1 out of every 37 people in the U. S. is a convicted felon
there are a half million registered sex offenders, many whose whereabouts are unknown…
50 people every DAY are murdered (humans are certainly a dangerous animal)
25, 000 people die each year because of drunk drivers
17,000 people fall to their death
3,000 deaths caused by accidental drowning
3,000 women a year die of spousal abuse
2,000 children are killed every year by their parents, through abuse and neglect (A child is 800 times more likely to be killed by their adult caretaker than by a “Pit Bull”)
Dog bite related fatalities did not even make the National Geographic magazine’s August 2006 issue feature “Ways to go” chart which is based on the National Safety Council’s Odds of Dying statistics.
Dr. Ian Dunbar, a veterinarian and behaviorist from Berkeley, CA. believes the entire issue is overblown. “we’re talking about maybe ten fatal attacks on people annually” he says. “Is this really something we should be putting our public policy efforts toward?” He maintains more people are killed annually by tripping over their own slippers than all fatal dog attacks combined, regardless of breed. Even Dr. Julie Gilchrist of the CDC agrees. “The truth is that SUV’s are far more dangerous than pit bulls, and they’re still on the road. As a public health researcher, I want to prevent all mortality and morbidity. But the truth is that with just over 60 million dogs in America, and who knows how many millions of pit bulls, it’s not a statistically significant issue.”
It is estimated that around 5,000,000 dogs per year are killed in shelters. In many places “Pit Bulls” make up as much as 30-50% of the shelter population, and sadly, are less likely to be considered for adoption than any other breed. Assuming that 25% of the shelter dogs killed are “Pit Bulls”, then approximately 1.25 million “Pit Bulls” are killed in shelters every year.
Therefore, it is at least a hundred thousand times more likely that a “Pit Bull” will be killed by a HUMAN, than the other way around.
They need to concentrate more heavily on pit bulls.