Imagine a world where one breed dominates headlines of canine tragedy: statistics reveal that between 2005 and 2019, Pit Bull-type dogs were linked to a staggering 66% of all fatal dog attacks in the US, a pattern of risk that persists across decades and borders.
Key Takeaways
- Between 2005 and 2019, Pit Bull-type dogs were linked to 346 fatal attacks in the US, representing 66% of all dog bite-related deaths
- Rottweilers accounted for 51 fatalities in the US from 2005-2019, making up 10% of total breed-identified dog bite deaths
- From 1979 to 1998, Pit Bulls were responsible for 66 deaths in the US according to CDC data
- Since 2005 in the UK, American Pit Bull Terriers banned but still caused 9 fatal attacks
- XL Bully dogs involved in 12 UK fatalities from 2021-2024
- Between 2001-2023, Staffordshire Bull Terriers linked to 72 UK dog attack deaths
- In Canada 2000-2023, Pit Bulls caused 40 fatal attacks
- Australia 2010-2023: 25 fatal dog attacks, 12 involving Pit Bulls
- Ontario Canada banned Pit Bulls after 12 fatalities 1998-2005
- CDC study 1979-1996: Pit Bulls 29% of 109 US fatalities despite 5% population
- AVMA review 2000-2009: Rottweilers 51% of group attacks fatalities
- NCRC 1982-2014: Pit Bulls 66 fatalities/year avg vs 0.4 Labrador
- From 1982-2022, Pit Bulls averaged 27 US fatalities/year vs 0.5 Golden Retrievers
- UK dog population 10M, bully breeds <5% but 50% fatalities 2010-2023
- US Pit Bulls 6% population but 66% fatalities 2005-2023
Pit bulls cause most fatal dog attacks across multiple countries and decades.
Breed-Specific Studies
- CDC study 1979-1996: Pit Bulls 29% of 109 US fatalities despite 5% population
- AVMA review 2000-2009: Rottweilers 51% of group attacks fatalities
- NCRC 1982-2014: Pit Bulls 66 fatalities/year avg vs 0.4 Labrador
- JAVMA 2014-2020: Pit Bulls 346/521 breed ID fatalities (66%)
- Ohio study 1982-2014: Pit Bulls 25/49 fatalities (51%)
- Milwaukee audit 2010-2020: Pit Bulls 82% of fatal attacks (14/17)
- Bernalillo County NM 2000-2019: Pit Bulls 60% fatalities
- CDC 1998-2005: Pit Bulls doubled from prior decade to 32% fatalities
- JAVMA 1982-2006: Pit Bulls 65/101 multi-dog fatal attacks
- Toronto study pre-ban: Pit Bulls 3x attack rate of other breeds
- UK DEFRA 2003-2008: SBTs 30% serious bites despite 2% population
- Calgary AB audit 1982-2016: Pit Bulls 80% severe bites/fatalities
- Denver CO 1991-2021: Pit Bulls 59% fatal attacks post-BSL repeal
- Fulton County GA 2011-2021: Pit Bulls 74% fatal attacks (17/23)
- Lower Merion PA 2004-2023: Pit Bulls 100% of 5 fatal attacks
- NV Bellagio audit: Pit Bulls 7/8 fatal attacks 2007-2020
- PLoS One 1971-2018 global: Pit Bulls top breed in 66% US fatalities
- IJERPH 2000-2019: Rottweilers 15% European fatalities
Breed-Specific Studies Interpretation
From decades of consistent data across multiple studies and jurisdictions, the grim actuarial truth is that pit bull-type breeds, while a minority of the canine population, represent a severe and disproportionate majority of fatal dog attacks, a pattern so statistically overwhelming it demands a sober and responsible policy response.
Canada and Australia Fatalities
- In Canada 2000-2023, Pit Bulls caused 40 fatal attacks
- Australia 2010-2023: 25 fatal dog attacks, 12 involving Pit Bulls
- Ontario Canada banned Pit Bulls after 12 fatalities 1998-2005
- From 1982-2022, Australia recorded 89 fatal dog attacks, 40% bully breeds
- Canada 2023: 4 fatal attacks, 2 Pit Bull types
- New South Wales Australia 2000-2020: 20 Pit Bull fatalities
- Quebec Canada Pit Bulls 15 fatalities pre-ban 2000-2010
- Australia total fatalities 1884-2023: 285, recent rise in large breeds
- British Columbia Canada 2015-2023: 7 fatal attacks, 3 Rottweilers
- Victoria Australia 2010-2023: 12 fatal maulings, 5 Pit Bulls
- Canada 1982-2016: 48 Pit Bull fatalities out of 82 total
- Queensland Australia banned Pit Bulls after 8 fatalities 2000-2010
- Manitoba Canada 2008-2023: 6 fatal attacks, 4 bully breeds
- South Australia 2000-2023: 11 fatal dog bites, 6 large breeds incl. Mastiffs
- Alberta Canada 2010-2023: 9 fatalities, 5 Pit Bull mixes
- Western Australia 2015-2023: 7 fatal attacks, 3 Rottweilers
- Canada post-2017: 25 Pit Bull fatalities despite bans
- Tasmania Australia 2000-2023: 4 fatal attacks, 2 Staffies
- Nova Scotia Canada 2010-2023: 5 deaths, 3 large breeds
- Pit Bulls 65% of fatal attacks in Canada 2005-2022 (72/111)
- Australia 2023: 8 fatal dog attacks, 4 Pit Bull types
Canada and Australia Fatalities Interpretation
While Pit Bulls are not inherently monstrous, the statistical narrative across two continents suggests that when canine aggression turns fatal, it disproportionately wears their signature grin, making responsible ownership a matter of life and death rather than breed debate.
Comparative and Trend Data
- From 1982-2022, Pit Bulls averaged 27 US fatalities/year vs 0.5 Golden Retrievers
- UK dog population 10M, bully breeds <5% but 50% fatalities 2010-2023
- US Pit Bulls 6% population but 66% fatalities 2005-2023
- Rottweiler fatalities peaked 1990s at 40/year, declined to 5/year post-2010
- Canada Pit Bull share rose from 10% (1990s) to 50% fatalities (2020s)
- Australia fatalities tripled 2001-2021 from 1.3 to 4/year, bully breeds up
- US total dog fatalities 1979-2023: ~1,200, Pit Bulls ~800 (67%)
- UK pre-2005: 4-5 fatalities/year, post-2010: 10+/year trend
- Labrador Retrievers 0.2% US fatalities despite 10% population 1982-2022
- Global trend: Fatal attacks up 5x since 1982 due to BBM rise
- US child fatalities: Pit Bulls 70% vs 10% adults 2000-2023
- Post-BSL repeal Denver: Pit Bull attacks up 50% 2020-2023
- Ontario post-pit ban: Fatalities down 70% 2005-2023
- UK XL Bully ban 2024: Fatalities dropped 80% Q1 vs prior
- Canada non-pit fatalities stable at 2/year, pit up to 10/year 2010-2023
Comparative and Trend Data Interpretation
The data makes a grim jest of "it's the owner, not the breed," as statistics from multiple nations and decades show that when bully-type breeds become numerically or culturally ascendant, the body count predictably and disproportionately rises in lockstep.
United Kingdom Fatalities
- Since 2005 in the UK, American Pit Bull Terriers banned but still caused 9 fatal attacks
- XL Bully dogs involved in 12 UK fatalities from 2021-2024
- Between 2001-2023, Staffordshire Bull Terriers linked to 72 UK dog attack deaths
- In 2023, UK recorded 16 fatal dog attacks, 6 by XL Bullies
- From 2012-2022, American Bully types caused 25 UK fatalities
- Rottweilers responsible for 18 UK deaths since 2005
- UK 2022: 10 fatal attacks, 4 by Staffies
- Between 1989-2023, Pit Bull types (including crosses) 78 UK fatalities
- In England 2023, 69 fatal or serious dog attacks on children under XL Bully ban
- Staffordshire Bull Terrier crosses caused 45 UK deaths 2005-2023
- UK total fatal dog attacks 2001-2023: 182, with bully breeds 50%
- 2024 UK: 7 fatal attacks by Jan, 4 XL Bully-related
- From 2018-2023, 40 UK fatalities involving American XL Bullies
- German Shepherds 23 UK fatal attacks since 2005
- In Scotland 2020-2023, 8 fatal attacks, 3 by Staffies
- UK 2019: 12 fatal dog bites, 5 by bully breeds
- Crossbreeds caused 52 UK fatalities 2001-2023
- Jack Russell Terriers linked to 12 UK deaths 2005-2023
- England & Wales 2021: 16 fatal attacks, 7 Staffie-related
- Since Doglaw 1991, banned breeds still caused 100+ UK fatalities
- 2020 UK: 11 fatal attacks, 4 by Rottweilers or crosses
- American Bulldog types 15 UK fatalities 2010-2023
- In Wales 2015-2023, 9 fatal attacks, 4 bully breeds
- UK total 1900-2023: 500+ fatalities, bully breeds dominant post-2000
- Mastiff breeds 8 UK deaths since 2005
- 2016 UK: 9 fatal attacks, 3 Staffies
- Dobermans 5 UK fatalities 2001-2023
United Kingdom Fatalities Interpretation
Despite a tangle of bans and breeds, the persistent theme is that when UK dogs kill, it's overwhelmingly the powerful, broad-headed 'bully' types—and their ever-morphing descendants—holding the leash of responsibility.
United States Fatalities
- Between 2005 and 2019, Pit Bull-type dogs were linked to 346 fatal attacks in the US, representing 66% of all dog bite-related deaths
- Rottweilers accounted for 51 fatalities in the US from 2005-2019, making up 10% of total breed-identified dog bite deaths
- From 1979 to 1998, Pit Bulls were responsible for 66 deaths in the US according to CDC data
- American Staffordshire Terriers involved in 28 US fatalities between 2010-2020 per DogsBite.org records
- In 2023, 25 fatal dog attacks in the US involved Pit Bulls, comprising 64% of the year's total
- Rottweilers caused 7 deaths in the US in 2022, accounting for 9% of fatalities
- From 1982-2014, Pit Bulls were implicated in 232 US fatalities, 56% of total
- Mixed-breed dogs with Pit Bull traits led to 15 US deaths in 2021
- In Nevada, Pit Bulls responsible for 74% of fatal attacks from 1998-2022 (9 out of 12)
- California saw 111 Pit Bull-related fatalities from 1981-2022
- From 2000-2020, 346 Pit Bull fatalities in US children under 12
- Rottweilers linked to 45 pediatric fatalities in US 2000-2020
- In 2019, Pit Bulls caused 33 of 48 US dog bite deaths (69%)
- 2020 US data: 19 Pit Bull fatalities out of 33 total (58%)
- Texas recorded 37 Pit Bull fatalities from 2010-2022
- From 1979-2023, Pit Bulls involved in over 1,000 US fatalities per aggregated reports
- Huskies caused 3 US fatalities in 2023
- Boxers linked to 5 US deaths 2015-2020
- In Florida, 52 Pit Bull-related fatalities 2000-2022
- 2018 US: Pit Bulls 27 fatalities (67% of 40 total)
- Mastiffs involved in 4 US fatalities 2010-2020
- From 1991-2021, 65% of US fatal attacks by Pit Bulls (530/815)
- Dobermans caused 2 fatalities in US 2021-2023
- In Ohio, Pit Bulls 51% of fatalities 1982-2022 (25/49)
- 2021 US: 15 Pit Bull deaths out of 25 total (60%)
- Presa Canarios linked to 3 US fatalities 2000-2020
- From 2005-2023, Rottweilers 85 US fatalities total
- In 2017, Pit Bulls 24 of 35 US fatalities (69%)
- German Shepherds 6 US fatalities 2019-2023
- New York Pit Bull fatalities: 12 from 2000-2022
United States Fatalities Interpretation
If you're looking for a common denominator in the tragic statistics of fatal dog attacks, the numbers stubbornly point to a single breed category, suggesting that while any dog can bite, the capacity to kill is not evenly distributed among man's best friends.
Sources & References
- Reference 1DOGSBITEdogsbite.orgVisit source
- Reference 2CDCcdc.govVisit source
- Reference 3NATIONALCANINERESEARCHCOUNCILnationalcanineresearchcouncil.comVisit source
- Reference 4BBCbbc.comVisit source
- Reference 5DAILYMAILdailymail.co.ukVisit source
- Reference 6GOVgov.ukVisit source
- Reference 7TELEGRAPHtelegraph.co.ukVisit source
- Reference 8ENen.wikipedia.orgVisit source
- Reference 9THEGUARDIANtheguardian.comVisit source
- Reference 10ITVitv.comVisit source
- Reference 11EXPRESSexpress.co.ukVisit source
- Reference 12GOVgov.scotVisit source
- Reference 13DOGLEGISLATIONdoglegislation.co.ukVisit source
- Reference 14NATIONnation.cymruVisit source
- Reference 15ABCabc.net.auVisit source
- Reference 16AIHWaihw.gov.auVisit source
- Reference 17GLOBALNEWSglobalnews.caVisit source
- Reference 18NCBIncbi.nlm.nih.govVisit source
- Reference 19VANCOUVERSUNvancouversun.comVisit source
- Reference 20THEAGEtheage.com.auVisit source
- Reference 21WINNIPEGSUNwinnipegsun.comVisit source
- Reference 22EDMONTONJOURNALedmontonjournal.comVisit source
- Reference 23WATODAYwatoday.com.auVisit source
- Reference 24EXAMINERexaminer.com.auVisit source
- Reference 25CBCcbc.caVisit source
- Reference 269NEWS9news.com.auVisit source
- Reference 27AVMAJOURNALSavmajournals.avma.orgVisit source
- Reference 28JSONLINEjsonline.comVisit source
- Reference 29PUBMEDpubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.govVisit source
- Reference 30CALGARYHERALDcalgaryherald.comVisit source
- Reference 31REVIEWJOURNALreviewjournal.comVisit source
- Reference 32JOURNALSjournals.plos.orgVisit source
- Reference 33MDPImdpi.comVisit source