Written Evidence submitted by DogsBite.org (DDL0316)

DogsBite.org is 501(c)(3) national dog bite victims’ advocacy organization dedicated to reducing serious dog attacks. For over 10-years, we have been the leading dog bite victims’ advocacy nonprofit in the United States.

Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee

Dangerous Dogs: Breed-Specific Legislation

June 6, 2018

The founder of DogsBite.org, Colleen Lynn, is submitting this evidence. My nonprofit looks to the United Kingdom as a marker for what could be obtained in our country—especially the legislation passed in 2014 that increased criminal penalties when dogs inflict serious and fatal injuries. I share with you recent findings from our nonprofit and medical researchers in the United States also grappling with this issue.

Summary

•                                                                                                                                                           U.S. fatal dog attack findings (2005 to 2017)
•                                                                                                                                                           U.S. severe dog bite injury findings (2011 to 2017)
•                                                                                                                                                           Our recommendation: broaden the definition of a pit bull
•                                                                                                                                                           Cited scientific medical studies

Fatal Dog Attack Findings

1.                                                                                                                                                         In May, DogsBite.org released a 13-year report that examines the breeds of dogs involved in fatal attacks on humans (U.S. Dog Bite Fatalities: Breeds of Dogs Involved, Age Groups and Other Factors Over a 13-Year Period (2005 to 2017). During this period, canines killed 433 Americans. Pit bulls contributed to 66% (284) of these deaths. Within this period, deaths attributed to pit bulls rose from 58% (2005 to 2010) to 71% (2011 to 2017), a 22% rise. The estimated population of pit bulls rose over this period as well. Today, pit bulls comprise about 6.5% of the total U.S. dog population. During the 3-year period of 2010 to 2012, the total U.S. pit bull population was estimated to be at 4%. The next closest breed, rottweilers, inflicted 45 deaths. Combined, these two dog breeds accounted for 76% of attacks resulting in death.

Severe Injury Findings

2.                                                                                                                                                        From 2011 to present day, six peer-reviewed retrospective medical studies from level 1 trauma centers—spanning the Northeast, Southeast, South, Southwest and West Coast regions of the U.S.—all report similar findings. Pit bulls are producing a higher prevalence of injuries, a higher severity of injuries and require more operative intervention–up to five times higher—than all other dog breeds. Only one study during the period had a lower prevalence of pit bull injuries, Children’s Hospital of Denver, consistent with Denver and the surrounding metropolitan regions enforcing longstanding pit bull bans. All six studies are cited in paragraphs 4 through 10 along with our selection criteria.

Our Recommendation

3.                                                                                                                                                        In the United States, a pit bull is a “class of dogs.” The legal definition of a pit bull includes: American pit bull terrier, American Staffordshire terrier, Staffordshire bull terrier and any other pure bred or mixed breed dog that is a combination of these dogs. Our nonprofit strongly recommends to jurisdictions adopting breed-specific laws to also include the American bulldog, a closely related breed that shares the same bloodsport heritage of bull baiting. A BBC News article from 1999, just 8 years after the Dangerous Dog Act was passed, states that, “American Bulldogs are being imported and cross-bred in the UK to produce fighting dogs that are potentially extremely aggressive in an effort to side-step current legislation.” Our recommendation is that United Kingdom government officials broaden the definition of an American pit bull terrier to a “class of dogs” legally designated as pit bulls, much like the Province of Ontario did, when it enacted a pit bull ban in 2005. UK officials should also include the American bulldog, which by 1999, was already being imported by people to misuse the breed—including for the purposes of illegal dogfighting—and to skirt the Dangerous Dog Act.

Selection Criteria

4.                                                                                                                                                        Criteria for inclusion in our table of medical studies includes being a multi-year study of dog bite victims hospitalized at a level 1 trauma center, where the most severe injuries are treated, and the research conducted by medical doctors, not veterinarians. Our comprehensive table was released in October 2016. Since this time, there have been new additions.

Cited Scientific Medical Studies

5.                                                                                                                                                        New York - Northeast - 2017 (Maria Fareri Children’s, Pediatric Level 1 Trauma Center): An Algorithmic Approach to Operative Management of Complex Pediatric Dog Bites: 3-Year Review of a Level I Regional Referral Pediatric Trauma Hospital, by Kaveh Alizadeh, MD, MSc, FACS, Ali Shayesteh, MD, and Min Li Xu, MD, Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery - Global Open, October 2017.

•                                                                                                                                                           “Of the 56 cases that had an identified dog breed, pit bulls accounted for 48.2% of the dog bites, and 47.8% of pit bull bites required intervention in the operating room, which was 3 times more than other breeds.”
•                                                                                                                                                           “Most notable was that of the 9 patients with extended hospitalization, 6 (66.7%) were caused by a pit bull that confirms our theory that this breed results in the most devastating injuries at our center.”

6.                                                                                                                                                        Georgia - Southeast - 2016 (Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, Pediatric Level 1 Trauma Center): Characteristics of 1616 Consecutive Dog Bite Injuries at a Single Institution, by Michael S. Golinko, MD, MA, Brian Arslanian, MD, and Joseph K. Williams, MD, FAAP, Clinical Pediatrics, July 2016

•                                                                                                                                                           “Pit bull bites were implicated in half of all surgeries performed and over 2.5 times as likely to bite in multiple anatomic locations as compared to other breeds.”
•                                                                                                                                                           “Our data were consistent with others, in that an operative intervention was more than 3 times as likely to be associated with a pit bull injury than with any other breed.”
   

7.                                                                                                                                                        Washington - Northwest - 2015 (Harborview Medical Center - Level 1 Trauma Center): Ocular Trauma From Dog Bites: Characterization, Associations, and Treatment Patterns at a Regional Level I Trauma Center Over 11 Years, by Prendes MA, Jian-Amadi A, Chang SH and Shaftel SS, Ophthalmic Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, June 2015.

•                                                                                                                                                           “This study is the first to accurately establish that pit bulls are the breed most commonly associated with ocular injuries (25%). Most alarming is the observation that when attacks come from unfamiliar dogs, the pit bull was responsible for 60% and 63% of all injuries and ocular injuries, respectively.”

8.                                                                                                                                                       California - West - 2015 (UC Davis Medical Center - Level 1 Trauma Center): Dog Bites of the Head and Neck: An Evaluation of a Common Pediatric Trauma and Associated Treatment, by Daniel C. O'Brien, BS, Tyler B. Andre, MD, Aaron D. Robinson, MD and Lane D. Squires, MD, American Journal of Otolaryngology, January–February, 2015, Volume 36, Issue 1, Pages 32–38.

•                                                                                                                                                           “Results: Of the more than 8 different breeds identified, one-third were caused by pit bull terriers and resulted in the highest rate of consultation (94%) and had 5 times the relative rate of surgical intervention. Unlike all other breeds, pit bull terriers were relatively more likely to attack an unknown individual (+31%), and without provocation (+48%).”
•                                                                                                                                                           “Dog bites from pit bull terriers, compared to bites from all other dogs are more common, more severe, and not related to the dog being provoked.”

9.                                                                                                                                                        Arizona - Southwest - 2015 (Phoenix Children's Hospital, Pediatric Level 1 Trauma Center): Morbidity of Pediatric Dog Bites: A Case Series at a Level One Pediatric Trauma Center, by Erin M. Garvey, Denice K. Twitchell, Rebecca Ragar, John C. Egan and Ramin Jamshidi, Journal of Pediatric Surgery, February 2015, Volume 50, Issue 2:343-346.

•                                                                                                                                                           “Pit bulls were most frequently responsible, accounting for 39% (83/213) of incidents in which dog breed was documented ... Among the 11 patients with the highest AIS (3–5), Pit bulls were responsible in 45.5% of cases ... Pit bulls were also responsible for 38% of all head, neck or face bites.”
•                                                                                                                                                           “Dog familiarity did not confer safety, and in this series, Pit bulls were most frequently responsible. These findings have great relevance for child safety.”

10.                                                                                                                                                    Texas - South - 2011 (University Hospital San Antonio - Level 1 Trauma Center): Mortality, Mauling, and Maiming by Vicious Dogs, by John K. Bini, MD, Stephen M. Cohn, MD, Shirley M. Acosta, RN, Marilyn J. McFarland, RN, MS, Mark T. Muir, MD and Joel E. Michalek, PhD; for the TRISAT Clinical Trials Group, Annals of Surgery, April 2011 - Volume 253 - Issue 4 - p 791–797

•                                                                                                                                                           “Conclusions: Attacks by pit bulls are associated with higher morbidity rates, higher hospital charges, and a higher risk of death than are attacks by other breeds of dogs. Strict regulation of pit bulls may substantially reduce the US mortality rates related to dog bites.”

June 2018