65+ Breeds Involved in Fatal Dog Attacks Since 2016
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 65 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 dog bans (BSL) are ineffective because many different breeds and mixes have been implicated in serious dog bite-related incidents.
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dog bite-related fatality (DBRF) data
DBRF data from 2016 through October, 2022 confirms that:
- Serious dog bite-related incidents are not a breed-specific issue as many different breeds can cause injuries or fatalities.
- Breed-specific legislation (BSL) is not only ineffective, but also entirely obsolete given that over the years many different breeds and mixes have been implicated in serious dog bite-related incidents.
- Breed-neutral regulations are more effective because they address all potentially dangerous dogs, all irresponsible dog owners, and all unsafe dog-related situations - regardless of a dog's appearance or breed.
- Large or strong dogs (of any breed) should always be supervised around infants and children - almost half of the incidents listed below unfortunately involve infants and children.
Table 1 - Breeds Involved In Fatal Attacks
Breeds and mixes involved in fatal dog attacks since 2016 include:
(In alphabetical order, references to sources with breed information provided in Table 2 below)
(In alphabetical order, references to sources with breed information provided in Table 2 below)
1. Akita
2. Alaskan Husky mix 3. American Bulldog 4. American Bulldog mix 5. American Bulldog-Great Pyrenees mix 6. Australian Cattle Dog mix 7. Belgian Malinois 8. Belgian Malinois-Bulldog mix 9. Black Mouth Cur mix 10. Border Collie mix 11. Boxer 12. Boxer mix 13. Brazilian Mastiff 14. Bulldog mix 15. Cane Corso 16. Cane Corso mix 17. Chow Chow mix 18. Coonhound 19. Dachshund mix 20. Doberman Pinscher |
21. Doberman Pinscher mix
22. Dogo Argentino 23. Dutch Shepherd 24. English Bulldog 25. English Mastiff 26. French Bulldog mix 27. French Mastiff 28. German Shepherd 29. German Shepherd mix 30. Giant Schnauzer 31. Great Dane 32. Heeler-Mastiff mix 33. Hound mix 34. Husky mix 35. Husky-Australian Cattle Dog mix 36. Husky-Shepherd mix 37. Labrador Retriever 38. Labrador Retreiver mix 39. Labrador Retriever-Great Pyrenees mix 40. Labrador Retriever-Shepherd mix |
41. Leopard Cur mix
42. Malamute-Wolf Hybrid mix 43. Mastiff 44. Mastiff-Great Dane mix 45. Mastiff-Labrador Retriever mix 46. Mastiff-Presa Canario mix 47. Neapolitan Mastiff 48-51. Pitbull-Type and mixes* 52. Pocket Bully 53. Queensland Heeler 54. Retriever-Hound mix 55. Rottweiler 56. Rottweiler-Mastiff mix 57. Saint Bernard 58. Sheltie-Corgi mix 59. Shepherd mix 60. South African Boerboel 61-65+. Various mixed breeds** |
* "Pitbull-type" includes at least 4 different breeds.
** Conservatively estimating at least 5 different mixed breeds implicated in the 17 incidents involving mixed breed dogs listed in Table 2.
** Conservatively estimating at least 5 different mixed breeds implicated in the 17 incidents involving mixed breed dogs listed in Table 2.
Table 2 - Incident List With Sources
Incident date, breed(s) involved, location, and sources for the breeds listed in Table 1:
(Excluding breeds commonly included in the modern "pitbull-type" category, see "Further Information" below)
(Excluding breeds commonly included in the modern "pitbull-type" category, see "Further Information" below)
FEB/2016 | Labrador Retriever-Shepherd mix | OH | Infant | Source
APR/2016 | Belgian Malinois-Bulldog mixes | FL | Adult | Source JUN/2016 | Labrador Retriever-Great Pyrenees, Husky-Australian Cattle Dog mixes | TX | Adult | Source JUN/2016 | American Bulldog mixes | CT | Adult | Source AUG/2016 | Rottweiler, German Shepherd, Chow Chow mixes | FL | Adult | Source OCT/2016 | Doberman Pinscher | MI | Child | Source OCT/2016 | German Shepherds | NY | Adult | Source DEC/2016 | Belgian Malinois | CA | Adult | Source JAN/2017 | German Shepherd | TX | Infant | Source FEB/2017 | Mastiff-Great Dane Mix | NY | Adult | Source FEB/2017 | English Mastiff | TN | Child | Source APR/2017 | Boxer mix | PA | Adult | Source MAY/2017 | South African Boerboel | NC | Adult | Source MAY/2017 | Mixed breed dog | CT | Adult | Source JUN/2017 | Rottweiler | AZ | Child | Source AUG/2017 | Husky-Shepherd mix | ME | Infant | Source AUG/2017 | Giant Schnauzer, Labrador Retriever | TX | Infant | Source NOV/2017 | German Shepherd | OH | Infant | Source DEC/2017 | Akita | AZ | Adult | Source DEC/2017 | Doberman Pinscher, German Shepherd, Labrador Retriever, Queensland Heeler, other mixes | CA | Adult | Source MAR/2018 | Malamute-Wolf Hybrid mix | VA | Infant | Source MAY/2018 | Rottweiler, Labrador Retriever | CA | Infant | Source MAY/2018 | Dachshund-Border Collie, Dachshund-Terrier mixes | OK | Adult | Source JUN/2018 | German Shepherd | GA | Infant | Source JUN/2018 | Dogo Argentino | MD | Adult | Source AUG/2018 | Mixed breed dog | OH | Adult | Source OCT/2018 | Mastiff-Presa Canario mix | NV | Adult | Source OCT/2018 | Retriever-Hound mix | FL | Infant | Source OCT/2018 | Leopard Cur mix | TX | Child | Source OCT/2018 | Brazilian Mastiff | TX | Adult | Source NOV/2018 | Mixed breed dog | PA | Child | Source DEC/2018 | Rottweilers | NC | Adult | Source JAN/2019 | Labrador Retriever mixes | MS | Adult | Source JAN/2019 | German Shepherd | AZ | Infant | Source FEB/2019 | Doberman Pinschers | TX | Adult | Source FEB/2019 | Boxer mixes | SC | Adult | Source FEB/2019 | German Shepherds | TN | Adult | Source MAR/2019 | Heeler-Mastiff mixes | TX | Adult | Source MAR/2019 | Rottweilers | CA | Child | Source APR/2019 | Rottweiler | NV | Infant | Source MAY/2019 | Dutch Shepherds, Belgian Malinois | MA | Child | Source MAY/2019 | Boxer | IA | Adult | Source JUL/2019 | Husky mix | GA | Infant | Source JUL/2019 | Shepherd mix, Labrador Retriever mix, other mixes | TN | Adult | Source AUG/2019 | Mastiffs, Rottweiler, Mastiff-Labrador Retriever mix, pitbull mix | TN | Adult | Source SEP/2019 | Coonhounds | NY | Adult | Source |
OCT/2019 | Rottweilers | KY | Child | Source
NOV/2019 | Great Danes | OH | Adult | Source DEC/2019 | Blue Heeler (Australian Cattle Dog) mixes | OK | Adult | Source JAN/2020 | Pack of mixed/unknown breed dogs | NM | Adult | Source FEB/2020 | Pack of mixed/unknown breed dogs | KY | Child | Source MAR/2020 | Pack of mixed/unknown breed dogs | FL | Adult | Source APR/2020 | Mastiff | OR | Adult | Source MAY/2020 | Bulldog mixes | GA | Adult | Source MAY/2020 | French Bulldog mix | IL | Adult | Source MAY/2020 | Neapolitan Mastiff | GA | Child | Source JUN/2020 | Belgian Malinois | SD | Infant | Source AUG/2020 | American Bulldog | FL | Adult | Source OCT/2020 | Pack of mixed/unknown breed dogs | AL | Adult | Source OCT/2020 | German Shepherd mix | VA | Infant | Source DEC/2020 | German Shepherd | MN | Child | Source FEB/2021 | American Bulldog | NE | Infant | Source FEB/2021 | Hound, Shepherd, Black Mouth Cur mixes | TX | Adult | Source MAR/2021 | Pocket Bully | IL | Infant | Source APR/2021 | Cane Corsos | TN | Adult | Source | Dog_Image APR/2021 | Mixed breed dog | TX | Child | Source MAY/2021 | Rottweilers | MT | Child | Source MAY/2021 | Pack of mixed/unknown breed dogs | AZ | Child | Source MAY/2021 | Rottweilers | NC | Infant | Source JUN/2021 | Mixed breed dogs | SC | Child | Source JUL/2021 | Cane Corsos | TN | Adult | Source | Dog_Image AUG/2021 | Rottweiler | NY | Child | Source AUG/2021 | Pack of mixed/unknown breed dogs | HI | Adult | Source SEP/2021 | Rottweiler | MI | Adult | Source OCT/2021 | Saint Bernard | TN | Infant | Source OCT/2021 | Sheltie-Corgi mix | OK | Child | Source NOV/2021 | Alaskan Husky mix, Cane Corso mix | TX | Adult | Source NOV/2021 | Shepherd Mixes, Border Collie mixes | NM | Child | Source DEC/2021 | Cane Corsos | CA | Adult | Source JAN/2022 | French Mastiff | FL | Infant | (Source link pending) JAN/2022 | German Shepherds | NM | Adult | Source JAN/2022 | Rottweiler | VA | Child | Source FEB/2022 | Mixed breed dog | FL | Adult | Source MAR/2022 | American Bulldog-Great Pyrenees mix | GA | Infant | Source MAR/2022 | Pack of mixed breed dogs | IA | Adult | Source MAR/2022 | Dutch Shepherd | TN | Adult | Source APR/2022 | Pack of mixed breed/unknown dogs | WY | Adult | Source APR/2022 | Pack of mixed breed dogs | MT | Adult | Source APR/2022 | Pack of mixed breed dogs | AL | Adult | Source MAY/2022 | Labrador Retriever mixes | AL | Adult | Source JUN/2022 | Rotweilers | TN | Adult | Source JUL/2022 | Mixed breed dog | LA | Child | Source JUL/2022 | English Bulldogs | CA | Adult | Source AUG/2022 | Rottweiler-Mastiff mix | CA | Adult | Source AUG/2022 | Great Danes | IA | Adult | Source OCT/2022 | Dogo Argentinos | CA | Adult | Source |
Serious Dog Bite Incidents Are Not A Breed Specific Issue
The data, statistics, and scientific studies all confirm that serious dog bite-related incidents are not a breed-specific issue. For canine regulation, it is important to understand the differences between the two major forms of 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 only on their appearance or assumed breed (regardless of a dog's behavior or responsible ownership) while 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, multiple peer-reviewed studies have concluded that BSL is ineffective; furthermore, it is a discriminatory trend in decline evidenced by the vast majority (over 96%) of cities and towns that use breed-neutral regulations as their primary and only form of regulation because of the many advantages of breed-neutral regulations summarized on our breed legislation 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.
Further Information
- The DBRF list above may not be complete - there may be additional incidents involving other breeds that we have not yet identified through our research.
- Incidents involving breeds commonly included in the modern "pitbull-type" category are not included as these have already been widely covered by the media and by special interest, pro-BSL organizations. Furthermore, recent studies on canine DNA have determined that the majority of dogs labeled as "pitbulls" are in fact mixed breed dogs and that up to 60% of dogs labeled or visually identified as "pitbulls" (by shelters, owners, and the media) do not have any pitbull-type ancestry and are therefore other breeds altogether; therefore, the breed data (in media reports and in unreliable statistics about dog bites) attributed to the majority of incidents describing dogs identified as "pitbulls" cannot be used as a reliable or scientific source for breed information.
- 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.
Updated: October 19, 2022
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