78+ Breeds Implicated In Fatal Dog Attacks

Data, statistics, and scientific studies all confirm that serious dog bite-related incidents are not a breed-specific issue. It is important to understand the differences between the two major forms of canine regulation: breed-specific legislation (BSL) and breed-neutral legislation (BNL). BSL is a limited, single-factor, appearance-based approach, while BNL is a comprehensive, multifactorial, behavior-based approach. For public safety, BSL imposes regulations on a minority of dogs based solely on their appearance or assumed breed, regardless of the dog's behavior and responsible ownership. In contrast, breed-neutral regulations address all potentially dangerous dogs, all irresponsible owners, and all unsafe dog-related situations, regardless of a dog's appearance or breed. Consequently, numerous studies have concluded that BSL is ineffective and is a discriminatory trend in decline. BSL's inefficacy and diminishing support are further evidenced by the vast majority (96%) of cities and towns that use breed-neutral regulations as their primary and only form of regulation due to the many advantages of breed-neutral regulations, summarized on our BSL page. For public safety and to reduce dog bite-related incidents, the data and science validate that the most effective solutions are breed-neutral and address the human end of the leash.

¹Pitbull-type includes 4 unique breeds + 4 pitbull-type mixed breeds (American Pit Bull Terrier mix, American Staffordshire Terrier mix, Staffordshire Bull Terrier mix, and American Bully mix).

²​​Conservatively estimating at least 7 different mixed breeds implicated in the 21 incidents involving mixed or unknown breeds in the incident list.

³The DBRF incident list is not exhaustive and is intended to show the variation of breeds implicated in fatal dog attacks. Furthermore, the number of incidents associated with each breed is more closely related to each breed's population size than to any inherent risk in a specific breed or dog type.

⁴Incidents involving dogs in the pitbull-type category are not included, as these have already been widely covered by the media and by special interest, pro-BSL organizations. Furthermore, studies on canine DNA have determined that the majority of dogs labeled as 'pitbulls' are mixed-breed dogs, and 60% of dogs visually identified as 'pitbulls' (by shelters, owners, and the media) are misidentified and lack DNA from pitbull-type ancestry. Consequently, media reports (and unreliable statistics based on media reports) on dog bite incidents involving dogs identified as 'pitbulls' cannot be considered reliable or scientifically valid sources for breed information.