30-Year Summary of Dog Attack Deaths and Maimings Report is Released by Animal People Editor

Data shows that fatal and serious maulings by pit bulls have greatly escalated in the past 10 years. Furthermore, 39% of the total number of pit bull attacks and 42% of the fatalities have occurred since the 2007 Michael Vick case.

Austin, TX January 16, 2012 -- DogsBite.org - Merritt Clifton, editor of Animal People, has released a 30-year summary of his report, Dog Attack Deaths and Maimings, U.S. & Canada, September 1982 to December 26, 2011. It has been over 10 years since the CDC published its 20-year fatal dog attack study. Moreover, the 30-year Clifton dog attack report measures a much deeper level than the CDC fatal dog attack study; it tracks serious injuries, maimings and deaths by dog breed.

According to the summary report, 65% of the pit bull attacks resulting in someone being killed or maimed during the past 30 years have occurred during the past 10 years. "This rate increase should startle even the most casual reader," said Colleen Lynn, founder of DogsBite.org. Fatalpitbullattacks.com backs up this accelerated injury rate as well. In the last 8 years of the CDC study (1991 to 1998) pit bulls and their mixes killed 23 Americans. In the 8-year period of 2004 to 2011 pit bulls killed 140 Americans.

The average kill rate for pit bulls during the same 8-year period of the CDC study was 2.8 deaths annually. The average kill rate from 2004 to 2011 was 17.5 deaths annually, up roughly 625%. In the whole 20-year CDC study period, pit bulls and their mixes killed 76 Americans averaging 3.8 deaths annually. This same dog breed has inflicted over 90 deaths in just the past 5 years alone (2007 to 2011). These are death rates only and do not account for serious maulings.

DogsBite.org urges doctors, attorneys, lawmakers and law enforcement officials to take a close look at the 30-Year Summary of Dog Attacks Deaths and Maimings, U.S. & Canada. "All of the numbers from the first 10 years of data collection look like a single year's worth of data from recent years," Clifton states. He added that despite "ramped up" efforts by national animal groups in the wake of the Michael Vick case, 39% of the total number of pit bull attacks and 42% of the fatalities have occurred since 2007.

The 30-year summary and full reports are available for download at DogsBite.org.

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.