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The media is so slanted, readers practically need climbing equipment!

It can't be stated any more plainly:

"If you only know what you hear or read in the media, you really don't know much."

After one too many slanted, misleading, grossly inaccurate or just plain dishonest dog bite reports in the media, we thought it high time to 'pull back the curtain on the wizard' and prove 'the emperor has no clothes.'

The rationale given by some members of the media is delicious in its lunacy. "Just do an Internet search and see how many 'pit bull' attacks there are each year," one reporter wrote. "Well...that's our point," we replied. 'Pit bulls' are only involved in 1-3% of bites, on average, yet they make up nearly 100% of media dog bite reports." That's like only covering drunk driving incidents involving Fords, then calling for a ban on all Fords because those are the only cars involved in drunk driving incidents covered by the media. It seems so contrived yet, from what we've heard from members of the media, it really is just plain ol' ignorance on their part. They really can't see the forest for the trees.

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The headlines screamed: another ghastly 'pit bull' attack in Ontario. In this case, a Shih Tzu was the intended victim. It's owner, a hapless casualty.

Pretty much every media agency in the region covered the following story. ...Repeatedly. ...Ad nauseam.

"Those awful 'pit bulls'; attacking innocent people and dogs. You never hear of a Labrador or a Golden Retriever involved in these kinds of incidents."

On February 14, 2006, Tarra Barnett was walking her 'pit bull' along Danforth Rd. in Scarborough, when it bolted and attacked a Shih Tzu being walked by its owner. The Shih Tzu didn't survive. Its owner also suffered minor injuries in the attack.

According to neighbours, Ms. Barnett's dog was known to be aggressive. According to witnesses, the 'pit bull' may have been off-leash and unmuzzled prior to the attack.

March 11, 2006, Ms. Barnett was charged with 'unlawfully causing bodily harm' and 'common nuisance', in relation to this incident. As of this writing, she is still in jail, awaiting a bail hearing.

Sounds alright, huh? An important story that deserves reporting.

Well...it would be...if the media was truly unbiased. It is obvious that, like so many stories before it, this one was headline news for some time, because it involved a 'pit bull'. Want proof?

March 2, 2006, two Labrador Retriever mixes, known to be aggressive, were again "terrorizing the neighbourhood" in Port Colborne, Ontario. The two dogs attacked and killed a Pomeranian chained in its yard, then moved on to attack a 'pit bull' before being corralled.

Only two local (Welland area) newspapers carried this story...once. Only a muzzle order for the dogs and talks of a fine were mentioned as possible punishments for the owners. No headlines. No criminal charges. No media blitz.

So, do you still think the media is a reliable source for information? If so, we have a lovely bridge that might interest you.

These two stories are nearly identical. They both involved unprovoked attacks that led to the death of a dog. They both involved dogs with a known history of aggression. They both involved negligent owners. The story involving the 'pit bull' was headline news. The one involving the Labs? Well...it never made any headlines, and is all but forgotten, just a few days afterwards.

The media picks and chooses its stories, not for their "newsworthiness", but for their ability to attract readers/viewers/listeners which, in turn, allows them to claim higher ratings, and charge more for advertising space. It's business. Plain and simple. We've been told outright,

"If it doesn't involve a 'pit bull', it's not 'news'."

After Denver, Colorado, recently re-enacted its ban on 'pit bulls', we decided to research dog bite stories in the Denver media. Despite the fact that 'pit bulls' make up just 2.6% of reported bites, nearly 100% of dog biting incidents reported in the Denver media involved 'pit bulls'.

Again...we doubt this is any honest or intelligent person's idea of fair and impartial reporting.

In reality, non-'pit bull' dogs are responsible for 90-100% of bites, attacks, and fatalities in Canada. ...But you'll never hear that on the evening news.

In order to provide a more balanced view of dog biting incidents, below is a sampling of stories you probably didn't see reported in the media:(see breed summary at bottom) (Final update April 25, 2006)

*Indicates examples of Ontario dog attacks.

April 25, 2006, a toddler will be scarred for life after a savage attack by the family's Labrador Retriever/Kelpie cross. The child was left unsupervised with the dog.
April 25, 2006, a young girl was bitten in the face by an at-large Labrador Retriever mix her mother inexplicably allowed her to hug. (Always avoid unsupervised dogs.)
April 24, 2006, an elderly Toronto woman suffered several bite wounds when she was bitten by a German Shepherd being cared for by a neighbour.
April 24, 2006, a girl was mauled by the family's Alaskan Malamute. (The report lists the dog as an "Alaskan Husky", but no such breed exists. It could be either a Siberian Husky, or an Alaskan Malamute. After obtaining a photograph of the dog, it is clearly an Alaskan Malamute.) The dog had attacked a child previously.
April 24, 2006, a jogger alleges she was bitten by one of several dogs purposefully released from the owner's kennel. According to both the victim and the owner of the dogs, the bite was inflicted by either a Siberian Husky or a Husky/wolf cross.
April 22, 2006, a 6-year-old boy was attacked by a German Shepherd while playing tag with friends. The boy's mother points out that her boyfriend's 'pit bull', for example, is a very friendly dog, and the responsibility lies with the owner of any dog, whatever its breed, to prevent attacks by properly raising and supervising it.
April 20, 2006, a 'pit bull' was viciously attacked by a Pomeranian while out on a walk with its owner. The owner of the Pomeranian will face several charges.
April 15, 2006, a York Region boy was mauled by a neighbour's Labrador Retriever mix, after it escaped its cage and attacked the boy while playing in his driveway.
April 15, 2006, a man in York Region was badly mauled by a Tibetan Mastiff.
April 14, 2006, a couple has been ordered to remove at least half their 9 or more Border Collies, after numerous biting incidents.
April 13, 2006, a child was attacked by a neighbour's German Shepherd mix while playing in her own yard with the dog owner's children. The dog broke away from the owner, jumped the fence, and attacked the girl. Authorities wondered "what made the dog snap?"
April 12, 2006, a child was seriously bitten by the family's Chow/Rottweiler mix they keep as a "guard dog". The dog has a history of aggressive behaviour.
April 11, 2006, a 4-year-old needed over 200 stitches to close wounds caused in an attack by a German Shepherd. The dog was chained to a pole in a public park, and the child went too near the dog and was attacked.
April 11, 2006, a 34-year-old woman had to be treated in hospital for bites caused by a Labrador Retriever that attacked her while she was riding her bicycle.
April 11, 2006, a man admitted to punching his Yorkshire Terrier to death, after it had bitten several people, including himself.
April 11, 2006, a police officer was bitten by a Belgian Malinois, after responding to a call the dog was attacked by a cat.
April 10, 2006, a 7-year-old was bitten by a Labrador Retriever while playing in a neighbour's yard with friends. Someone allegedly ordered the dog to attack.
April 9, 2006, Labrador Retriever bites rescuer before being plucked from the sea.
April 9, 2006, a police officer was bitten by a police dog during a pursuit.
April 7, 2006, a 3-year-old was left with multiple bites and facial fractures after being mauled by the family's German Shepherd.
April 6, 2006, a woman was bitten, and suffered wounds to her hand, arm, and cheek, when a Boston Terrier left its property and attacked the dogs she was walking on-leash. The Boston Terrier was only confined via an 'invisible fence' and accompanying electric shock collar. Clearly, it didn't keep the dog in the yard.
April 6, 2006, a woman suffered severe bites to her face when she tried to shield her child from an attack by an American Bulldog.
April 5, 2006, a number of children were bitten when an off-duty police dog escaped its enclosure and attacked them.
April 5, 2006, a police officer was dragged to the ground and attacked by a "furry, tan dog" chained on the owner's property. (No other description was given.)
April 5, 2006, a rare kind of wild deer was attacked by 2 Collies.
April 3, 2006, a woman's Bulldog was bitten by an at-large Golden Retriever that ran across the street and attacked unprovoked. The girl in charge of the dog just watched.
April 3, 2006, a white "wolf-type" dog (possibly a Husky or Malamute cross) bit an animal control worker, and attempted to bite the police officer called to investigate. After the dog lunged at the officer, he shot it. The dog continued to threaten the officer, and was shot 2 more times.
April 3, 2006, a 10-year-old needed stitches after being bitten several times by her friend's Chow.
April 3, 2006, 5 sheep had to be put down, and six others injured in an attack by a Boxer and a suspected "staffy".
April 2, 2006, a woman was attacked and dragged by an at-large dog described as a "medium-sized, brown dog; smaller than a German Shepherd".
April 2, 2006, a boy was bitten on the back and may have a dislocated shoulder as the result of an attack by a Mastiff cross dog. The dog's owner was also bitten.
April 2, 2006, a German Shepherd caused several bites to the owner's grown daughter when she tried to return the dog to the property, after it escaped.
April 2, 2006, Bearded Collie bites rescuer trying to save it on cliff. Dog runs off.
April 1, 2006, a child was bitten in the face by the family dog (no breed was given, and authorities emphasized this was "not an aggressive dog" - We wonder what they'd have said if it had been the family's 'pit bull'...). Firefighters had to use a ladder to rescue the child and his babysitter from an upstairs bathroom, as they were too afraid of the so-called "non-aggressive" dog to go near it after the attack.
April 2006, a farmer shot an at-large Siberian Husky on his property after it reportedly bit him and his dog.
March 30, 2006, a Toronto police officer was forced to shoot an aggressive, at-large dog, a Border Collie/Australian Shepherd cross, after responding to a call the dog had attacked a 75-year-old woman and two teens. While assisting the badly-injured senior, the officer was also bitten; totalling four bite victims for this one dog. Ontario's "'pit bull' ban" does nothing to prevent incidents like this.
March 30, 2006, Waterloo regional police shot and killed an aggressive dog described as a black, mixed-breed, after it reportedly bit someone. This region has a ban on 'pit bulls', but that has not reduced dog bites, nor has it prevented incidents such as this.
March 29, 2006, a 6-year-old girl was mauled when she was allowed unsupervised access to the yard of a chained Labrador Retriever known to be aggressive.
March 28, 2006, a 5-year-old was mauled to death by two mixed-breed dogs that escaped their yard while unsupervised. Authorities described the dogs as "mixed breeds, smaller and not as vicious as 'pit bulls'." The boy's throat was torn out.
March 27, 2006, a 76-year-old woman was viciously attacked by two at-large Boxers. The dogs were known to be aggressive and frequently at-large.
March 27, 2006, an 11-year-old boy was bitten by the family's Great Dane while "wrestling with the dog and growling at it."
Commerce Insurance Company includes Yorkshire Terriers in its list of dog breeds considered too dangerous and an "unacceptable risk" when writing homeowners' policies.
March 27, 2006, a 6-year-old was bitten by the family's American Bulldog during the process of chaining the dog in the yard.
March 26, 2006, a Port Colborne cyclist was bitten by a dog as he rode by the owners and their unleashed dog, described by the victim as "like an Irish Wolfhound". (We can't resist pointing out that the victim also said the dog was "3 1/2 feet tall." If so, it almost ties the tallest dog ever to have lived; a Great Dane that was 42.5". Dogs are measured at the shoulder.)
March 25, 2006, a man is going to court to fight a city order to keep his admittedly "dangerous" "guard dogs" inside his house, rather than in a cage in his yard. The order was issued after the dogs, a Boxer mix and a Lab mix the owner keeps specifically for guard duties, repeatedly escaped their cage and menaced neighbours, including biting a man in 2004.
March 24, 2006, an infant was attacked by a Husky/Chow mix at a private residence.
March 24, 2006, an elderly man was killed by his son's 3 Boerboels, after a history of beating the dogs.
A 14-month-old was bitten seven times by another child on her first day of day care. Staff admit children bite each other frequently. (Note: As many Americans are treated in hospital for bites caused by other humans, as by dogs.)
March 22, 2006, an OPP officer was bitten by a Labrador Retriever after answering a call about an at-large dog.
March 21, 2006, a shelter worker was attacked by a Mastiff mix which left bite wounds to the forehead, thigh, and shoulder. The woman had to be airlifted for treatment.
March 21, 2006 a Bellevue police dog is going to be destroyed after becoming "too hard to handle", and repeated attacks on its handler.
March 21, 2006, a Bull Mastiff attacked a woman's two Bulldogs as they played outside her Toronto home. The woman also suffered bites during the attack.
March 20, 2006, an Alaskan Malamute show dog attacked a neighbour's Shih Tzu, and bit the dog's 13-year-old owner when she tried to rescue her pet.
March 20, 2006, a 4-year-old boy needed 18 stitches to close wounds caused in a single bite and release by a Great Dane the boy startled while sleeping.
March 19, 2006, a 9-year-old was attacked by an Akita inside the dog's kennel.
March 18, 2006, a Spryfiled, NS, boy suffered puncture wounds to the hip and face in an attack by his family's 2 Bull Mastiffs.
March 16, 2006, a 12-year old was attacked by a German Shepherd Dog that broke free of its chain, jumped a fence, and knocked the boy off his bicycle as he was attempting to flee.
March 16, 2006, a $10,000 reward is being offered for anyone who knows who doused a 4-month-old 'pit bull' puppy with acid so strong, the dog had to be euthanized after attempted emergency treatment.
After days of searching for more information about a dog attack that left a boy with bite wounds to the face and a possible broken nose, a reader directed us to a news story (March 17, 2006) attributing the attack to a friend's Corgi, and not one of the owner's multiple 'pit bulls'. According to the victim, he's lived with 'pit bulls' his whole life "without so much as a scratch."
March 16, 2006 a woman has been ordered to pay a fine for harbouring a dangerous dog, after it bit a letter carrier. The incident has halted mail service to everyone in the community, as the court has not ordered anything that can assure the postal service there won't be a repeat incident with the Alsatian (German Shepherd Dog). Since December 31, 2005, residents of that neighbourhood have had to retrieve their mail from a sorting station. Until the postal service is assured the dog is either under control or has been removed, it will continue to halt mail delivery, a spokesperson said.
March 14, 2006, 2 New Orleans police officers bitten by a police dog during a chase.
March 14, 2006, a woman received a settlement of $67,500 after being mauled by a police dog recently retired for being too unstable, having bitten 3 police officers.
March 14, 2006, 2 rare Soay sheep, registered with the Rare Breeds Survival Trust, were killed and 2 more seriously injured after an attack by 2 Lurchers. The sheep owner tried to fight the dogs off with a pitchfork when they then attacked him, but had to escape up a tree.
March 13, 2006, one of two Mastiffs attacked a 13-year-old boy, leaving wounds on the buttocks, arm, and back. The owner had been previously cited for having failed to license his dogs. He was simply "warned" after neighbour reports of his dogs roaming and behaving aggressively. (Yep...priorities in order there...)
March 13, 2006, a Chow attacked a woman's dog in her own yard. The Chow has previously been reported for aggression.
March 11, 2006, a woman was viciously attacked by the Labrador Retriever she had just adopted. The dog tore her lip and part of her cheek away. She will need plastic surgery to repair the damage. She believes the dog had been abused in the past.
March 11, 2006, a Niagara Falls, NY, woman was badly bitten in an attack by a stray dog believed to be a Chow, when the dog attacked the two she and her boyfriend were walking. The man was also injured by the dog.
March 10, 2006, a Jack Russell Terrier was ordered to attack a man, nearly severing his penis, which was successfully reattached by doctors.
March 10, 2006, 2 Dogue de Bordeaux dogs killed 2 cats and attacked a calf before biting their owner, a neighbour of the dogs' owner.
March 9, 2006, a police dog bit an officer on the arm, instead of the suspect that broke away.
March 8, 2006, a 2-year-old was attacked by his babysitter's Chesapeake Bay Retriever. The dog has a history of aggressive behaviour.
March 8, 2006, a 17-month-old was mauled by the family’s Labrador Retriever.
March 8, 2006, a 5-year-old girl was attacked by a German Shepherd while walking her own dog. The child's parents are planning a civil law suit against the owner.
March 7, 2006, a 52-year-old woman was savagely attacked by a neighbour's Bull Mastiff. She was rescued by a good Samaritan. She was still in hospital a week after the attack.
March 7, 2006, a police officer shot a Ridgeback mix dog after it attacked another dog and menaced the officer. There was a brief report in the media, in which the owner-confirmed “Ridgeback mix” was described as a “pit bull look-alike”. (Good grief!!!)
March 6, 2006, a man and woman were sent to hospital after being attacked by their German Shepherd Dog.
A police dog attacked a resident of Stone Ridge; the fourth such incident this year, nationwide in the U.S. According to Sgt. Trent Crump, who heads the Phoenix Police Department's K-9 division, "A dog can only do what you allow it to do," he said. "It is up to the handler and handler control." (That's all experts have been trying to get across for years!)
March 5, 2006, a 6-year-old boy was attacked by two dogs, and found unconscious and hypothermic outside the residence. The father identified 2 brown dogs as the ones who attacked his son. Both dogs have been euthanized. The owner of the German Shepherd mix surrendered the dog, admitting it was aggressive.
March 4, 2006, two Labrador Retriever mixes killed a chained Pomeranian, then attacked a ‘pit bull’, during a neighbourhood wide rampage in Port Colborne, Ontario. The dogs were frequently at-large, and known to be aggressive. No penalties against the dogs’ owner has been announced since the attacks, despite provincial law allowing up to $10,000 in fines, or six months in jail for this kind of offense.
March 2, 2006, a 2-year-old was sent to hospital after being attacked by her grandfather's Akita.
March 2, 2006, a 6-year-old girl underwent surgery to repair injuries suffered in an attack by her grandparents’ Husky/Chow mix.
March 2, 2006, a Great Dane killed its owner and severely injured her relative, while he was chained to the porch, in a small Texas town.
March 1, 2006, a police officer was bitten on the leg after owner commands his 3 mixed breed dogs to attack during an arrest at the man's home.
March 1, 2006, a 16-month-old girl was attacked by her family’s St. Bernard.
March 1, 2006, a Springer Spaniel suffered severe injuries after being attacked by a mixed-breed, off-leash dog in a conservation area. The owners of the attacking dog refused to identify themselves or offer assistance before fleeing the scene.
March 1, 2006, dog warden is fired and assistant dog warden resigns after admitting to seizing and killing a 'pit bull' against regulations and procedures, then repeatedly lying to the dog's owner about the incident.
March, 2006, a Labrador Retriever bit a woman on the leg as she passed by on the street.
A police dog, a Belgian Malinois, was accused of excessive force after refusing to let go of a suspect in 2003, only to go on to attack a police officer in October of 2005. In that incident, the dog simply attacked the officer unprovoked while she was guarding evidence at a crime scene. When the officer was unable to shake free, she pulled her weapon and shot the dog. Still, the dead dog’s jaws had to be pried off the officer’s arm.
March, 2006, a Schnauzer is being held after attacking another dog and biting the owner.
February 28, 2006, a 12-year-old Oregon girl was attacked by an American Bulldog/Presa Canario mix in her friend's house. Only the victim, a 10-year-old, and a 3-year-old were in the house at the time of the attack.
February 26, 2006, an Edmonton boy was mauled by his family’s Golden Retriever, leaving him in serious condition in hospital. (We found this story online, with the title "ODDITY". Just look through this small sampling of dog attack reports, and decide if a vicious family dog, or even specifically a Golden Retriever, is really an "oddity".)
February 24, 2006, a St. Bernard/Mastiff mix attacked an American Eskimo dog and its owner.
February 22, 2006, an Alabama girl had to undergo hours of surgery to close the gaping wound that exposed the victim’s jaw bone. A Labrador Retriever attacked the girl while she was petting it at a pet expo.
February 22, 2006, a pre-schooler was attacked by a pack of four dogs that burst through the facility's fence. The pack was made up of one Labrador/Mastiff cross, a Bull Terrier cross, and two mixed-breed dogs.
February 17, 2006, a third grader required 68 stitches to repair the damage caused by a Golden Retriever that attacked the girl on her way home from school.
February 17, 2006, a postal worker was awarded $24,648 for her medical expenses as well as other damages as a result of an attack by a German Shepherd.
February 15, 2006, a Cambridge man's two dogs, a 'pit bull' mix and a Labrador/Bouvier cross, "escaped" his property and killed an American Eskimo dog.
February 10, 2006, a first in county history, two dogs, a German Shepherd and a German Shepherd/Lab mix, have been declared "vicious animals" and have been ordered out of the county by officials after several incidents of at-large attacks and other menacing behaviour.
February 9, 2006, a six-year-old was knocked to the ground and attacked by a roaming Labrador Retriever.
February 8, 2006, a woman has to undergo rabies treatment after being bitten by a stray dog described as likely either a Husky or a Keeshond.
February 7, 2006, Waterloo regional police shot an at-large German Shepherd that lunged at an officer. The region has a ban on 'pit bulls', which hasn't reduced dog biting incidents, nor did it prevent this one.
February 4, 2006, a cyclist had to be treated in hospital after being attacked by an Alsatian (German Shepherd Dog) being walked by its owners.
February, 2006, a 4-year-old boy had to be placed in a drug induced coma in hospital after being attacked mauled by stray dogs in Waswanipi, Quebec.
February, 2006, a man was bitten by one of two Weimaraners being walked by their owner.
February 8, 2006, a man was attacked by a German Shepherd/Chow mix recently acquired by its owner.
After several biting incidents, a man’s Border Collies have been deemed “dangerous”. No charges have been filed against the owner.
An Alameda County Deputy District Attorney’s mixed breed dog (Lab/Shepherd mix) may be ordered destroyed after numerous biting incidents.
A 2-year-old was left with cuts and puncture wounds to the face after being attacked by a Jack Russell Terrier in February, 2006.
In February, 2006, an 18-month-old girl was seriously bitten by a relative’s Australian Cattle Dog tied on the property.
In February, 2006, a five-year-old boy required 190 stitches to repair damage to his throat after being attacked by 2 German Shepherd Dogs on the owner’s property.
February, 2006, a Garden City, Idaho, police officer had to shoot the police dog he was training, after it attacked him and another officer.
In early February, 2006, a 2-year-old girl was left with a 15cm long gash after being attacked by her grandmother’s Border Collie.
February, 2006, a 4-year-old is the second attack victim of an Alsatian (German Shepherd Dog). In this case, the girl need 33 stitches to close the wounds.
In early February, 2006, a woman and dog were attacked by a neighbour's Jack Russell Terrier.
February, 2006, an RCMP police dog has been involved in its second attack, this time the victim was radio host, Paul McMullen.
January 31, 2006, a town Marshall was bitten by an at-large Siberian Husky.
January 29, 2006, a 9-year-old boy needed 300 stitches to close wounds caused by an Akita.
January 26, 2006, a 2-year-old had her jaw broken and most of her lower face torn away in an attack by a dog described only as “a large dog”, in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan.
January 11, 2006, a teacher was fired after biting a 14-year-old student on the back. (Note: As many Americans are treated in hospital for bites caused by other humans, as by dogs.)
January 6, 2006, a pedestrian was seriously bitten by a German Shepherd that simply wandered out of its owner's "invisibly fenced" yard.
In January, 2006, a woman was critically injured in Del Rey, California, after being attacked by a German Shepherd and a Chow. Police shot and killed the dogs. The owners were not charged.
In January, 2006, an 11-year-old girl was savagely attacked in the face, by an Alaskan Malamute, while visiting her friend’s home.
A 5-year-old girl was left with severe gashes and 4 missing teeth after being attacked by her grandmother’s chained, mixed breed (non-‘pit bull’) dog.
After no penalties were laid following a biting incident involving a 10-year-old girl and a Chow/GSD mix in December, 2005, the dog bit a second child in January, 2006; disfiguring the boy’s face by tearing away a portion of his lip.
In December, 2005, a 90-year-old woman suffered bite wounds and a broken bone in her back while attempting to defend her own dog from attack by a Dalmatian.
An infant suffered severe head injuries after being attacked by the family’s Golden Retriever in November, 2005.
In Boston, in December, 2005, two Boxers mauled a woman so severely, authorities believe she narrowly escaped death, thanks to the assistance of a good Samaritan.
December 31, 2005, a man was attacked in the face by one of two St. Bernards.
In May of 2005, a family's 5-year-old daughter was mauled to death by their two Siberian Huskies.
While visiting her grandparents, a 3-year-old girl was mauled by their Golden Retriever.
In Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, a child was bitten severely in the face by a non-descript "small dog" she was petting in 2005.
In Bedford, it took 3 attacks before a Poodle was declared "vicious" by municipal standards.
In 2005, every local media station covered a scuffle between two dogs (one of them being a 'pit bull') yet not one media agency covered an attack that occurred within hours of the doggie dispute, involving the family's own Golden Retriever, and their child left with over 20 stitches to the head and face.
A Pomeranian was declared to be a "Dangerous Animal" under municipal statutes, after several aggression incidents.
A veterinarian testified, in 2005, that not one of her 'pit bull' patients is aggressive, but several other patients, including several Chihuahuas, are required to be muzzled before they're permitted to enter the clinic.
November, 2005, French woman is recipient of world’s first face transplant, after being attacked by a Labrador Retriever. (We searched one online story for the word "Lab" and found not one mention of the dog that led to the need for this woman's face transplant. The reporter did mention a story about a "'pit bull' attack" where the victim could have benefited from such a procedure. Got that? If you dog mauls someone, no one will care, unless it's a 'pit bull'.)
A 19-month-old toddler was sent to hospital with injuries to the face and head, after being attacked by her grandmother's Pointer.
A neighbour's Labrador Retriever and Dachshund attacked an elderly woman, leaving her in a coma in hospital.
Paris Hilton's Chihuahua was involved in an unprovoked bite that witnesses called, "Not a little nip. It was a very nasty bite."
The New Mexico politician that called for stricter penalties against the owners of dangerous dogs was mauled by his own dogs, a Boxer and two English Bulldogs.
A 4-year-old Nevada girl was attacked late in 2005 by a roaming Labrador Retriever.
October, 2005, a woman jogging in a conservation area was attacked for the second time the same, former Crufts winner; a Rhodesian Ridgeback while it was at-large.
In 2005, in Georgia, a Jack Russell Terrier so severely damaged its owner's 2-month-old infant's foot in an attack; the poor child's foot had to be amputated.
A Golden Retriever was finally put down after a second savage attack on a child. In the first case, the victim was the owner's own child. In the second case, the victim was a child visiting the owner's home, leaving wounds to the cheek and back of the head.
In Denver, in late 2005, a police officer was treated for bite wounds after having been bitten by a Miniature Pinscher. The owner was only charged with allowing the dog to be 'at large'.
In Rhode Island, in the summer of 2005, a family's Siberian Husky killed their week-old infant in an attack.
A two-and-a-half-year-old boy needed 65 stitches to close the gaping wounds caused to his face and cheek, after being attacked by a neighbour's Golden Retriever.
A Trenton police officer suffered several bite wounds after being attacked by a German Shorthair Pointer, in July 2005.
A family's Great Dane attacked their 2-year-old child, leaving minor wounds to the head and body.
In May, 2005, a 7-year-old Colorado girl was killed by her family's Alaskan Malamute.
Despite their valiant efforts, doctors were unable to repair the severed nose of a 5-year-old after he was attacked by a neighbour's Dalmatian.
A 6-week-old infant was in critical condition after being mauled by the family's Dachshund.
A neighbour shot a rampaging Lab/Chow mix dog, after it escaped its yard and threatened the public early in October, 2005.
Several children were bitten, and one has to undergo rabies shots, after being bitten by a Chihuahua mix that wandered into a schoolyard.
In March 2005, postal workers couldn't deliver mail, and residents were afraid to retrieve their mail in one Indiana neighbourhood, where a vicious Chihuahua was allowed to run loose, and terrorize residents. After numerous incidents, and once the dog's conduct had halted mail delivery, the owner was finally cited for allowing the dog to be 'at large'.
A 2-year-old boy wandered into his neighbour's yard in mid-August 2005, and was bitten in the face and neck by the Collie/mix chained there.
A woman received bites requiring stitches, after being attacked by a Catahoula Leopard Dog.
A chained Briard killed an 8-year-old child visiting the owner's property.
After his second attack by the same Dalmatian, a postal worker described the dog as "the most aggressive dog" he'd come across in 16 years.
In July, 2005, a boy finally admitted that his report of being attacked by a 'pit bull' was false. He had actually been attacked by a friend's German Shepherd. He says he filed the false report because he wanted to protect his friend.
June, 2005, a 3 1/2-year-old child was attacked by an Akita chained on the property.
June, 2005, a child had to be airlifted for treatment after being attacked by the family's Akita.
April, 2005, a 6-year-old boy in St. Joseph, Saskatchewan, had to undergo plastic surgery to repair the damaged caused when he was mauled by a neighbour’s German Shepherd dog.
March, 2005, a 6-day-old infant was mauled nearly to death when left unsupervised with the family's Labrador Retriever mix.
A 2-year-old boy was mauled so viciously by his grandfather's Labrador Retriever in December 2004, he required treatment at two Ontario hospitals. (One television station carried this story in just one broadcast.)
In 2004, an Ontario family's Chesapeake Bay Retriever savagely attacked one of their children, leaving over 140 stitches in the child's head and face.
A former Santa Fe Police Chief's dog, a Border Collie/Australian Shepherd cross, attacked a 5-year-old boy, leaving him with a 6" scar on his calf.

Source: GoodPooch.com independent research, asst'd news services, reader input, & Understand-a-bull.com

BREED SUMMARY

The above random sampling of unique, non-'pit bull', non-Rottweiler, biting incidents (i.e. those not heavily covered by media) includes the following specified breeds/types, as of April 25, 2006:

20 German Shepherd (26 total German Shepherd and mixes), 14 Labrador Retriever (25 total Labrador and mixes), 9 police dog, 8 Border Collie, 8 Golden Retriever, 8 mixed breed, 6 Siberian Husky, 5 Akita, 5 Boxer, 5 Labrador Retriever mix, 4 Alaskan Malamute, 4 Bull Mastiff, 4 Chow, 4 Great Dane, 4 Jack Russell Terrier, 3 Boerboels, 3 Dalmatian, 2 American Bulldog, 2 Belgian Malinois, 2 Border Collie/Australian Shepherd cross, 2 Chesapeake Bay Retriever, 2 Chihuahua, 2 Chow/German Shepherd mix, 2 Collie, 2 Dachshund, 2 Dogue de Bordeaux, 2 English Bulldogs, 2 German Shepherd mix, 2 German Shepherd/Lab mix, 2 Husky/Chow mix, 2 Lurchers, 2 Mastiff, 2 Mastiff mix, 2 Pomeranian, 1 American Bulldog/Presa Canario mix, 1 Australian Cattle Dog, 1 Bearded Collie, 1 Boston Terrier, 1 Boxer mix, 1 Briard, 1 Bull Terrier cross, 1 Catahoula Leopard Dog, 1 Chihuahua mix, 1 Chow/Rottweiler mix, 1 Collie/mix, 1 Corgi, 1 German Shorthair Pointer, 1 Irish Wolfhound, 1 Labrador/Bouvier cross, 1 Labrador Retriever/Chow mix, 1 Labrador Retriever/Kelpie cross, 1 Labrador/Mastiff cross, 1 Miniature Pinscher, 1 Pointer, 1 Poodle, 1 Rhodesian Ridgeback, 1 Ridgeback mix, 1 Schnauzer, 1 St. Bernard, 1 St. Bernard/Mastiff mix, 1 Tibetan Mastiff, 1 Weimaraner, 1 "wolf-type", 1 Yorkshire Terrier