Great article -- but one thing needs to be clarified. The reason the CDC knows no particular breed is more likely to attack than another even though that bite statistic report from between 1979 and 1998 discusses certain breeds is because they found a serious scientific flaw. They found out that breed designation on the data used for that report is made frequently from visual identification by the victim or the responding officer.
A 2009 AVMA study showed that 87.5% of visual identification by veterinarians and shelter staff is not accurate according to DNA.
If breed designation by visual assessment is 87.5% wrong, amongst vets and shelter workers who know many different breeds, then imagine the discrepancy when the victims are guessing the breed of the dog.
Re: “The Pits and the Pendulum”
Great article -- but one thing needs to be clarified. The reason the CDC knows no particular breed is more likely to attack than another even though that bite statistic report from between 1979 and 1998 discusses certain breeds is because they found a serious scientific flaw. They found out that breed designation on the data used for that report is made frequently from visual identification by the victim or the responding officer.
A 2009 AVMA study showed that 87.5% of visual identification by veterinarians and shelter staff is not accurate according to DNA.
If breed designation by visual assessment is 87.5% wrong, amongst vets and shelter workers who know many different breeds, then imagine the discrepancy when the victims are guessing the breed of the dog.