maulings resulting in serious injuries or death of human beings, their domesticated pets and livestock. As the prevention of these horrific attacks have a clearly higher social priority over other animal issues best addressed non-profit animal welfare organizations, his...

December 1, 2008
Pit bull bites reignite the ban debate
Andy Parker | The Oregonian | ...after every column, I get hundreds of e-mails from angry pit bull owners. You can imagine what they say. Colleen Lynn doesn't have to imagine anymore. The Seattle woman has been the recipient of more than her share of the ugliness since last year, when she was attacked while jogging. A pit bull lunged at her chest...

October 22, 2008
On Pit Bull Awareness Day, Dog Bite Victims Group Releases Video of Attack Victims
DogsBite.org News Release | DogsBite.org, a national dog bite victims' group dedicated to reducing serious dog attacks, will release a video tribute to attack victims on October 25, a day that pit bull advocacy groups have coined, "Pit Bull Awareness Day." The video will appear on the DogsBite Blog page Saturday morning at the following location...

September 9, 2008
Debate heats up after SeaTac pit bull attack
Erin Covey | Kiro Radio News | Pit bull attacks are not new in the community and several local groups are currently proposing changes to the city council's current policies regarding regulation of pets and owner responsibilities. Colleen Lynne, of Dogsbite.org, is one of the local people working to ensure that city policies protect individuals from dangerous...

August 22nd, 2008
Ban pit bulls? Debate rages
Tod Robbinson | Dallas Morning News Opinion Blog | As Metro reporter Jon Nielsen writes in today's paper, North Texas cities want to get tougher on pit bulls with breed-specific laws. Mesquite is the latest city to seek it. Madisonville tried it, but aborted it when the city was threatened with lawsuits. We on the Editorial Board think this is enough of a pressing...

July 30th, 2008
Dogs and kids: A fatal mix?
MomLogic.com | This weekend, we heard about the 10-year-old boy from Michigan who was forced to get his arm amputated after being severely mauled his family's pet pit bull. Then two days later, an 8-week-old bafrom Oklahoma was mauled and killed a black lab puppy when he was left unattended in his baswing. The CDC estimates that almost 5 million...

July 23, 2008
Penalties for Fatal Dog Bites Can Be Severe
Monica Hernandez | WLBT | The Mississippi Animal Rescue League says they're becoming increasingly popular. But Tuesday's fatal pit bull attack is another reminder of how vicious pit bulls can be. You may remember when a pit bull tried to kill a Lawrence County woman in November. The year before, a teenager was mauled in Simpson County...

July 12th, 2008
Pit bulls often at center of debate over dangerous dogs
Brian Bethel | Abilene Reporter News | Colleen Lynn of Seattle disagrees, saying that the term "pit bull" has "become as generic as Kleenex" when referring to something aggressive, unpredictable and possessing "brute-like force." "Courts across the country do not buy into it at all," Lynn said, referring to "owner, not the breed" arguments. "Courts, instead...

July 12th, 2008
Texas leads nation in dog attacks
Abilene Reporter News | In 2007, Texas led the nation with seven dog bite fatalities. Pit bull-type dogs caused six of those deaths, according to DogsBite.org. Over the past 43 years (1965 - 2007) there have been 58 fatal dog attacks in Texas, or an average of one to two fatal attacks per year, according to the Web site. Texas is the second most...

June 23th, 2008
DogsBite.org Announces Report: Dog Attacks on Livestock and Horses January - May 2008
DogsBite.org News Release | DogsBite.org, a national dog bite victims’ group dedicated to reducing serious dog attacks, has released its first report on dog bite trends. The report details the occurrence of dog attacks on livestock and horses in the United States from January 1st through May 20th of 2008. The report shows the results of dog attacks...

May 20th, 2008
Killer pit bulls: We're No. 1!
Tod Robbinson | Dallas Morning News Opinion Blog | This item was posted on dogsbite.org, which has all kinds of useful information about dogs that maim and kill people all over the country. (On the website's main page is a photo of a boy in California who just received a $1.8 million settlement after a pit-bull mix attacked him at his school. It's also worth...

April 23rd, 2008
Group rescues pit bulls  PDF file
Leah Gohring | West Seattle Herald | According to DogsBite.org, Auburn, Buckley, Enumclaw, Everett, Kennewick, Kirkland, Oak Harbor, Pasco, Prosser, Royal City, SeaTac, Toppenish and Yakima have all adopted such legislation, restricting or banning pit bulls within city limits. Even in cities where pits are legal, foster families face losing their homeowners...

March 23rd, 2008
Two horse attacks spur pit bull debate  PDF file
Gus Thompson | Aurburn Journal | Lynn, a Seattle Web site designer, launched DogsBite.org in October, four months after having her arm broken in the vice-like jaws of a leashed pit bull. The Auburn-area attacks both took place this month on trails and involved unprovoked assaults on horses leashless pit bull terriers. Both times, the horses were injured...