7 Most Dangerous and Deadly Dog Breeds
Serious Bites and Fatalities In WV
Each year, canines kill hundreds of people across the nation. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), approximately 4.5 million dog bites are reported each year, with 800,000 of these requiring medical treatment. While there is considerable debate about why a dog bites, the statistics from insurance carriers and healthcare professionals in West Virginia and throughout the United States speak for themselves.
With overall annual claims averaging $500 million, the following seven breeds have been responsible for such high percentages of serious bites and fatalities that many insurance carriers have listed them as uninsurable.
#1. Pit Bulls
#2. Rottweilers
#3. Staffordshire Terriers
#4. Dobermans
#5. German Shepherds
#6. Great Danes
#7. Siberian Huskies
Is the Pit Bull Breed Really That Dangerous?
Doctors, reconstructive surgeons, and members of the medical community who regularly treat bite victims continue their efforts to raise awareness about the serious danger posed by Pit Bulls. Wolf-dog hybrids (which did not make the list due to their relative rarity) and fighting dog breeds, such as Cane Corso, Tosa Inu, Dogo Argentino, Presa Mallorquin, and other breeds descended from pit bull stock pose the most serious threat. Pit bulls cause significant, catastrophic bodily injury and death at a rate more than six times higher than #2 on the list, Rottweilers. Aside from being specifically bred as fighting dogs, this species possesses several characteristics that make its attacks absolutely devastating to the victim:
1. Unprovoked, Surprise Attacks – No warning signs are given. The dog typically appears exceptionally calm, docile, and friendly (often for quite some time) – then suddenly attacks. When an attack occurs, there is generally no aggravating factor. The attack tends to be sudden, brutal, and catastrophic.
2. Strategy of Total Ruin – Once an attack commences, the dog does not pause, reflect, or back down. Efforts to intervene are typically unsuccessful. If the dog cannot be forcibly removed in time, the victim is left seriously maimed. Unfortunately, the victim is often killed.
3. Specific Lethality – The manner in which this species bites is known as “hold and shake.” The neck/face area is commonly targeted. Flesh is gripped tightly with more than 200 lbs. of bite force and violently shaken about, commonly resulting in a particularly injurious or lethal outcome for the victim.
While small, high-energy dogs such as Chihuahuas, Lhasa Apsos, Pekingese, and Papillions account for a larger percentage of bites overall, the vast majority of these attacks result in little to no injury due to their small physical presence and typical lack of a well-honed attack strategy.
Injured by a Pit Bull In West Virginia?
Call Our Dog Bite Injury Team for a Free Consultation
If you or a loved one have been seriously injured by a pit bull or any other dog species in West Virginia, it is important to speak with an experienced dog bite attorney right away. At Angotti & Straface Attorneys at Law, our legal team holds irresponsible and negligent dog owners fully accountable. We are prepared to collect and preserve the evidence needed to prove your case – including the dog owner’s willful refusal to acknowledge that they harbored a dog species known to pose extreme danger by professionals across the medical, insurance, veterinary, legal, scholarly and scientific communities. We aggressively pursue the maximum financial compensation allowed by law from all at-fault parties for your serious physical and mental injuries, medical expenses, lost wages, and more. Our firm knows exactly what your case is worth – and we will fight to get every penny you deserve.
Contact Angotti & Straface Attorneys at Law for a complimentary consultation: (304) 292-4381.
Too injured to come to our office in Morgantown? We will come to you.