Bite statistic question.
 

I was discussing dogs with family yesterday and because of my favorite breed, bite statistics came up. Though many breeds are reported as pit bulls and get documented as such, does the other part of mixes get recorded as well?
If a pit-lab mix bit someone and it was reported which breed does the bite get put under? Pit? Lab? or both?

It would be reported as a pit bull. I hate dog bit statistics.

I think it would depend on who is compiling the statistics and what their agenda is.

It's impossible to determine the true breed makeup of a dog just by looking at it. Generally, if the dog looks like a bully, it's labeled a pit bull. It doesn't even have to contain a bully breed. They go by looks. And people will call just about anything a pit bull nowadays.

I also think this..

If it has teeth and bites someone, its labeled as a pit bull type dog


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Seconded.

Recording "mix" bites is hard because some mixes are known to the owner, while others are a guess, or up in the air. I know Roxy's mix because they only had two intact dogs when I went to get her and they had had litters between them before. Sometimes there's multiple possible sires in situations, or guesses as to breed are made solely based on appearance.

So in other words the bite statistics are even more skewed than most realize and do not reflect anything close to reality. It's sad that so many take dog bite statistics (especially insurance companies) so seriously like they are the be all end all authority on the matter. It's nothing more than to perpetuate the fear-mongering of the general public. Most of my family is the mis-guided general publichttp://www.pitbull-chat.com/images/smilies/frown.png

Stats are even more skewed because there is no central database for reports. Info gathering is strictly voluntary on a national level and not all cities/counties send in data. Also, not all reports made list a breed. So, the info out there is totally incomplete notwithstanding breed misidentification.