Editing Pit bull (section)

== Dog attack and death risk ==
{{See also|Dog bite|List of fatal dog attacks}}A 2000 joint review project between researchers in the [[Centers for Disease Control and Prevention]] (CDC), [[Humane Society of the United States]] (HSUS) and [[American Veterinary Medical Association]] (AVMA) found the data indicated that [[Rottweiler]]s and pit bull–type dogs accounted for 67% of human dog bite-related fatalities in the United States between 1997 and 1998, and followed with "It is extremely unlikely that they accounted for anywhere near 60% of dogs in the United States during that same period and, thus, there appears to be a breed-specific problem with fatalities." Pit bull–type dogs were identified in approximately one-third of dog bite-related fatalities in the United States between 1981 and 1992. The review notes that studies on dog bite-related fatalities which collect information by surveying news reports are subject to potential errors, as some fatal attacks may not have been reported, a study might not find all relevant news reports, and the dog breed might be misidentified.<ref name="CDC">{{cite web |last1=Sacks |first1=Jeffrey J. |last2=Sinclair |first2=Leslie |last3=Gilchrist |first3=Julie |title=Breeds of dogs involved in fatal human attacks in the United States between 1979 and 1998 |url=https://www.cdc.gov/homeandrecreationalsafety/images/dogbreeds-a.pdf |publisher=Centers for Disease Control and Prevention |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151116130816/http://www.cdc.gov/homeandrecreationalsafety/images/dogbreeds-a.pdf |archive-date=November 16, 2015 |date=September 15, 2000 }}</ref> However, after 2000 the CDC stopped tracking dog bites, and in 2001, Julie Gilchrist, a CDC pediatrician and epidemiologist, stated that part of the reason the CDC stopped collecting dog bite data was because "making meaningful analysis [of the data][was] nearly impossible".<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.avma.org/javma-news/2017-11-15/dangerous-dog-debate|title=The dangerous dog debate &#124; American Veterinary Medical Association|date=November 2017 }}</ref>

In a 2021 review of 19 retrospective dog bite studies from U.S. Level I trauma centers, pit bulls were found to inflict a higher prevalence and severity of injuries compared with other breeds.<ref>{{Cite journal|pmid = 34100808|year = 2021|last1 = Reuter Muñoz|first1 = K. D.|last2 = Powell|first2 = L. E.|last3 = Andersen|first3 = E. S.|last4 = Nye|first4 = A. D.|last5 = Powers|first5 = J. M.|last6 = Rhodes|first6 = J.|last7 = Pozez|first7 = A. L.|title = Analysis of Pediatric Dog Bite Injuries at a Level 1 Trauma Center over 10 Years|journal = Annals of Plastic Surgery|volume = 86|issue = 6S Suppl 5|pages = S510–S516|doi = 10.1097/SAP.0000000000002928|s2cid = 235368825}}</ref> A 2020 literature review in ''Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery'' found that from 1971 to 2018 of all pure breed dogs in the United States, pit bull–type breeds were second, behind the [[German Shepherd]], and ahead of [[Labrador Retriever|Labrador]]s, [[Chow Chow]]s, and Rottweilers (in that order) for the most bites severe enough to require hospital treatment. The study found that the proportion of bites caused by German Shepherds decreased by 0.63 percent per year over that time interval while the proportion caused by pit bulls increased by 1.17 percent per year. The pit bull proportion of dog bites increased more slowly in [[Denver, Colorado]], where breed-specific legislation had been in place.<ref name="Bailey"/>

In a 2014 literature review of dog bite studies, the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) argues that breed is a poor sole predictor of dog bites.<ref name=avma2014 /> According to the AVMA, controlled studies have not identified pit bulls as disproportionately dangerous, but other studies have found that, compared with other dog breeds, pit bulls were more likely to inflict complex injuries, are more likely to attack unprovoked, and are more likely to go off property to do so.<ref name=avma2014 /><ref>{{Cite journal|pmid = 31816277|year = 2020|last1 = Khan|first1 = K.|last2 = Horswell|first2 = B. B.|last3 = Samanta|first3 = D.|title = Dog-Bite Injuries to the Craniofacial Region: An Epidemiologic and Pattern-of-Injury Review at a Level 1 Trauma Center|journal = Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery |volume = 78|issue = 3|pages = 401–413|doi = 10.1016/j.joms.2019.11.002|s2cid = 209167886}}</ref> Pit bull–type dogs are more frequently identified with cases involving very severe injuries or fatalities than other breeds, but a 2007 study suggested this may relate to the popularity of the breed, noting that sled dogs, such as [[Siberian Husky|Siberian Huskies]], were involved in a majority of fatal dog attacks in some areas of Canada.<ref name=avma2014 /><ref>Raghavan M. Fatal dog attacks in Canada, 1990–2007. Can Vet J. 2008;49:577–581</ref> Bite statistics by breed are no longer tracked by the CDC,<ref>{{cite web |title=The dangerous dog debate |url=https://www.avma.org/news/javmanews/pages/171115a.aspx |access-date=July 12, 2019 |year=2017 |first1=R. Scott |last1=Nolen |archive-date=October 19, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191019112118/https://www.avma.org/News/JAVMANews/Pages/171115a.aspx |url-status=live }}</ref> and are discouraged by the AVMA<ref name="avmabite">{{cite web |title=A community approach to dog bite prevention |periodical=[[Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association]] |volume=218 |issue=11 |date=June 1, 2001 |pages=1731–1749 |url=https://www.avma.org/sites/default/files/2020-03/dogbite.pdf |access-date=July 11, 2009}}</ref> and the [[American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals]] (ASPCA).<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.aspca.org/about-us/aspca-policy-and-position-statements/position-statement-breed-specific-legislation |title=ASPCA Policy and Position Statements |access-date=July 12, 2019 |archive-date=June 16, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190616202010/https://www.aspca.org/about-us/aspca-policy-and-position-statements/position-statement-breed-specific-legislation |url-status=live }}</ref>

Pit bulls were originally developed from dogs that were bred for bull baiting and dog fighting.<ref name="Bini"/> Pit bull attacks are often perceived as taking place "without warning", possibly due to the type's fighting heritage, as fighting dogs that do not signal aggression may do better in the ring.<ref name="Bini">{{cite journal |last1=Bini |first1=John K. |last2=Cohn |first2=Stephen M. |title=Mortality, Mauling, and Maiming by Vicious Dogs |journal=Annals of Surgery |date=April 2011 |volume=253 |issue=4 |pages=791–797 |doi=10.1097/SLA.0b013e318211cd68 |pmid=21475022|url=https://assets.gov.ie/224373/f881b086-0803-4e92-8773-e45ef1e4db94.pdf}}</ref> However, recent research suggests that this perception may reflect a lack of knowledge of [[Dog communication|dog body-language]], and owners' over-confidence in their ability to interpret those signs.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://phys.org/news/2023-06-reveals-links-dog-behavior.html | title=New research reveals links between dog attacks and misunderstanding of dog behavior }}</ref> In fighting with dogs of other breeds, pit bulls, German Shepherds, [[Great Dane]]s and Rottweilers were often the aggressor, and more than twenty percent of studied [[Akita (dog)|Akita]]s, [[Jack Russell Terrier]]s and pit bulls displayed serious aggression towards other dogs.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Duffy |first1=D.L. |last2=Hsu |first2=Yuying |last3=Serpell |first3=James A. |title=Breed differences in canine aggression |journal=Applied Animal Behaviour Science |date=18 April 2008 |volume=114 |issue=3–4 |pages=441–460 |doi=10.1016/j.applanim.2008.04.006 |url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0168159108001147 |access-date=13 September 2020}}</ref> Although there may be a connection between breed of dog and aggression towards humans, the difficulty of classifying dog attacks by specific breed after the fact has made this point controversial and debated.<ref name="WhatsName">{{cite journal |last1=Gunter |first1=Lisa M. |last2=Barber |first2=Rebecca T. |last3=Wynne |first3=Clive D.L. |title=What's in a Name? Effect of Breed Perceptions & Labeling on Attractiveness, Adoptions & Length of Stay for Pit-Bull-Type Dogs |journal=PLOS ONE |date=23 March 2016 |volume=11 |issue=3 |pages=e0146857 |doi=10.1371/journal.pone.0146857 |pmid=27008213 |pmc=4805246 |bibcode=2016PLoSO..1146857G |doi-access=free }}</ref> Violent interactions between humans and canines have been studied by the U.S. government,<ref>Hanna, TL, Selby LA. Characteristics of the human and pet populations in animal bite incidents recorded at two Air Force bases. Public Health Rep. 1981;96:580-584.</ref> notably the [[Centers for Disease Control and Prevention]] (CDC),<ref>Clarke NM. A survey of urban Canadian animal control practices : the effect of enforcement and resourcing on the reported dog bite rate, Master of Science — MSc 2009</ref> as well as academic veterinary researchers.<ref name=avma2014 /> The interpretation of these studies, breed identification and relevance<ref name="duffy">Duffy, DL., Hsu, Y. Serpell, JA. Breed differences in canine aggression. Appl Anim Behav Sci 2008;114:441–460.</ref> issues, and variable circumstances have given rise to intense controversy.<ref name="RollUnshelm1997">{{cite journal |last1=Roll |first1=A. |last2=Unshelm |first2=J. |title=Aggressive conflicts amongst dogs and factors affecting them |journal=Applied Animal Behaviour Science |volume=52 |issue=#3–4 |year=1997 |pages=229–242 |issn=0168-1591 |doi=10.1016/S0168-1591(96)01125-2}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.arwob.org/info/file?file=s2148m6372.pdf |title=Pitbull Myths vs. Fact — Animal Rescuers Without Borders |access-date=December 22, 2014 |archive-date=February 10, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150210041919/http://www.arwob.org/info/file?file=s2148m6372.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> Additionally, researchers on both sides of the pit bull debate rarely disclose when they are being funded by lobbyists, leading to a risk that the scientific literature on pit bulls has been influenced by money.<ref name="Bailey">{{cite journal |last1=Bailey |first1=Chad M. |last2=Hinchcliff |first2=Katharine M. |last3=Moore |first3=Zachary |last4=Pu |first4=Lee L.Q. |title=Dog Bites in the United States from 1971 to 2018: A Systematic Review of the Peer-Reviewed Literature |journal=Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery |date=November 2020 |volume=146 |issue=5 |pages=1166–1176 |doi=10.1097/PRS.0000000000007253|pmid=33136964 |s2cid=225080998 }}</ref>{{rp|p. 1172}}

Pit bulls are known for their tenacity and refusal to release a bite, even in the face of great pain. A popular myth mischaracterized pit bulls as having "locking jaws."<ref name="google1">{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SnmDjzD5_8cC&pg=PT56 |title=Pit Bulls For Dummies |author=D. Caroline Coile |date=April 18, 2011 |publisher=John Wiley & Sons |access-date=March 31, 2013 |isbn=978-1-118-06937-0 |archive-date=August 20, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200820201310/https://books.google.com/books?id=SnmDjzD5_8cC&pg=PT56 |url-status=live }}</ref> The refusal to let go is a behavioral, not physiological trait, and there is no locking mechanism in a pit bull's jaws.<ref>{{cite web |title=''Toledo v. Tellings'', -REVERSED-, 2006-Ohio-975, ¶25 |publisher=Court of Appeals of Ohio, Sixth Appellate District |url=http://www.sconet.state.oh.us/rod/docs/pdf/6/2006/2006-ohio-975.pdf |access-date=October 2, 2009 |archive-date=September 16, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090916172053/http://www.sconet.state.oh.us/rod/docs/pdf/6/2006/2006-ohio-975.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> Pit bull–type dogs, like other terriers, hunting and bull-baiting breeds,<ref name="aspcabite">{{cite web |title=The Truth About Pit Bulls |publisher=American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals |year=2013 |url=http://www.aspca.org/pet-care/virtual-pet-behaviorist/dog-behavior/truth-about-pit-bulls |access-date=October 22, 2013 |archive-date=October 22, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131022035047/http://www.aspca.org/pet-care/virtual-pet-behaviorist/dog-behavior/truth-about-pit-bulls |url-status=live }}</ref> can exhibit a bite, hold, and shake behavior and at times refuse to release.<ref name="SI 1987">{{cite magazine |first=E.M. |last=Swift |title=The pit bull: friend and killer |date=July 27, 1987 |magazine=[[Sports Illustrated]] |volume=67 |issue=#4 |url=https://www.si.com/vault/1987/07/27/115813/the-pit-bull-friend-and-killer-is-the-pit-bull-a-fine-animal-as-its-admirers-claim-or-is-it-a-vicious-dog-unfit-for-society |access-date=December 2, 2009 |archive-date=November 22, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151122182011/http://www.si.com/vault/1987/07/27/115813/the-pit-bull-friend-and-killer-is-the-pit-bull-a-fine-animal-as-its-admirers-claim-or-is-it-a-vicious-dog-unfit-for-society |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Ross, et al">{{cite book |editor1-first=Ross D. |editor1-last=Clark |editor2-first=Joan R. |editor2-last=Stainer |editor3-first=H. David |editor3-last=Haynes |editor4-first=Ralph |editor4-last=Buckner |editor5-first=Jacob |editor5-last=Mosier |editor6-first=Art J. |editor6-last=Quinn |title=Medical & Genetic Aspects of Purebred Dogs |publisher=Veterinary Medicine Publishing |place=[[Edwardsville, KS]] |isbn=978-0-9641609-0-3 |page=27 |year=1983}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Breaking up a fight |publisher=Pit Bull Rescue Central |year=2008 |url=http://www.pbrc.net/breakfight.html |access-date=August 16, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100104114211/http://www.pbrc.net/breakfight.html |archive-date=January 4, 2010 }}</ref> Pit bulls also have wide skulls, well-developed facial muscles, and strong jaws,<ref name="google1" /> and some research suggests that pit bull bites are particularly serious because they tend to bite deeply and grind their molars into tissue.<ref name="Cherry2014">{{cite book |last=Cherry |first=James |title=Feigin and Cherry's textbook of pediatric infectious diseases — Animal and Human Bites, Morven S. Edwards |publisher=Elsevier/Saunders |location=Philadelphia, PA |year=2014 |isbn=978-1-4557-1177-2 |via=the [[University of Pittsburgh]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Ellis|first1=Jennifer Lynn|last2=Thomason|first2=Jeffrey|last3=Kebreab|first3=Ermias|last4=Zubair|first4=Kasim|last5=France|first5=James|date=March 2009|title=Cranial dimensions and forces of biting in the domestic dog|journal=Journal of Anatomy|volume=214|issue=3|pages=362–373|doi=10.1111/j.1469-7580.2008.01042.x|pmid=19245503|issn=0021-8782|pmc=2673787}}</ref> Breaking an [[ammonia]] [[ampule]] and holding it up to the dog's nose can cause the dog to release its hold.<ref name="Ross, et al" />

=== In animal shelters ===
Many people consider pit bulls undesirable, making it harder for animal shelters to adopt them out.<ref name="Return">{{cite journal |last1=Powell |first1=Lauren |last2=Reinhard |first2=Chelsea |title=Characterizing unsuccessful animal adoptions: age and breed predict the likelihood of return, reasons for return and post-return outcomes |journal=Scientific Reports |year=2021 |volume=11 |issue=1 |page=8018 |doi=10.1038/s41598-021-87649-2 |pmid=33850258 |pmc=8044234 |bibcode=2021NatSR..11.8018P }}</ref> Surveys have found that animal shelter workers intentionally misidentify pit bulls to improve their adoption rates, or to avoid euthanizing them in jurisdictions where they are banned.<ref name="Misidentify">{{cite web |date=September 2014 |title=When it comes to pit bulls, animal shelter workers intentionally misidentify |url=http://newsroom.taylorandfrancisgroup.com/news/press-release/pit-bulls-in-animal-shelters |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150904071314/http://newsroom.taylorandfrancisgroup.com/news/press-release/pit-bulls-in-animal-shelters |archive-date=September 4, 2015 |access-date=October 22, 2014 |work=[[Taylor & Francis]]}}</ref> Animal advocates recommend that shelters stop labeling breeds to improve pit bull adoption rates.<ref name="Return"/> Pit bulls also have higher rates of unsuccessful adoptions, and are more likely than other kinds of dogs to be returned to a shelter multiple times and eventually euthanized.<ref name="Return"/> Whether pit bull adoptions fail more often than other types of dog due to breed behavioral traits, or due to public stigma, is not known, but in general the most common reasons why shelter dog adoptions fail are behavioral problems or incompatibility with the adopter's existing pets.<ref name="Return"/>

=== Breed-specific legislation (pit bull bans) ===
{{Main|Breed-specific legislation}}

Widely reported pit bull attacks have resulted in the enactment of [[breed-specific legislation]] (BSL) in many cities and countries. For example, in the United States as of 2018, there was some level of breed-specific legislation in 37 states and over 1,000 cities.<ref name="bslsummary2018">{{cite web |date=December 20, 2018 |title=Estimated U.S. Cities, Counties, States and Military Facilities with Breed-Specific Pit Bull Laws - Dog Breeds |url=https://www.scribd.com/doc/56495216/Estimated-U-S-Cities-Counties-States-and-Military-Facilities-with-Breed-Specific-Pit-Bull-Laws |website=Scribd |publisher=[[DogsBite.org]]}}</ref>

Many of the jurisdictions that restrict pit bulls apply their restriction to the modern American Pit Bull Terrier, American Staffordshire Terrier, Staffordshire Bull Terrier, and any other dog that has the substantial physical characteristics and appearance of those breeds, such as the Canadian province of [[Ontario]].<ref name="Government of Ontario, Canada">{{cite web |date=August 29, 2005 |title=An Act to amend the Dog Owners' Liability Act to increase public safety in relation to dogs, including pit bulls, and to make related amendments to the Animals for Research Act |url=http://www.e-laws.gov.on.ca/html/statutes/english/elaws_statutes_90d16_e.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100702074542/http://www.e-laws.gov.on.ca/html/statutes/english/elaws_statutes_90d16_e.htm |archive-date=July 2, 2010 |access-date=July 5, 2010 |publisher=Government of Ontario, Canada}}</ref> A few jurisdictions, such as [[Singapore]], also classify the modern American Bulldog as a "pit bull–type dog".<ref name=":5">{{cite web |date=November 15, 2010 |title=List of Scheduled Dogs |url=https://www.ava.gov.sg/docs/default-source/tools-and-resources/resources-for-businesses/summaryofab_doglicensingcontrol_rules_15nov2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150827031216/http://www.ava.gov.sg/docs/default-source/tools-and-resources/resources-for-businesses/summaryofab_doglicensingcontrol_rules_15nov2010 |archive-date=August 27, 2015 |access-date=February 20, 2018 |publisher=Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority of Singapore}}</ref>

Breed-specific legislation has been largely found to be ineffective at reducing the number of dog attacks.<ref>{{cite web |title=Position Statement on Breed-Specific Legislation |url=https://avsab.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Breed-Specific_Legislation-download-_8-18-14.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200527062101/https://avsab.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Breed-Specific_Legislation-download-_8-18-14.pdf |archive-date=May 27, 2020 |access-date=August 15, 2020 |publisher=The American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior}}</ref> Debates often center on whether apparent aggressive tendencies are the result of poor dog ownership or natural behaviors of the breed.<ref name=":0" />

Some municipalities take the opposite approach, and have passed anti-BSL laws. Anti-BSL laws have been passed in 21 of the 50 states in the United States, prohibiting or restricting the ability of jurisdictions within those states to enact or enforce breed-specific legislation.<ref>{{cite web |title=Overview of States that Prohibit BSL - Animal Legal & Historical Center |url=https://www.animallaw.info/article/overview-states-prohibit-bsl |website=www.animallaw.info}}</ref>

Some municipalities started with BSL laws, then repealed them, such as [[Denver]], Colorado.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Swanson |first=Conrad |date=2020-11-04 |title=Denver election results for 2J: Voters repeal city's pit bull ban |url=https://www.denverpost.com/2020/11/03/denver-election-results-2j-pit-bull/ |access-date=2023-03-17 |website=The Denver Post |language=en-US}}</ref>