I have to say, before I get on to the usual data about pit bulls, that I am surprised to see the dalmation appear in a list of dangerous dogs. Apparently they are aggressive towards people, which does not fit well at all with my image of them riding in fire trucks.

It turns out the spotted breed actually gets along really well with horses. Fire engines used to be pulled by horses. Thus the connection between fire departments and dalmations has nothing to do with safety to humans.

I still think they are nice dogs. Right, with that out of the way, Dog Bite Law says pit bulls and rottweilers are the most common dogs involved in fatal incidents:

“Studies indicate that pit bull-type dogs were involved in approximately a third of human DBRF (i.e., dog bite related fatalities) reported during the 12-year period from 1981 through1992, and Rottweilers were responsible for about half of human DBRF reported during the 4 years from 1993 through 1996….[T]he data indicate that Rottweilers and pit bull-type dogs accounted for 67% of human DBRF in the United States between 1997 and 1998. 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.”

Saw that coming, didn’t you? These statistics beg the usual questions. Are pit bulls frequently in situations where there is a high likelihood of violence, or is there a high likelihood of violence in situations where there is a pit bull? German shepards and dobermans, for example are typically used for guard or police duty. That would make them far more likely to be involved in incidents like biting people. Dalmations seem to be around fires a lot…