On Pit Bull Awareness Day, Dog Bite Victims Group Releases Video of Attack Victims

DogsBite.org believes that victims of pit bull attacks deserve a powerful voice on a day many citizens are asked to appreciate pit bulls and build better "awareness" of them.

Seattle, Washington (October 22, 2008) -- DogsBite.org, a national dog bite victims' group dedicated to reducing serious dog attacks, will release a video tribute to attack victims on October 25, a day that pit bull advocacy groups have coined, "Pit Bull Awareness Day." The video will appear on the DogsBite Blog page Saturday morning at the following location:
blog.dogsbite.org

The 5-minute video documents 127 pit bull attacks on humans that occurred across the United States in an 85-day period between July to September 2008. The video includes the name and age of each victim (when it was available) and the city and state of each attack. The video also highlights statistical data gathered from the attacks, including the 6 U.S. citizens killed by pit bulls during this time span.

Attack victim data

  • 127 attacks recorded
  • 57% of the attacks occurred off-property
  • 158 people were injured
  • 63% of these injuries were severe
  • 10% entailed severed body parts
  • 6 people were killed

The video does not include attacks on animals. DogsBite.org grieves the loss of pet dogs, cats, horses, ponies, and livestock maimed or killed in unprovoked pit bull attacks.

Within the 85-day period, U.S. law enforcement officers and citizens shot 128 dangerous pit bulls, and 12 cities passed ordinances that regulate pit bulls as well. These cities included: Fultondale (AL), Manteca (CA), Sioux City (IA), Grosse Point Park (MI), Hazel Park (MI), Leflore County (MS), Greenwood (MS), Omaha (NE), Lakewood (OH), Newport (OH), Sturgis (SD) and Fort Hood Army Base in Texas.

The founder of DogsBite.org, Colleen Lynn, says, "In the past year, we've documented about 250 U.S. cities that regulate pit bulls. The only question is, why haven't more? Countless cities suffer from the pit bull problem: too many pit bulls and too many attacks. Progressive policymakers understand that the key to preventing these attacks is through regulation."

Information about each city -- including a web link to its pit bull ordinance -- can be found in the Legislating Dogs, State-By-State section of the DogsBite.org website. Information about many victims included in the video will be available along with the video release on October 25. To preview the video tribute to attack victims prior to this date, please visit the DogsBite.org YouTube page:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X8nVTctxUDE

The "permalink" URL of the blog post that will contain the video and related victim and statistical information is located below. This weblink will not be live until October 25:
https://blog.dogsbite.org/2008/10/dog-bite-victims-group-releases-video.html

A higher resolution version of the video is available upon request.

About DogsBite.org
DogsBite.org is a national dog bite victims' group dedicated to reducing serious dog attacks. Through our work, we hope to protect both people and pets from future attacks. Our website, www.dogsbite.org, was launched in October 2007 and contains a wide collection of data to help policymakers and citizens learn about dangerous dog breeds. Our research focuses on pit bull type dogs. Due to selective breeding practices that emphasize aggression and tenacity, this class of dogs negatively impacts communities the most. Our website hosts important dog bite studies, U.S. dog bite fatalities and other key bibliographies. In the Legislating Dogs portion of our site, we offer examples of breed-specific laws and documentation of the constitutionality of these laws. The Victim Realities section provides a glance into the unforgettable histories victims leave behind and much more. DogsBite.org operates out of Austin, Texas and can be contacted via: 512-650-8510 or . Research contributions and active website participation stems from individuals that span the United States of America and across the world.