> According to the Centers for Disease Control, the top 10 most
> dangerous dogs are:
>
> 1. Pit Bulls
> 2. Rottweilers
> 3. German Shepherds
> 4. Huskies
> 5. Alaskan Malamutes
> 6. Doberman Pinschers
> 7. Chow Chows
> 8. Great Danes
> 9. St. Bernards
> 10. Akitas
>
http://www.resource4dogbitelaw.com/dangerousdogs.html
> _________
>
> Recall from another source that pit bull terriers are responsible for
> 1/3 of human deaths by dog bite. Another source claims that a "Bull
> Mastiff" should be in the top 10.
>
> Extremely surprising that St. Bernards and Great Danes made the top
> 10, especially the Bernies.
>
> Mildly surprising that Dobies aren't rated #3. And Chow Chows look
> like little shits. Hard to believe they're #7.
>
> Someone also mentioned a "Brazilian Fila" as being extremely vicious
> and tipping the scales at 180 lbs.!!
There is also the Anatolian, which can be over 200 lb. They are normally
not extremely aggressive, but their sheer size makes them potentially
dangerous. And they are very closely related to wolves, which are typically
aloof, less responsive to human attention, and thus harder to read, which
might elicit unpredictable and violent behavior.
Statistics are sparse and very difficult to interpret. The CDC report goes
into detail about the possible ways to interpret the data, perhaps by
adjustment according to popularity. You will have to read the report to
understand the rationale behind the way the numbers are presented.
Here are the statistics from a CDC report
http://www.cdc.gov/ncipc/duip/dogbreeds.pdf from 2000:
Death-based approach Dog-based
approach
Breed Pure Cross Total Pure
Cross Total
Pit bull-type 66 11* 76* 98 20
118
Rottweiler 39 6* 44* 60 7
67
German Shepherd Dog 17 11* 27* 24 17
41
Husky-type (includes at least 2 Siberian) 15 6 21 15 6
21
Malamute 12 3 15 13 3
16
Wolf-dog hybrid 0 14 14 0 15
15
Mixed-breed (NOS) 0 12 12 0 47
47
Chow Chow 8 3 11 8 13
21
Doberman 9 1 10 12 1
13
Saint Bernard 7 1 8 7 1
8
Great Dane 7 1* 7* 11 2
13
Labrador Retriever 1 4 5 1 7
8
Akita 4 0 4 4 0
4
Sled-type (NOS) 3 0 3 12 0
12
Bulldog 2 1 3 2 1
3
Mastiff 2 1 3 4 1
5
Boxer 2 1 3 4 1
5
Collie 0 3 3 0 6
6
Bullmastiff 1 1 2 1 1
2
Hound-type (NOS) 1 1 2 1 1
2
Retriever-type (NOS) 1 0 1 1 0
1
Chesapeake Bay Retriever 1 0 1 1 0
1
West Highland Terrier (NOS) 1 0 1 1 0
1
Terrier-type (NOS) 1 0 1 1 0
1
Japanese Hunting Dog (NOS) 1 0 1 1 0
1
Newfoundland 1 0 1 1 0
1
Coonhound 1 0 1 1 0
1
Sheepdog (NOS) 1 0 1 1 0
1
Australian Shepherd 0 1 1 0 3
3
Rhodesian Ridgeback 1 0 1 1 0
1
Cocker Spaniel 1 0 1 1 0
1
*A purebred dog and a crossbred dog of this breed were involved in a single
fatality; therefore, that breed is counted only once in the total column.
NOS - Not otherwise specified.
Paul and Sir Muttley, a "dangerous" Mixed Breed (NOS)
