A real look at the "Pit Bull" statistics

I know. This has been done so many times, and everyone posts impassioned opinions about whether they are vicious animals. Someone has either had experience with pit bulls, whether positive or negative or has created an opinion based on hearsay and public research.

I am hoping to dispel some myths and enlighten the uninformed about the nature of the pit bull breeds. I do not seek to discredit any traumatic experiences or to confirm advocates assertions. All I wish to do is to offer some information that I have discovered, and share my interpretations of the breed, based on my own experiences. I truly hope that this blog will help people to understand these dogs, because to understand something is to abate the fear.

First, we must define a pit bull. Understand that the pit bull is not actually a breed of dog; it is an encapsulating term that categorizes several canine breeds, most of which fall into the "molosser" type. According to several sources, the "molosser" canines are large, solidly built dogs with heavy bones; pendant ears (triangle-shaped ears that hang); a short, well-muscled neck; and a short muzzle. The general breeds that are legally considered "pit bulls" are: American Staffordshire Terrier, Staffordshire Bull Terrier, American Bulldog, American Pit Bull, Cane Corso, Presa Canario, Dogo Argentino, and the French Bulldog. That is a lot of breeds rolled into one.

This leads me to another interesting fact that I have discovered. I did a little digging (my thanks to the CDC for their research publication), and apparently, between 1979 and 1999, there were 180 dog bites resulting in fatalities, 66 of which were attributed to the "pit bull-type." :

Breed	Number of dog-bite fatalities
Pit bull-type	66
Rottweiler	39
German Shepherd Dog	17
Husky-type	15
Malamute	12
Doberman Pinscher	9
Chow Chow	8
Great Dane	7
Saint Bernard	7
Total	180

(I am concentrating on the purebred numbers for now.)

This is certainly an alarming number, and none of these fatalities are justified in any way...however, this number encompasses the nine breeds listed above. I searched the rest of the statistics, but this type of classification is sporadic. Both the Rottweiler and the German Shepherd Dog are classified as working dogs, but the statistics for each are separate.

If we were to classify groups of dogs the way the Center for Disease Control did for pit bulls, this is how it should have been:

Working Group ( Rottweilers, German Shepherd Dogs, Malamutes, Doberman Pinschers, Great Danes, and Saint Bernards)	106
Non-Sporting Group (Chow Chow)	8
Pit Bull Type (American Staffordshire Terriers, Staffordshire Bull Terriers, Presa Canario [not an AKC recognized breed, but was considered Herding], American Bulldog [again, not an AKC recognized breed, but would be considered Herding], American Pit Bull Terrier [despite the name, this would be a Working group if recognized by the AKC], Cane Corso [Working group], Dogo Argentino [AKC unrecognized, but would be considered Sporting], and French Bulldog [Non-Sporting])	66
Total	180 fatal dog bites

Going by these numbers, the working group totals the highest number of bites. As you might have noticed, there are many groups under the pit bull-type, which, again, results with inconsistencies, because a few of those "pit bull-types" should have been recorded under different groups.

In short, I don't believe that the statistics can be used to gauge the temperament of any dog, especially when results for said statistics were not properly displayed.

Update January 2012:

I adopted two pit bulls. For two years, I have observed their behavior, their quirks, their personalities, and their tendencies. Pit bulls have what is called "game," meaning they have very high prey drives. They like to chase smaller animals. I watched this instinct in my two girls as they caught sight of a squirrel, and it was fascinating behavior. People who have never seen this may misconstrue it as "vicious" because it is very intense. Again, this is a generalization, and individual pit bull personalities may vary.

While I agree that stereotypes for pit bulls is wrong, I would also like to add that not everyone can handle the breed's extreme intelligence and strong instincts. If you are considering the addition of a pit bull into your family, start by fostering one for about a year. In addition to giving you insight into the breed characteristics, you will be saving your local rescue boarding costs. The rescue covers all costs of food, toys, veterinary care, and anything else the dog needs, so all fostering will cost you is time, effort, space, and affection.