[illilmicy]

Data from New South Wales government for the years 2001 through 2003 list 547 reported dog attacks on people in NSW, with APBTs responsible for 33 (4%) attacks, behind crossbreeds (182, or 32.7%), German Shepherds (63, or 10.4%), Cattle dogs (59, or 8.4%), and Rottweilers (58, or 6.6%). When average severity of bites is considered, APBTs were sixth of the 6 breeds for which there were sufficient data for analysis (NSW government, 2003). According to recent NSW data only 1% of individuals attack in any way a person or other animal in a given year. By the worst case data 90% of its individuals are not recorded to attack a person or animal over their life span.

Crossbreeds lead the risk of attacks, leaving the APBT well down the lists of absolute numbers of attacks by breed, and the case that it is an especially dangerous dog is not established. The fact that crossbreeds are most likely to attack reflects their numbers in the population and the level of care and supervision they are given.

On May 20th 2000, a dog of pit bull type killed a 6-year-old child on a school playground in Hamburg. As a result, the authorities of Lower Saxony passed the Niedersaechsische Gefahrtierverordnung (GefTVO) on July 5th, 2000, to avert further danger. This law was created to regulate the keeping of certain breeds of dogs in Lower Saxony. At that time, the authorities assumed that these breeds of dogs represented a particular danger for the population. The law insinuated, without cause, that particular breeds were especially dangerous and divided them into 2 categories – category 1: American Staffordshire terriers, bull terriers, and dogs of the pit bull type. A special permit for keeping dogs of these breeds could be given but only if, among other preconditions, the dogs passed the behavioural test in accordance with the guidelines set out by the Ministry of Nutrition, Agriculture, and Forestry (Niedersaechsisches Ministerium fuer Ernaehrung, Landwirtschaft und Forsten) of Lower Saxony. Dogs in category 2 include: Doberman Pinscher, Rottweiler, Staffordshire bull terrier, Bullmastiff, Dogo Argentino, Fila Brasiliero, Caucasian owtscharka, Mastiff, Mastino Espanol, Mastino Napoletano and Tosa inu. Mongrels with dam and/or sire belonging to one of the breeds listed above had to be kept on a leash and wear a muzzle. After successfully passing the temperament test, dogs in Category 2 could be exempted from both these restrictions. In contrast, such an exemption could not be given to a dog belonging to category 1, even after passing a temperament test.

During a study in Lower Saxony in the temperament of several breeds including the bull terriers, American Staffordshire terriers, pit bull terriers and 11 other breeds, no significant difference in behaviour between breeds was detected. The results show no indication of dangerousness in specific breeds, justification for specific breed lists in the legislation was not shown.

Although all dogs tested were confronted with stimuli with which aggressive behaviour could consistently be provoked, only 9% of the dogs showed biting with complete approach and earlier threatening behaviour. Of the dogs tested in the temperament test, 95% showed behaviours that were appropriate to the particular situation.

In another temperament test carried out in the U.S. the results showed that interestingly, the pit bull group had a significantly higher passing proportion (p < 0.05) than all other pure breed groups, except the Sporting and Terrier groups. These groups however, did not have a statistically higher passing proportion (p = 0.78) than the pit bull group. The group that had the highest proportion of breed groups passing the temperament test was the sporting group (85.48%), followed by the pit bull group (84.50%). The groups that failed, with the lowest proportion of dogs passing the temperament test, were the toy (79.01%) and hound groups (77.01%). The groups were compared to determine if there was a significant difference in the proportion of dogs from each group that passed the temperament test. It was found that there were no significant differences between the proportion of dogs passing in the two groups with the highest passing percentages (sporting group and the pit bull group). Both of these breed groups performed significantly better (p > 0.05) than all other groups.

The Sporting group contains some of the more publicly accepted (as dogs of stable or good temperament) including Golden Retrievers and Labrador Retrievers. More notably, the American Pit Bull Terriers showed significantly higher proportion of dogs passing the test than hounds, herding, working, and toy groups.


Why Dogs Attack:

Reasons for biting are the dog is intentionally or inadvertently provoked, the dog is owned by someone who is ignorant about the characteristics and behaviour of the dog breed and has done nothing to familiarise him/herself with the breed or the dog is not properly confined, controlled or socialised.

Most dog attacks on people occur in the dog owner's home or in close proximity to it. Attacks on private property frequently happen when a dominant, protective or injured dog is not adequately supervised with children and visitors.

University of Washington researches have found that children are more often bitten by their own dogs or to those belonging to neighbours than by stray animals. Approximately 80% of bites inflicted on children are preventable.

Biting is a natural activity of all dogs and there will be a potential for injury. Nearly 75% of all children were bitten as a result of play activity with the biting dog, or as a result of teasing or trying to pet a dog.

American records show that several toy breeds have killed infants, and recent unpublished Australian study recorded very serious injuries to children inflicted by toy breeds. This highlights that all dogs should be trained and socialised, regardless of breed.