Think about the facts before you judge. Pit Bull Statistics are truthful, with no bias.
- According to the American Temperament Test Society, temperament evaluations of American Pit Bull Terriers shows that this breed has a very high passing rate of 82.6%.
- The average passing rate for the other 121 breeds of dogs in the tests: 77%.
Look at the facts below. Pit Bulls have gone through so much, yet they’re still less likely to attack you then a Rottweiler, German Shepherd, or a Chow. Pit Bulls are facing bans across the United States and across the world, yet society is to blame, because they’re the ones tearing the breed apart. For many people, Pit Bulls are nothing more then an asset, for making money. These people mass produce Pit Bulls, force them to fight for their lives, and when they lose their fight, they’re killed. Many situations occur where the Pit Bull will be hung, electrocuted, shot, etc., yet THEY ARE THE ONES TO BLAME? I find that a little contradicting dont you?
The Pit Bull breed makes up 5-9.6% of the United States dog population. In 2007, there were above 72 million dogs in the United States provided by American Pet Products Manufacturers Association. That’s between 3,600,000 and 6,912,000 Pit Bull breed dogs in the United States.
So, for our example we’ll take the average percent between 5 and 9.6, and use 7.3 percent, which would give an average estimation of the Pit Bull population in the United States. That leaves us with 5,256,000 Pit Bulls.
Other dog populations (United States):
(estimation) Pit Bulls: 5,256,000
(estimation) Rottweilers: 900,000
(estimation) German Shepherds: 780,000
(estimation) Chows: 240,000
Fatal attacks by these breeds of dogs (1979-1998):
Pit Bulls: 66
Rottweilers: 39
German Shepherds: 17
Chows: 8
When we divide the population by the fatal attacks, we can get a percentage based on the dogs probability of fatally attacking a human.
Pit Bulls: .00125 %
Rottweilers: .00433 %
German Shepherds: .00217%
Chow: .00333%
WELL, it would seem the Pit Bull is at the bottom of the list. 4 times as many Rottweilers, 2 times as many German Shepherds, and 3 times as many Chows are involved in Fatal Attacks based on the population percentage. It is only logical that if there are more Pit Bulls there would be more attacks. Lets take a little less blame on the breed and put a little more blame on the people. Through all they’ve been through, the Pit Bull still triumphs.
The website lists that there were about 6million Pit Bulls in the US in 2007. I believe that is accurate because
I read there are about 10 million now and there are about 77 million dogs in our country. So 1 out of 7 to 10 dogs are Pit bulls which puts them as the most popular breed type of dog since a vast majority are not registered with the AKC. I’m sure that most of you do not want any regulations on this breed, but the numbers tell a very sad statistic. There are too many in the country. Spay/neuter requirements need to be put in place to get this under control. I have spoken to many animal control officers at shelters and was shocked to learn that 60 to 90% of the dogs were pit bulls and that 95% of them would be euthanized. They said, an estimated 1 million pit bulls are euthanized each year and the total numbers are still climbing. That’s a really big pile of dead dogs. We need to stop breeding them.
Majority of us want to stop the excess breeding. Those that breed in their backyards over and over again are killing the breed for a quick penny. Yes we believe that owners should be held responsible for their actions, but the over-breeding has to be put to a stop as well. Thanks for your post.
I am a member of the Miami Coalition Against Breed Specific Legislation. And I love the Bully Breed.As a vet tech i can say all the pitbulls ive met. including my very own two bitches have proven alllllllll you shit talkers wrong!!!! That ignorant ass Steve can go get mawled by a rottweiler for all i care. I have nothing to say but… if you are ignorant to the facts about the bullies stick to ur damn yorkies and labs. pitbulls require smart owners to bring the best out of them shit they might just not like you because they sense your ignorance and fear!
I can’t stand the way the media, newspapers, some internet sites, ignorant people, etc say about pitbulls. Nobody ever look at the times the rocks attack people. No that would be too simple. I LOVE PITBULLS!!! I will continue to LOVE pitbulls. I wish people would just listen to facts and not pictures. Blame the owner not the breed!!!!
I’m not sure what you mean about rocks attacking people. Do you possibly mean Rotts?
I absolutely LOVE this site! I have two pits of my own and they are incredibly amazing! I wouldn’t trade them for the world! I hope people find this site and have their minds changed about this phenomenal breed! THANKS FOR ALL THE POSITIVITY THAT THESE BEAUTIFUL ANIMALS DESERVE!!!
I love my Pitbull he’s awesome i run Stop Pitbull Bans due to I use to train dogs. and i have owned two pits and never once while training pit did i ever have a problem being bit or attacked. i have been bit a couple times though but not buy pits. not that it matters i dont blame the dog for something he or she was tought thats not fair and sometime dogs bite when you put your hand infront of their face or try to take teir food their all different my dog anything could eat with him i tell him no and it dont matter what it is he know i said no. and i raise three children with him and they can do what they want to him come check my page out on facebook Stop Pitbull Bans have a nice day Mike.
Just found your site and first niticed very ignorant comment,could not resist replying…
By the way… support you with all my heart,knowing the breed makes a huge diffrence..Love those highly inteligent and cuddly canines…
I’m not sure what purpose your graph is supposed to serve other than convincing stupid people that pit bulls are less likely to fatally attack. You’re using pit bull and dog population data from 2007 alone, yet your data from pit bull fatalities spans from 1979 – 1998?? 2007 isnt even included in or anywhere close to that time frame. It is idiotic to compare data from an arbitrary year to data compiled from almost two decades. The result is skewed and completely meaningless, and only serves the purpose of making pit bulls look like they’re less likely to fatally attack, which may, or (most likely) may not, be true. If you are interested in doing the graph the right way, which even then, still won’t tell you much, you should use fatality data from 2007, or use dog population data from 1979 – 1998. Then, if pit bulls are still at the bottom of the list, you can have somewhat of a real reason to act all smug about your results.
The last time fatal bite data was recorded was in that windowed time for each of these breeds. There isn’t much data on actual “Pit Bull” statistics because “Pit Bull” is considered 3-4 breeds depending on what state you are in. This page was written over 2 years ago. The reason I used 2007 population, is because it was the last time population data was taken. And it’s a big estimate at that. I’m only using figures that were given. If there were over 9 million Pit’s in the USA I still took it down to 5 Million just so it didn’t seem overwhelming, and skewed. These are the best estimates that exist, so if you’d like to take some hardcore data on millions of dogs over the next three years, be my guest. Yes this article was written in a somewhat cocky tone, and I am older, and have grown up with maturing views on this topic. I’m also sorry It took a couple days to approve your comment. You may be able to tell I’m not updating this website as much as I used to.
I’m not disputing your numbers. The data could be spot on for all I know. I’m not saying the numbers themselves are wrong or skewed, because I don’t doubt that you got them from credible sources. What I’m disputing is the method that was used to make the graph, which was a bit like comparing apples to oranges. Anyone who knows anything about statistics or any physical science will tell you that you can’t compare data from two different time frames. For example, if I were to make a graph on the percentage of people who died from cancer in the US in a year, and used cancer mortality rates from 1980 and the US population from 2010, the results would be wrong no matter how you looked at it. This is essentially what you are doing, only what you are doing is even worse because instead of comparing one year to one year, you are comparing one year to twenty years. If fatal bite data isn’t available for the time frame in question, in your case, 2007, then find dog population data from 1979-1998, or better yet, make an entirely different graph altogether.
You may be confused here. The statistics that started in 1978 were to find a constant number which was a number of bite statistics. This actually is more accurate, because nothing exists for 2010 statistics. If they had exact numbers for the year 2010, population and bite statistics, we would only be able to account for the year. Reported attacks aren’t released for months after the years end, let alone a population report, which aren’t even taken for Pit Bulls. I know what you’re thinking and there’s no way to put the track of population with the bites, is the point I’m trying to make. The population from the other breeds, is used on most recent numbers as well. This is the most accurate, these charts can be, based on the information I have. The information is not skewed towards Pit Bulls. The variables are the same for all the breeds I’ve used.
Pitbulls are a misunderstood breed and until understanding it brought to the American people, pitbulls will be in danger in this country.
That’s right, folks. Pitbulls are the victims, victims of discriminatory legislation in some areas to ban the breed.
Pitbulls are a very lovable breed of dogs. It is true that a pitbull will defend itself against attack, but defence does not equal aggression. Defense is defense.
One minor problem with the stats above; its missing a 1 in front of the number of deaths caused by Pit Bulls….the number should be closer to 166 from 1982 to 2010. Yes humans have made the breed violent, but its not logical to get rid of humans, we can get rid of our mistake. Ban the breed and stop the lines.
The objective is not to get rid of humans. No one, at least not many are saying to put humans on death row for breeding or fighting Pit Bulls. Obviously that is not logical. The point is to give them more than 3 months of jail time, so they are less likely to do it again.
There are many reputable breeders and many dog clinics, that have dedicated their lives to keep this breed alive as it once was before the massive inbreedings and overpopulation. This breed is still very much alive and well, but for some reason people hate them so much. Obviously it’s because people are getting attacked and it seems like someones cat is being killed every day. Pit Bulls are animal aggressive, and trained improperly, very territorial towards humans.
Examples include, no exercise(they thrive on this), being chained to any object (they will get loose eventually, and will act on pure instinct), and even so much as 0 socializing towards new people or other animals at any time in their life. Responsible owners are so hard to come by because people truly do not understand the breed, and how much work it can take to prepare them for a world that hates them.
Yeah right like inner city kids that join gang go pull them numbers i mean all ya gotta do is dispose of them problem solved.
To you obviously animals are not family, to me,”on side note your name sickens me my first pits name was TCB Takin Care Bizness called him TT or T dog” anyway my dogs are part of my family me personally I’ve never been affected by legislation and the day I am well you will read it in the news. The town I’m from has breed ban but it only states you cant own if you live in city limits, so just to exercise my freedoms I make it a point to take my two biggest males and walk em through town couple times a week, I don’t know how it was passed cause I’ve never had anyone say a word other than police about it my males are 80 and 90 lbs you would think elderly people would fear em to me that would be understandable but I’ve never received anything but understanding and outrage once they see the animals and there behavior.
What do you think will happen if they killed every pit in us everything will be better? No sorry all the POS’s that neglect and abuse there dogs will choose another breed prob rot then dob then box then what no matter what low lives will own animals and breed aggression in them no matter the breed of dog.
What is happening is equivalent to Hitler’s rein but hey we the US granted his most evil scientist and so called doctors immunity in exchange for there service. FREE MY ASS, you watch what happens let USA pass a nation wide breed band on pits cause the true pit lovers don’t live in city limits my friend and never will for that matter, for this exact reason i love my dogs enough that they affect were I choose to live.
As for your comment “Yes humans have made the breed violent” it should state,”Yes humans have made dogs violent” I will defend the APBT as long as i live or until im proven wrong about them show me all the stats and BS, the True fact is Pitbulls are favored by Criminals and dog fighters so what will happen if you put say rot in place of pit, I dont have statistics and graphs for ya I have a breeders knowledge of owning and researching the breed for 13 years and if you take every pit out of US Things will be worse than they are now your statistics will rise if they are true you may ask why that is, well the main reason is in early 1900′s pits were thought of as useless as a watch dog. Go ahead laugh it up do some research for yourself, I love the dogbite.org site place is joke they state all these rules about dog fighting how its done history but neglect to mention why we have this human aggression in breed now and not 70 years ago. Once bull baiting and Ratting was banned and people began fighting dogs against dogs there was a strict rule if the dog ever bites a human even while in ring during fight it was to be shot on spot and that rule was obeyed by majority of dog fighters in late 1800′s early 1900′s by doing that they killed human aggression out of the breed, then it gained popularity and the rule was forgotten by most. Pitbulls majority of them don’t posses human aggression naturally, they will defend a member of it’s pack to the death if a fight or flight reflex is kicked, and they have potential to do serious damage to other animals and or humans just because of there physical characteristics, so do chow, box,and countless other breeds. My origional point being replace a rot in the pits place there line never endured 100+ years of killing human aggression out of breed so what do you think will happen when the same people breeding pits to fight breed rots to fight you will have a true monster that will have no instinct what to attack be animal or human it will be a killing machine for years to come until by killing the human aggression out of the dog so all you will do by banning the pit is set dog fighting back to it origins cause they are forced to start over with new breed. I by no means condone or support fighting of these dogs it brings tears to my eyes to see what human do to these animals, however i do acknowledge the breed and what they were initially bred to do and there are few people with enough knowledge to know how to use those traits as a positive one being weight pulling these dogs have pulled 6000 lbs on a track not for food or whipped into doing it they do it to please the owner, thats what a pit lives to do no matter what, it’s goal is to please its owner. Another example pits excel at and im sure most people feel this to against animal rights but the fact is they excel at hunting wild boars or pigs simply they were created to take down a full size 2000lb Bull in the UK so naturally they are in there natural world holding down boars, most videos on youtube are of idiots allowing dogs to excessively hold animal even after he’s been stuck but thats the human not the dog the human could call off the dogs at any moment but wanna show what they do to other animals for macho reasons or whatever dumb hicks but the truth is boars are hunted with dogs and pitbulls excel at it as well as weight pulling and they do it on instinct and to please it’s owner.
A Sharpe is the only dog to ever attack me. I went to a friends house they weren’t home i walked to there front door knocked the dog sat by door growling in low tone as i turned after realizing no one was home i turned to walk to care the dog hit my forearm i ripped my arm from his mouth upon release he instantly hit me right above knee i then grabbed him by the saggy fur and through the animal across deck prob 10 feet and then squared to the dog it started to charge at that moment i drew back fist and in my head was gonna have to fight this dog till it gave up or died one of the two it stopped about 5 feet from me and sat and growled i backed to car and didnt turn back on animal. After that i did some research cause it baffled me I’ve owned pits Dobermans about all the bully breeds along with Cockerspaniel for 16 years and pomeranian i had never witnessed human aggression in any animal like the one in that Sharpe. The owner was close friend the dog wasn’t abused or neglected but a Sharpe is extremely protective of home and family, all i did was knock on the door and that induced a attack but the dog felt he was defending home or felt me there when family gone that I was a threat to him or his home, this is a proven characteristic in Sharpe’s I know a 10 year old would have been seriously injured or a person that feared dogs no matter adult kid didn’t matter if i would have turned back to the animal and tried to run it would have induced more of a fight instinct and would have become more aggressive in its attack.
next time you wanna throw out the numbers of attacks “pitbull” is referred to as any block headed broad chested dog no matter what it actually is. There is good chance i could show you pics of boxer and you wouldn’t know difference if i said it was pit you’d agree with me and that goes for alot of lab mixes Ive seen. Pitbull pertains to so many breeds staff bulldog english bull bull terrier as well as APBT. So if you classify all the bully breeds as a pitbull well no shit its stats are huge put all rot dob shephard attacks together and compare and pits still are referred to by more than 3 breeds, you think you could tell diffrence in pitbull and bull mastiff or how about a Kane Korso your breed bans and legislation is a mockery of our United States Constitution Pits were here before us they’ll be here after us I suggest people learn to deal with fear of animals and harsh punishment for bad owners you wanna pass laws make a leash law on them make a on chain law on em but it’s not right to punish good dogs and dog owners for the ignorance of few but this is the USA were we will sacrifice thousands for oil profits then elect his son to run country like train set daddy gave him. All the while clintons going to hell for gettin his nut sucked LOL. This country and the people who run it is becoming a disgrace to what USA stood for when it was founded. So Live by the creed don’t tread on me and like Hank said a country boy can survive….
Wow that’s the dumbest thing I have ever heard. Nobody said anything about banking people, but tht is a good idea! You think 66 apbt’s out of 5+ million responsible for an attack over the period of many years is bad? Study alcohol or better yet cigarettes. Don’t be an asshole because you are uneducated, you sound like an idiot.
Love my pitbull
I’m glad you love your pit bull. However, the next time one of your lovely “pitties” attacks my dog, he’s a dead pit bull. Those damned dogs are allowed to get loose regularly and will jump on any dog that happens to walk down the sidewalk. Then try getting them to let go of your dog. Then try getting the owner to pay your vet bill. They should be banned. They’re dangerous dogs.
Yes I agree with you partially. A lot of the time, the Pit Bull will run up to a dog as fast as possible with only the intention to sniff and play (very muscular so you could say roughhouse). My dog has done it before, and the other owner begins to freak out, starts yelling and pulling on the dogs chain. The dog freaks out starts barking and now you’ve got a situation. Don’t get me wrong I’m not saying this is the owners fault by any means, but the Pit Bull doesn’t always start the fight, however he should have been on a leash in the first place. Therefore the fault should be on the owner. I hope that made sense.
First of all, let me start off by saying that you are comletely ridiculous to think that thesse dogs should be banned! If you can read at all, you can plainly see that these dogs are loving, affectionate, and playful…. yes, they can be rough, but that is their nature. It is the STUPIDITY of the “owners” that allow these beautiful animals to be perceived as what they are, and it’s also the STUPIDITY of people that jump on that bandwagon to claim that they are dangerous! Second of all, I’m sure you probably walk around with one of those little “yip-yip” dogs that can drive anyone insane and they probably quiver at the sight of a fly. I’ll take my pitbulls any day over one of those! LOVE MY PITBULLS!
hypocrit. You jsut stated that pitbulls should be banned because they are dangerous, but you turn around and threaten to kill someones animal. thank you for proving that yet agin pit bulls are not dangerous, (no animal is) it is all the owner (human).
Ha Good catch. I didn’t even think to call them out on that one.
Your comment is very telling: “…dogs are allowed to get loose…” and “…try getting the owner to pay…” Sounds like you have a neighber who is an IRRESPONSIBLE DOG OWNER. The fault lies with the owner. Call animal control to have him/her made accountable for not having the dog confined, as they should. The dog did not let itself out of the yard on its own, and the owner is an irresponsible POS for not paying your vet bills if his/her dog – whatever its breed – harmed your dog. He/she does not deserve to own a dog, particularly an APBT, if they won’t be responsible for it. It is the OWNER you should blame for failing to socialize and train the dog and then letting it run loose in your neighborhood. Leave the rest of the “pit bulls” alone!
I just joined this site and I would like to know how to get involved with this cause. I love the breed with all my heart and would support any effort I can.
These are not even facts. Do you believe everything you read?
Pit Bulls Make up 59% of all fatal attacks! Yet make up ONLY 5% of the dog population.
German Shepherds are the 2nd most popular breed in the US., behind Retrievers (Goldens and Labradors) Mixed breed dogs account for more than half (53 percent) of all pet dogs in the U.S. and most common from the German Shepherd.
Pit Bulls are for the uneducated, ignorant fools.
I’m not sure who you’re referring 59% to. Any information I have, I bring from the most reliable places. My numbers were pulled straight from The American Pet Products Manufacturers Association and The American Temperament Test Society. Those are the closest to accurate facts you’re going to get with a breed, barely recognized by dog associations. You should get off your high horse and read a little bit before you judge. You should check out some other articles and comments, because I’ve clearly stated many times, that Pit Bulls are often misidentified, which would obviously inflate numbers. And just so you know, mixed breed or not, if it’s got Pit in it, the news will declare it a Pit Bull Fatality, no matter what. Am I wrong or right?
no I believe what i see for myself how about you so keep reading the facts cause no pitbull stats are true Pitbull refers to following breeds:Bull terrier, bull dog, english bulldog, bull mastif, kane korso, boxer, and any dog that is of mixed breed with pit traits is refereed to as pitbull so you think that any of what you read about pits are facts?
Few people can tell a full blooded pitbull and there not the ones supporting the ban to those people if it has block head broad chest its pit.”Ignorance”
So popularity makes the KILLER how about ciggarettes bitch tally up that data!!!!
Your comment proves that YOU’RE THE IGNORANT ONE. While I recognize that there are some, (very few), “bad apples” in every breed, the motto I use from Barbara Woodhouse, a world renowned dog trainer, is “There are no bad dogs; only bad owners.” At age 50 I just received my BA in science gen ed and I own a pitbull. Does owning a pitbull make me ignorant and uneducated? My beautiful pit Makai was socialized at an early age meeting many people and many dogs. She loves everyone because of this socialization. THAT’S what a responsible dog owner does regardless of the breed.
How about YOUR “facts”? Where are your citations? Where did YOU get your misinformation? I believe you to be too ignorant, and uneducated to come up with a lucid and factual argument. Go ahead…prove me wrong. You can’t? I didn’t think so.
Like you….Feel sorry for you…
This site is to discuss not to offend..
How come there are no solid statistics on how many Americans own pit bulls?
I believe they make up many more then 5%, 9.6%, even %15. I have lived from Seattle, WA, Bridgeport, CT, Richmond, MN, Tallahassee, FL, and currently live in Las Vegas, NV. The U.S.A. is at least 50% Pit Bulls. Just My opinion, I own a 12 month old Bull Terrier Best Dog I’ve ever had. Wouldn’t hurt a fly.
The reason there is no guaranteed statistics on Pit Bulls is because there are so many different types, and people have issues identifying them. For instance I’ve seen many times in news articles, the author uses an image of a Mastiff type dog as being closely resembled to the attack dog, when the attack dog was assumed to be a Pit Bull. This goes to show even reporters cannot identify a Pit Bull. If this is the case how are we supposed to keep track of millions. So there have been no legitimate numbers. There are estimates, which are on my Fatal Attack Statistics page, which I’ve gotten from various sources. But Yes!, with thousands of breeders having litters every day, it’s quite sickening to know where those puppies will end up.
This is terrible how they get hung and shot???? TERRIBLE!
please keep me posted. i am happy to help however i can. i have a loving 12 yr old baby and he is the most amazing friend i have ever had. wouldn’t hurt a fly. i live near Denver, Co and it just brings me to tears to know what that city’s tax dollars have gone toward as far as banning them. i am tired of doggie racism!
I just noticed your site, as i am doing an argumentative paper on pit bulls, like how its wrong that people are so mean to them and are so afraid of them. i just wanted to know if you had any information on how people are hurting them, like how the states are taking action against them. thank you. great site btw.
Basically what happens is, the government doesn’t give any support towards the breed, and it is up to the people who care about Pit Bulls to save them. There are barely any laws to support against dog fighting, except putting the dogs to sleep. Many places in states have just given up, and banned the breed, which still doesn’t put enough pressure on the dog fighters, so they keep fighting them. Training a dog to fight, and putting them in the ring is the worst thing they can do. Dog fighters will say they love the breed, meanwhile they pit their Pit Bull against another in a battle to death.
Good part of Pit Bull Documentary: (gruesome, but you will get the point):
States they are banned in currently (as many as I know):
http://defendpitbulls.com/articles/pit-bull-statistics/ban-laws-in-united-states
Hope this helps your end of the argument, good luck.
this is great finally some intelect put into these crazy pit bans i have a pit who is the most calm loyal dog ive ever had and im currently do a college paper to be published in a state wide news paper dealing with this issue these stats r great and im very appreciative thanks
its amazing to see the numbers! i knew the temperment test results, but not the sttack average or anything like that! I am an avid pit-bull defender i happen to own three of the best bullies i have ever met, and would trust ANY ONE of them with the childeren that are at my home. they think my 5 yr old and my 3 nieces are there litter mates and puppies! they are the best dogs i feel to have in a family and around children. It is not the breed its the ignorant fools behind them that cause the devastation. bullies need love and care and they will be the best dogs u have ever encountered. keep pages like this going and hopefully one day it will make a difference!
Just found your website, I like it! Hopefully you can get a good following!! We have a Pit Bull in our family and she is amazing and has put the “myths” to shame