Rottweilers now deadliest dog breed
ATLANTA - Rottweilers have passed pit bulls as America's deadliest dog breed, according to a study released yesterday.
The large dogs were involved in 33 fatal attacks on humans between 1991 and 1998, the American Veterinary Medical Association said.
Pit bulls, which had been responsible for more deaths than any other breed, were involved in 21 fatal attacks over the same period.
Rottweilers, first bred in Germany, surged in popularity during the 1990s as more people sought them for protection, said Jeffrey Sacks, an epidemiologist with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
"People are more in fear of crime and violence, and this has led to a selection of bigger dogs," he said. "If you start selecting bigger dogs, you'll get bigger bites."
The study's authors, using data from the Humane Society of the United States and media accounts of dog maulings, reported 27 people - 19 of them children - died from dog attacks in 1997 and 1998.
The numbers highlight widespread mistreatment of dogs and a growing public ignorance of how to behave around them, researchers said.