DogsBite.org – In 2013, we began the tradition of publishing breed identification photographs of fatally attacking dogs when available through news reports, animal control agencies, police departments, social media and public information requests.
Of the 66 dog bite fatalities recorded in 2024, 56% (37) had some form of a breed identification photograph. Our nonprofit was responsible for capturing 65% of them. Pit bulls and their mixes represent 68% of the identification images collected in 2024.
Of the 37 cases with breed identification photographs, 57% (21) comprised images captured or republished by news media; 65% (24) comprised images located on social media pages of the dog’s owner or family members; and 65% (24) comprised images that were the result of our research and otherwise may have gone unpublished.
Police and animal control agencies released dog identification images after only 3 deaths, yet 76% of all deaths (50 of 66) involved dogs taken into quarantine.
(Percentages are higher than 100% due to a single death containing multiple dog images, each attributed to a different source, as well as images that fall into overlapping publishing categories.)
Identification Photographs (2013-2024)
From 2013 to 2024, images captured by our nonprofit have risen from 26% to 65%. Images captured by media have fallen from 79% to 57%.
Taking a closer look at the four Covid impact years (2020-2023), when media reports of fatal dog attacks declined, breed identification images captured by media averaged only 32%. Last year shows the first gain in media captures since the Covid years. From the 32% average between 2020 and 2023, media captured images rose to 57% in 2024, a 78% rise. While our nonprofit’s capture rate rose during these same Covid impact years — attaining a 78% average — we fell to 65% in 2024, a 17% decrease.
Most media captures occur while they are on location of the fatal attack. They photograph images of the dogs being confiscated by authorities. In 2024, media was on location more frequently than during the Covid impact years. For instance, media rushed to the scene — by air and by land — after Dominic Cooper, 35, was killed by his pack of breeding pit bulls in California. Media were also on location after Pedro Ortega, 26, was killed by his three XL bullies on a children’s playground in Mesa Viking Park.
2024 breed identification photographs DogsBite v media capture rate
Chart B shows the rising number of breed identification images captured by our nonprofit since 2013 and how media captured images declined during the Covid impact years to 32%.
Unreleased Breed Data 2024
Of the total recorded 66 dog bite fatalities in 2024, 10 cases lacked all breed information (15%). A FOIA by our nonprofit lowered that number to 9. Our research into the Facebook pages of the dog owners and victims — providing details about the attack — lowered that number to only 8 cases (12%) when full breed information was unknown. In 2022, the landscape was far worse, when 33% of all recorded fatal dog maulings lacked breed information until we brought forth multiple time-consuming FOIAs.
In 2024, 23% of deaths involved 1 or more dogs shot at the scene, which often diminishes the ability to collect breed identification images.
Characteristics of the 10 cases in 2024 where authorities did not release breed data include: 70% of victims are adults ≥ 35 years old; 100% involved non-family dogs (when known 9/9); 78% of the attacks occurred off the owner’s property (when known 7/9); and 67% involved a pack of 4 or more dogs (when known 6/9). In the 2 cases where breed data was discovered, 1 involved a pit bull, and the other involved 3 different breeds: rottweiler-mix (2), German shepherd-mix (1) and chihuahua-mix (1).
Pack Attacks & Off Property Attacks
In 2024, pack attacks fell back to the pre-Covid level of 15%. In 2023, there was a sharp rise in pack attacks, comprising 29% of dog bite fatalities. Obtaining breed images in pack attacks can be challenging, but in 2024, images were captured for 70% (7/10). In 6 of those cases, 86%, media was on location capturing images, or republishing images shot by witnesses. In over half of those cases (4/6), the pack only involved a single dog breed, such as a pack of great danes or a pack of pit bulls.
In 2024, off-property attacks continued to be elevated and comprised 36% of dog bite fatalities — a 44% rise from the pre-Covid years of 25%. But it is a decrease from 2023, when off-property attacks comprised 42% of deaths.
Surprisingly, dog breed images in off-property attacks, which are also challenging to obtain, were captured in 71% (17/24) of cases. Again, this is largely due to media being on location more frequently. Of the 17 off-property attacks with images, media captured 71% (12) …
