"Studies indicate that pit bull-type dogs were involved in approximately a third of human DBRF (i.e., dog bite related fatalities) reported during the 12-year period from 1981 through1992, and Rottweilers were responsible for about half of human DBRF reported during the 4 years from 1993 through 1996....[T]he data indicate that Rottweilers and pit bull-type dogs accounted for 67% of human DBRF in the United States between 1997 and 1998. It is extremely unlikely that they accounted for anywhere near 60% of dogs in the United States during that same period and, thus, there appears to be a breed-specific problem with fatalities." (Sacks JJ, Sinclair L, Gilchrist J, Golab GC, Lockwood R. Breeds of dogs involved in fatal human attacks in the United States between 1979 and 1998. JAVMA 2000;217:836-840.)
Ain't nothing irrational about it. After a pit bull attacked a kid two blocks from my house last year, I'd have to outmaneuver about 50 neighbors to get a clean shot. Pit bulls are a scourge.
Notice it says pit bull TYPE. That means anything remotely resembling a pit bull can be called so, and thus reported. There are at least 16 pure breeds that look like pit bulls but are not, and get regularly reported as pit bulls by the media. The numbers and breeds used for this study were taken from media reports, which are flawed, at best, which is why reputable agencies, like the CDC, no longer publish such studies.
Another thing to remember: Pit bulls right now represent about 10% of all dogs, large and small, making them pretty much the most popular breed, and they number from four to six million. Rottweilers, although less popular than they have been, are still pretty common. No, they don't represent 60% of all breeds, but take all the small ones out, and they just might. There are 150 breeds recognized by the AKC, and twice as many by the UKC. The vast majority of these dogs are medium to small, rendering them fatally dangerous only to small children.
If it is a breed problem, why is it that throughout the years studies like this have been done, the average number of deaths has not gone up? Sure, the most popular strong dog will always be the one killing more people, but over the years the number of human deaths has remained the same, whereas the number of pit bulls has steadily increased. If we get rid of them, another strong dog will be the popular one, and will also take over as the dog to hate, as has been done since studies and media reports were available.
Four to six million pit bulls is an awful number of dogs. The percentage of pit bulls compared to their population that actually cause a person harm is 0.000002%, which is the same percentage for other large breeds compared to their populations. Mathematically, biologically, and physiologically, they are no different, just more popular right now.
Now you went and done it, posted something those dog owner cannot read are understand.