According to Dogsbite.org, the most lethal family dog in America is the Pit Bull. Pit bulls make up only 6% of the dog population but comprise 71% of the dogs involved in fatal attacks.
UPDATE: Baby killed by family PIT BULL; Calvert Deputy shot dog dead
LUSBY, MD. – Calvert County Sheriff Mike Evans issued a statement relating the tragic death of an infant who was killed by his family dog.
“Our hearts are heavy today as this is a sad day for this family and our entire community. On March 23rd, 2017 at approximately 1:03 p.m. Calvert County Sheriff’s deputies were dispatched to Prancer Court in Lusby for a report of a dog attack. Deputies arrived within one minute of the initial call. Deputies learned that a family friend was watching an 8-month-old baby boy when the family dog attacked the baby. Deputies observed the dog actively attacking the baby and had to shoot the animal in order to stop the attack. Deputies immediately determined the baby was deceased from the attack.”
The location of the attack was in a subdivision off of Little Cove Road near the LNG Gas Plant in Lusby, a short walk from the Chesapeake Bay.
According to Dogsbite.org, the most lethal family dog in America is the Pit Bull. Pit bulls make up only 6% of the dog population but comprise 71% of the dogs involved in fatal attacks. Calvert Sheriff Mike Evans has not yet released the details of the attack including the name of the infant, the witness or the family. On March 24, 2017, Sheriff Evans reported the dog was a pit bull.
2016 dog bite fatality statistics
- 31 U.S. dog bite-related fatalities occurred in 2016. Despite being regulated in Military Housing areas and over 900 U.S. cities, pit bulls contributed to 71% (22) of these deaths. Pit bulls make up about 6% of the total U.S. dog population.2
- Together, pit bulls (22) and rottweilers (2), the second most lethal dog breed, accounted for 77% of the total recorded deaths in 2016. This same combination also accounted for 76% of all fatal attacks during the 12-year period of 2005 to 2016.
- The breakdown between these two breeds is substantial over this 12-year period. From 2005 to 2016, pit bulls killed 254 Americans, about one citizen every 17 days, versus rottweilers, which killed 43, a citizen every 102 days (Related graph).
- In 2016, the combination of pit bulls (22), their close cousins, American bulldogs (2), and rottweilers (2) contributed to 84% (26) of all dog bite-related fatalities. Both American bulldog cases involved dogs acquired in Miami-Dade County, Florida.
- Labradors and their mixes contributed to 3 deaths in 2016, followed by 6 breeds, each with 2 deaths: American bulldog, Belgian malinois, Doberman pinscher, German shepherd, mixed-breed, rottweiler and 2 cases with unreleased breed data.
- Annual data from 2016 shows that 42% (13) of the fatality victims were children ages 9-years and younger and 58% (18) were adults, ages 30-years and older. Of the total adults killed by canines in 2016, pit bulls were responsible for 67% (12).
Woman saved from vicious pit bull attack on her and four others
From Asbury Park Press
“I see my auntie down on the ground,” Ganthier said.
““Nobody doing anything, they just standing here, screaming … people don’t know what to do.”
According to News 12, Ganthier grabbed the dog behind the neck and managed to keep it from biting more people until authorities arrived.
EARLIER: Neptune City dog attacks 4 before hero saves the day
“Most dogs, when they bite, they bite in a defense mechanism – they bite because they feel threatened, they bite and then they flee,” said Ross Licitra, executive director of the county SPCA and chief of its law enforcement division. “This dog, on the other hand, was purely aggressive. It was biting every person in its path, which was evident by the time it got outside the house.” MORE
Serious pit bull attacks reported in the media
September 2016
Indianapolis woman shot pit bull to save her children
The Indy Channel, September 29, 2016
Escaped pit bull repeatedly attacked
Wisconsin officer shot pit bulls after serious attack on teenage girls
Fox6Now, September 29, 2016
Two family pit bulls in Brown Deer attacked girls in their yard
Texas officer attacked by pit bull
KWTX, September 29, 2016
Loose pit bull wandering Hamilton neighborhood
West Virginia woman attacked by pit bull
Weirtontimes, September 29, 2016
Chester woman delivering care package from church hospitalized for reconstructive surgery
Jackson, Mississippi man attacked by two pit bulls
WAPT News, September 28, 2016
69-year old man taken to hospital
Goats injured in pit bull attack in Klamath Falls
Herald and News, September 27, 2016
Oregon pit bull jumped fence to attack livestock
Pit bull attacked woman and dogs in Osceola County, Florida
WFTV, September 27, 2016
Woman hospitalized and her dogs almost killed
Two year old girl killed by pit bulls in Kansas
WIBW, September 26, 2016
Topeka family grief stricken after discovery of body
Chandler, Arizona woman needed 34 staples in head after attack
12News, September 26, 2016
Woman walking her dog attacked by two pit bulls
Maryland infant hospitalized after pit bull attack
Baltimore CBS Local, September 26, 2016
8-month old Aberdeen boy flown by Medivac and remains hospitalized after family dog bit his head
Saline County neighborhood on edge after attacks
Arkansas Matters, September 26, 2016
Pit bulls killed and attacked several dogs in Arkansas neighborhood
Arkansas man hospitalized after attack by two pit bulls
WREG, September 26, 2016
Attack near auto repair shop in West Memphis
13-year old Michigan girl survived vicious pit bull attack
WWMT, September 26, 2016
Family of girl in Calhoun County also breeds pit bulls
Longmont police respond to two pit bull attacks
Times-Call. September 23, 2016
Colorado children attacked by pit bulls
Two people and dogs injured by two pit bulls in Georgia neighborhood
The Citizen, September 25, 2016
EMS and animal services called to stop aggressive attacks
Mastiff mix attacked a man holding a baby in Toronto
Toronto Sun, September 24, 2016
Owner could not control mastiff; knocked baby to ground
Pit bull attack on popular walking trail in Omaha, Nebraska
KETV, September 23, 2016
Family with baby and dog attacked
11-year old Athens, Texas boy injured by family pit bull
Athens Review, September 22, 2016
Child rushed to hospital after unprovoked attack
Woman and toddler attacked by pit bull in Stratford, Connecticut
Connecticut News 12, September 23, 2016
Dog tore child from stroller and bit mother on the neck
Local officer and resident attacked by vicious pit bull
News Channel 9, September 23, 2016
Cleveland, Tennessee men tried to escape into car
Girl knocked to ground and attacked by two pit bulls in La Grande, Oregon
The Observer, September 22, 2016
High school student saved by neighbor; dogs previously attacked
Pit bull in Portland, Oregon shot while attacking another dog
KGW, September 22, 2016
Two unleashed pit bulls attacked dog outside store
A Surrey BC man has been taken to hospital after a pit bull attack
INews880, September 20, 2016
Man was attacked unprovoked and the pit bull owner fled
A woman has been hospitalized after a pit bull attack in Oakland Hills
East Bay Times, September 19, 2016
Pit bull escaped neighbor’s house to attack woman doing yard work at her home
Hartselle police officer attacked by pit bulls
WSFA, September 19, 2016
Officer on duty in Alabama bitten by multiple dogs
Two Connecticut people attacked by a pit bull
Stamford Advocate, September 19, 2016
18-year old Stamford resident bitten in face; one person hospitalized.
Pit bull owner told dog to attack police in Lake Havasu
Havasu news, September 16, 2016
Dog shot by police during attack in Arizona
Pit bull attacked police on duty in Jamaica, Queens
NYPost, September 18, 2016
Officers attacked by aggressive dog
Pit bulls attacked dog on White Rock Beach in British Columbia
The Now Newspaper, September 16, 2016
Mayor calling for review after numerous pit bull attacks
South Bend boy needed 27 stitches after pit bull attack
WNDU, September 16, 2016
Pit bull in Indiana dragged boy from play area into its house
Horse brutally attacked by two pit bulls in Oregon
KATU, September 15, 2016
Eagle Creek pit bull owners previously cited
Illegal Kansas pit bull bit teen in face
Shawnee Mission Post, September 15, 2016
Pit bull owner hid the dog to avoid BSL
Five animals killed and injured at Washington petting zoo
Yakima Herald, September 15, 2016
Wapato dogs shot by Animal Control officer after bloodbath
La Pine officer recovering after pit bull attack
KTVZ, September 15, 2016
Oregon pit bull owners cited after attack
American bull dog attacked neighbor’s dog in Elmira, New York
My Twin Tiers, September 15, 2016
Deputies fined and cited bulldog breeder
Pit bull attack in North Carolina on UPS driver
WITN, September 14, 2016
Vicious pit bull launched attacks on three people in Beaufort County
Aggressive pit bulls in Sugar House area
KUTV, September 14, 2016
Utah residents fearful after pit bull attacks on children and dogs
Bradenton residents upset after pit bull attacked puppy
WFLA, September 14, 2016
Florida woman terrified after illegal pit bull attacked in apartment complex
Loose pit bulls attacking animals in Kingsburg, California
Hanford Sentinel, September 14, 2016
No animal control officer to enforce ordinance
San Antonio woman concerned about pit bull attacks
Fox 29, September 13, 2016
Pit bull terrorizing people and pets in Texas neighborhood
Decatur woman in intensive care after attack by two pit bulls
Illinois Home Page, September 12, 2016
Grandmother attacked by pit bulls in Illinois didn’t have a chance
65-year old woman and two dogs attacked by pit bull in Oswego
WSPY News, September 12, 2016
Illinois owner cited
Elderly woman attacked by neighbor’s pit bull in Lakeside
WDEF, September 11, 2016
Tennessee woman has been rushed to the hospital
Pit bull attack on 5 year old in Providence, Rhode Island
Providence Journal, September 11, 2016
Father stabbed family pit bull to death to protect daughter
Pit bull run rampant in Rio Rancho, New Mexico
RRObserver, September 9, 2016
Pit bulls invade yards and attack animals
Pit bull attacked man on walk with dog in Florida
Villages News, September 9, 2016
Pit bull broke free of owner to attack both in Summerhill
5-year old girl attacked by pit bull in Palm Desert
KESQ, September 9, 2016
Vicious dog attack at Valley resort, California
Portage, Indiana residents concerned about pit bulls after an attack
NWITimes, September 9, 2016
City will not impound attacking pit bulls
Three loose pit bulls attacked teacher protecting school children in Detroit
ClickonDetroit, September 8, 2016
People tried to run over the dogs to save them
Peach Lake woman and dog attacked by two pit bulls
Putnam County Courier, September 8, 2016
Pit bull owner not able to control dogs in New York
Pit bull attacked its owners in Surprise, Arizona
ABC15, September 7, 2016
Dog shot to stop the attack and owners hospitalized
High rate if stray dog attacks in John Day, Oregon
Blue Mountain Eagle, September 6, 2016
Residents concerned after pit bull attack
Layton, Utah teen bitten in face by pit bull before its owners disappeared
KSL, September 6, 2016
Family left with $20,000 in medical bills and AC claiming it’s a civil matter
Kansas City girl attacked by friend’s pit bull and hospitalized
Fox4KC, September 6, 2016
Pit bulls banned in Kansas City
Dog being walked by owner in Fort Worth killed by aggressive pit bulls
Star Telegram, September 6, 2016
One pit bull escaped after attack in Texas
7 year old boy attacked by pit bulls in North Carolina
WSOC, September 4, 2016
Charlotte boy attacked getting off school bus
Toddler mauled by pit bull in Florida expected to survive
News4JAX, September 5, 2016
One of 6 pit bulls in yard attacked 22-month old Putnam County boy
Family pit bull attacked toddler in North Carolina
Sun Journal, September 2, 2016
1-year-old girl was badly injured when she was bitten on the head and shaken by the family’s dog in Fort Barnwell
Kansas family concerned after pit bull attack
KSN, September 2, 2016
Neighbor’s dog broke through a fence and attacked teenager in Garden City
Denton police officer bitten by pit bull
WXII12, September 2, 2016
North Carolina officer attacked by dog that burst through door
Pit bull attack in Plano, Illinois
WSPYNews, September 2, 2016
Pit bull located after several aggressive attacks and escapes
Two women attacked by pit bull in Brunswick County
South Hill Enterprise, September 2, 2016
Women flown by helicopter to Duke Medical Center, North Carolina and to VCU in Richmond, Virginia
9 year old girl in Pennsylvania with severe injuries after pit bull attack
PennLive, September 1, 2016
Stray pit bull came into house and attacked Lancaster child
Oklahoma City child attacked by family pit bull
OKCFOX, September 1, 2016
Oklahoma boy spent hours in emergency after unprovoked attack
STILL CONSIDERING ADOPTING A “HARMLESS” & “LOVEABLE” PIT BULL?
