(Photo by shymar27 on Shutterstock)
In a nutshell
- Pit bulls are statistical outliers: They account for 26.74% of all dog bite incidents and 61 fatalities—far more than any other breed despite being a small fraction of the dog population.
- Vaccination rates are troublingly low: The most dangerous breeds have poor vaccination compliance, with shepherds at just 9.25% and pit bulls at 17.10%, creating additional health risks for bite victims.
- Even “family-friendly” breeds can be risky: Labrador retrievers made the top 10 most dangerous list with 136 incidents, proving that any dog can bite regardless of breed reputation.
ORLANDO, Fla. — Pit bulls account for more than 26% of all reported dog bites in America and were involved in 61 fatalities over a three-year period, according to a new analysis that ranks the country’s most dangerous dog breeds. The findings put pit bulls far ahead of any other breed in terms of public safety risk.
While the typical family dog might seem harmless, the numbers tell a concerning story. Each year in the United States, approximately 4.5 million people suffer dog bites, with injuries ranging from minor nips to life-threatening attacks requiring emergency medical care. These incidents often lead to personal injury claims, medical expenses, and even fatalities.
Orlando-based law firm Fighter Law analyzed three years of bite data to identify which breeds pose the greatest risk to public safety, creating a comprehensive ranking that has produced some eye-opening results.
Pit Bulls Dominate the Danger Rankings
Pit bulls scored 90 out of 100 on the study’s danger scale, significantly higher than any other breed. The second-place breed, shepherds, scored just 57.17, making pit bulls a clear statistical outlier.
The data reveals several concerning patterns about pit bulls. They were responsible for 579 reported bite incidents, which is 26.74% of all reported dog bite incidents, despite making up a much smaller percentage of the total dog population. Even more alarming, they were involved in 61 fatalities during the study period, far exceeding any other breed.
The analysis also showed that only 17.10% of pit bulls involved in bite incidents were properly vaccinated, potentially compounding health risks for victims. Additionally, 21.59% of pit bull attacks resulted in severe injuries requiring significant medical intervention.
“The data on Pit Bulls is striking, but context matters,” notes Thomas Feiter, Chief Executive Officer at Fighter Law. “Many of these dogs are unfortunately trained for aggression or kept in unsuitable conditions that contribute to these statistics.”
Shepherds and Boxers Round Out Top Three
Coming in second with a danger score of 57.17 were shepherd breeds, excluding German shepherds, which ranked separately at number 5. Out of 227 total incidents involving shepherds, they accounted for 10.48% of reported bite incidents and were involved in two fatalities. Their vaccination rate was particularly low at just 9.25%, raising additional public health concerns. About 15.86% of their bites were classified as severe.
Boxers ranked third with a danger score of 54.50 despite being responsible for just 39 incidents—only 1.80% of overall bite cases. What pushed them higher in the rankings was the severity of their bites—25.64% of boxer attacks resulted in severe injuries, the highest percentage among the top three breeds. Like pit bulls, boxers had a low vaccination rate of 17.95%, and they were linked to 1 fatality during the study period.
The complete top 10 list shows some surprising numbers. Rottweilers ranked fourth with 53.00 points after being involved in 51 incidents, but had a disproportionately high fatality count of 7 deaths. German shepherd dogs came in fifth (48.78 points) with 252 incidents—the second-highest total after pit bulls—but only 2 fatalities. Australian cattle dogs (44.88), Cane Corsos (41.88), Doberman pinschers (40.82), mastiffs (39.43), and Labrador retrievers (38.64) round out the list.
The data shows significant variation in vaccination rates among the most dangerous breeds. Shepherds had vaccination compliance of just 9.25%, while Doberman pinschers showed 14.29% and mastiffs 15.79%. Pit bulls had 17.10% vaccination compliance, while Cane Corsos had the highest rate among dangerous breeds at 46.67%.
When America’s Favorite Family Dog Makes the List
Perhaps most surprising to many Americans is the appearance of the Labrador retriever, consistently ranked as America’s most popular family dog, at number 10 on the list with a danger score of 38.64. Labs were involved in 136 bite incidents, accounting for 6.28% of all cases, but none resulted in fatalities during the study period. They also had a vaccination rate of 32.35% and a severity rate of just 8.82%.
“The presence of typically family-friendly breeds like Labradors on this list highlights an important point,” says Feiter. “Any dog, regardless of breed reputation, can cause harm if not properly trained, socialized, or if placed in threatening situations.”
Top 10 Most Dangerous Dog Breeds
Based on Fighter Law Analysis (2021-2023)
| Rank | Dog Breed | Total Incidents | % of All Bites | Fatalities | Vaccination Rate | Severe Bite Rate | Danger Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pit Bull | 579 | 26.74% | 61 | 17.10% | 21.59% | 90.0 |
| 2 | Shepherd | 227 | 10.48% | 2 | 9.25% | 15.86% | 57.2 |
| 3 | Boxer | 39 | 1.80% | 1 | 17.95% | 25.64% | 54.5 |
| 4 | Rottweiler | 51 | 2.36% | 7 | 23.53% | 23.53% | 53.0 |
| 5 | German Shepherd Dog | 252 | 11.64% | 2 | 26.98% | 13.10% | 48.8 |
| 6 | Australian Cattle Dog | 43 | 1.99% | 0 | 23.26% | 16.28% | 44.9 |
| 7 | Cane Corso | 30 | 1.39% | 4 | 46.67% | 23.33% | 41.9 |
| 8 | Doberman Pinscher | 28 | 1.29% | 0 | 14.29% | 7.14% | 40.8 |
| 9 | Mastiff | 19 | 0.88% | 3 | 15.79% | 5.26% | 39.4 |
| 10 | Labrador Retriever | 136 | 6.28% | 0 | 32.35% | 8.82% | 38.6 |
Expert Emphasizes Owner Responsibility
The study’s findings come with important context about responsible ownership.
“What we see in these statistics reflects what we encounter in our legal practice,” says Feiter. “Certain breeds consistently appear in serious injury cases, though it’s important to remember that individual dog behavior varies tremendously based on training, socialization, and responsible ownership.”
Feiter provided additional perspective on prevention and legal implications:
“This data provides valuable insights, but remember that breed is just one factor in dog bite incidents. Owner responsibility plays a tremendous role in preventing attacks. Most cases we handle involve dogs that weren’t properly trained, were left unsupervised with children, or were placed in situations that triggered defensive responses.
“From a legal perspective, dog owners should understand they may be held liable for injuries their pets cause, regardless of breed. Many states have ‘strict liability’ laws that hold owners responsible even if the dog had no previous history of aggression. Proper training, socialization, and supervision are essential for all dog owners.
“The most powerful prevention tool is education. Understanding dog behavior and respecting boundaries can dramatically reduce bite incidents. For instance, never approach an unfamiliar dog while it’s eating, sleeping, or caring for puppies. For prospective dog owners, research breed characteristics thoroughly and honestly assess whether you have the time, space, and resources to properly train and manage your chosen breed.”
How The Study Was Conducted
The study examined dog bite data from 2021 to 2023, focusing on five key metrics: percentage of overall dog bite incidents attributable to each breed, number of fatalities, percentage of dogs validly vaccinated at the time of the incident, percentage of bites classified as “severe” (meaning multiple or serious wounds), and the presence of breed-specific legislation in the United States.
Data on bite incidents came from San Bernardino County’s comprehensive dog bite records, with percentages calculated to estimate nationwide trends. Fatality data was compiled from verified reports of fatal dog attacks from 2021-2023, excluding cases where breed identification was uncertain. Information on breed-specific legislation was gathered from current restrictions across U.S. jurisdictions.
To calculate the final danger score, all metrics were normalized to a 0-1 scale, averaged, and then multiplied by 100 to create a 100-point scale. A higher score indicates a greater potential risk to public safety based on the combined factors.
Let’s see, a dangerous dog breed study ostensibly from a law firm that lists “Dog Bites” in their Top Family Law Categories”. Who woulda thought?
The “study” summary presented here only briefly touches on the concept of the total dog population, the number of dogs total and per breed in the USA, and that is not one of the study metrics:
“The study examined dog bite data from 2021 to 2023, focusing on five key metrics: percentage of overall dog bite incidents attributable to each breed, number of fatalities, percentage of dogs validly vaccinated at the time of the incident, percentage of bites classified as “severe” (meaning multiple or serious wounds), and the presence of breed-specific legislation in the United States.”
The Labrador Retriever, for example, was the most popular dog breed in the USA for many, many years. If one breed is by far the most popular does it not follow that it may have a higher number of dog bites overall, even though the percentage of bites versus the total population of Labrador Retrievers is very, very low? Of course it does, for real studies. And 136 dog bites for the Labrador Retriever in 2021, 2022, ans 2023 is just unbelievably…small.
Hilariously, one of the links by StudyFinds in the above article leads to a StudyFinds article from August 2023 titled “Dog attacks on adults are rising – but science shows it’s wrong to blame breeds”.
Even better, these researchers seem to have studied ONE COUNTY IN ONE STATE and attempted to extrapolate that data to apply to the entire country. From the above pic:
“Data sourced from San Bernadino County records and verified fatal attack reports.”
Wait, what? An Orlando, FL law firm studies dog bite data from California?
Are there no dog bites occurring in Florida?
The population of San Bernadino County (not the city) is about 2.1 million people. Assuming that 136 Labrador Retriever bites was the total over 2021, 2022, and 2023 that means an average of 45.33 Labrador Retriever dog bites per 2,100,0000 people. That’s 0.00002158714 percent per year.
Let’s see, one zero is one tenth of one percent, two zeroes is one hundredth of one percent, three zeroes is one thousandth of one percent, and four zeroes is one ten-thousandth of one percent. So, what, there was a 2.1 hundred thousandths of one percent chance of getting bit by a Labrador Retriever in San Bernadino County, CA in 2021, 2022, or 2023?
Math makes my head hurt.
Who the heck cares about “breed-specific legislation in the United States” (other than lawyers)?
Why is this study not on the web site of Fighter Law, at not least that I could find? You’d think they would at least mention it in their blog but nope, not there.
Perform your own due diligence, folks. It’s sometimes known as “peer review”.
Thank you for taking the words out of my mouth.
this study leaves out mixed breed dogs. inclusion of this class changes every single observation made in this study and leads to very different conclusions.
this is the kind of study done by someone who has a moral problem with pure breed dogs and favors shelter rescue dogs. This is exactly the kind of study those people would use to pass legislation banning pit-bulls.
However, inclusion of mixed breed dogs would lead to a conclusion that mixed breed dogs are BY FAR more dangerous than any pure breed.
bias by omission of facts
It’s hard to imagine the way a Labrador retriever must have been treated in order to compel that dog to bite a human. I’m an old guy, have been around dogs all my life, and around a multitude of Labrador and Golden Retrievers. I’ve NEVER know of a single one that would be characterized as the least bit dangerous. To find them on this list brings into question the overall veracity of this list.
The study doesn’t include context. A pitbull mauling to death a child is included alongside a labrador missing his toy and catching your finger by mistake
Please cite the peer reviewed research that this study reports, otherwise its just another bullshit article you’ve written.
The reality is you also get lots of bites from small dogs too… but fortunately they don’t result in deaths or emergency room visits. The best way to deal with this problem is not going after specific breeds, rather require million dollar insurance policies on any dogs that weigh more than 20 pounds. Insurance providers will insure anything for a price and they can have their statisticians come up with the proper premiums for each dog breed. I suspect pit bulls will get priced out of the homes of most people and that is fine because the vast majority of dog attacks aren’t from millionaires with dogs it is from the trailer trash and ghetto gauche that could only hope for insurance if the carriers accepted food stamps.
Good points. Pit bull owners always point out the attacks are the result of bad ownership but that doesn’t change the reality. Price them out of these dogs. Great idea.
Sadly, the Golden Retriever, my favorite breed, did not make the list.
You’d think vaccinations would keep them more docile because they’re harmful.
One thing your article misses is that Pitbulls don’t telegraph their punches. Most other dogs precede bites with gradual aggression: barking, growling and snapping. This conduct is very susceptible to interruption and correction. But Pitbulls often go from docile to red zone, kill mode without warning. And unfortunately as often as not they are reflective of the consciousness of their owners, who aren’t walking a dog as much as displaying a weapon.
I LOVE Pitbulls. This is so sad to me because ignorant people will purposely harm them. There are so many illegal dog rings which usually use Pitbulls. Responsible pet ownership is so important. . Sadly we can’t euthanize their owners who cause so much of the problems.
I think all pitbulls should be killed. There have been so many incident of them attacking people in the town I live in, regardless of the type of owners they have. They are a danger and should be eradicated.
The ‘low vaccinations rates’ going hand-in-hand with bite incidents is telling as to who raises and cares for their dogs vs. who picks a breed based on reputation and not only doesn’t raise it but thinks it’s fun to make it mean.
Germ Theory is obsolete. Viruses don’t exist. All vaccines are poison.
A little pity for the Pitties, please. Saying that one breed accounts for 26% of the issues… Gotta call BS. 1. Pit bull is not a breed. The conclusion is akin to saying “Other” accounts for 26%… 2. Breed is reported not by veterinarians but rather police and medical staff. It’s self reported and not always collected. Bias against pitties goes way back. The data are not controlled to my satisfiaction. c.f. McQueen-McGrath, Melissa; Considerations for the City Dog.
Typical pittbull apologist. They are dangerous and cannot but trusted around children and small dogs and cats.
The reality is no dog can be trusted 100%. When I was a kid I walked by the neighbor’s collie. I did nothing as my mum was holding my hand. The dog for no reason leapt up and chomped down on my neck… No warning, it simply decided to bite me even though I was doing nothing beyond walking by my mum.
That’s the problem with all dogs. You don’t know when they are a bad mood, you don’t know when they are going to bite someone. The real problem is they are stronger than most dogs… but no dog should ever be trusted that is so large you can’t kick it across the room if it decides to attack. Lots of people get bit by chihuahuas too… but they aren’t on the list because if one of those little yap dogs bites you, you can easily kick it into next week. Large dogs of any breed are a problem that needs to be addressed.
You suffer from cognitive dissonance. Both claiming pitbulls are and are not a distinctly identifiable dog breed (you claim they are not a breed, but want pity for them? How does that work?).
Breeds are reported by Animal Control, who are the ones called by the police to investigate all instances of dog (and other animal) bites that cause police reports. Police and medical staff aren’t the ones determining “breed”, as that is not their expertise. Medical staff rarely see the offending animal in the first place. Vets (at Animal Control) absolutely know how to identify breeds. Unvaccinated dogs are quarantined by Animal Control after they have bitten a person to check for rabies, so with a 17% vaccination rate, 83% are landing at Animal Control, where they can be assessed for days.
Pitbull owners are clearly irresponsible people who don’t even care enough about their dogs to ensure they receive the proper care they need. Not surprising that they care about other people even less, but the tragedy of all of this is, that the victims of most horrible dog bites are usually family members and friends.
Let me start by my confession of being attacked by a pit bull breed that jumped out of a car window and attacked me while I was minding my own business riding a bicycle. But I want to play along. “Pit Bull” is an umbrella term that covers three main breeds:
– American Pit Bull Terrier
– American Staffordshire Terrier
– Staffordshire Bull Terrier
If you divide the numbers evenly, that’s about 8.7% of all bites and around 20 deaths per breed. Even then, these breeds are still three times as deadly as the next closest contender, the Rottweiler, which only accounts for 7 deaths.
Feel free to have all the sympathy you want for “Pit Bulls,” but here’s a little reality check: if you live in places like the UK, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Germany, France, Norway, Denmark, Ireland, Singapore, or many U.S. states, you’re simply not allowed to own them. And if you’re wondering why, maybe it’s because the numbers don’t lie — these breeds cause a disproportionate amount of serious harm.
Sometimes facts aren’t convenient, but they’re still facts.
Bulls Kill Babies End Of Story
Jeff the pit bulls attitude is made by the owners not the dog! Calling them dangerous is pretty pathetic! If you give it love like all dogs they give it 5 x more!
Hi Jeff,
Couple points I want to touch on for you. Firstly, the pitbull is 100% a real breed. It’s the American PitBull Terrier(APBT). Secondly, even if these statistics are not 100% accurate. They are fairly accurate, meaning even if pitbulls/ pitbull mixes are still way more dangerous than other breeds. Look up the stats on any site. They will agree with that. It’s actually probably biased in pitbulls favor as a lot of shelters and owners mislabel their pits as “labs” now. I would bet that at least a couple of the lab attacks were pits. Lastly, I highly recommend you looking up the history of the breed and the breed standard so you can understand why they are an aggressive breed and should not be family pets.
Spot on Jeff. Pitties is used a catch all for various mixes: Bullies breeds, Mastiffs, Amstaffs, etc., as well as numerous others. It is impossible to reconcile the data other than to say, irresponsible and negligent pet owners are the biggest danger to the general public and not a specific breed.