Studies in the United States have indicated that the “pit bull” is responsible for a significant number of human fatalities resulting from dog attack, but the data on which such studies are based are flawed by methodological shortcomings

After more than a century as an uncontroversial dog 

(Jessup, 1975), the American pit bull terrier has 

developed a notorious reputation as a dangerous breed 

since 1980, with consequent restrictions placed upon it 

by jurisdictions in Australia and elsewhere. Studies in 

the United States have indicated that the “pit bull” is 

responsible for a significant number of human fatalities 

resulting from dog attack, but the data on which such 

studies are based are flawed by methodological 

shortcomings. Using absolute numbers of dog attacks 

by breed in Australia, data on attacks on human beings 

reveal the pit bull terrier to be exceeded by several other 

breeds. Regardless, the primary problem is that reliable 

data do not exist for the number of attacks relative to 

breed population. Of 19 human fatalities in Australia 

over the past two decades, none has involved a dog 

verified to be an American pit bull terrier. The evidence 

does not sustain the view that this is a uniquely 

dangerous breed, and breed-specific laws aimed to 

control it have not been demonstrated by authorities to 

be justified by its attack record.

http://www.journalvetbehavior.com/article/S1558-7878(06)00012-8/abstract