I call
the dogs on this list the Terrible Ten, not because the breeds listed below are
"bad" or "evil". On the contrary,
the only thing "terrible" about these ten dog breeds are the
people who call themselves breeders but don't carefully screen
their breeding stock for both conformation AND disposition.
These are the same breeders who sell these wonderful breeds to
pet stores,
where the puppies will be placed with families who don't know
anything about living with dogs outside of what they've seen on
television.
Each breed listed
is large and popular.
Keep in mind that despite all the odds being stacked against
them, there are still literally TENS OF THOUSANDS of breed
representatives listed below who are living happily in homes
acting as protectors of
small children.
The breeds on the list are, according
to the Center For Disease Control, the top ten breeds of dogs
involved in human dog bite related fatalities.
That means dog attacks resulting in death.
Again, THIS IS NOT "MY" LIST.
I didn't pluck these breeds out of thin air to "pick
on" them. I am such a fan of the breeds listed
below that I want to see irresponsible breeders literally
driven out of business. With that said, flaming me won't get your favorite breed removed
from this report by the government. If you're a breeder
and you're complaining, then you're probably part of the
problem. You can see the
full report
here.
(You'll need Adobe Acrobat Reader to view the report.)
In a majority of cases (51%)
the victims were children under the age of 12, making this an
important topic for consideration if you have children either
in your household or in your neighborhood.
I include this list as a
warning to potential puppy buyers. If you are
considering a breed listed below, make sure you acquire your
puppy from REPUTABLE BREEDER!!!!!!
Choosing the right breed to fit
your family is the first step to avoid becoming part of an
ugly statistic. The second is choosing a
responsible
breeder. Finally, you must properly socialize and train your family's dog While these
steps will practically ensure that your family dog doesn't become a
statistic, every parent should teach
their children about dog safety for strange dogs they may come
in contact with at school, the playground or even in their own
backyard.
Now, on to the list.
Clicking on a link causes a small pop-up window to appear with
information about the breed. To see all the breeds on a
single page, click here.
