What are the three most dangerous dogs? The answer may surprise you…
For as long as I can remember it was the Staffordshire Bull Terriers or ‘Pit bull’ that everyone talked about as the most dangerous dog
What if I told you there is a dog that is more fierce and dangerous and costs a cool $2 million? Trust me, you wouldn’t want one even if they were free. Looking at these dangerous dogs reminds me of a scary encounter I had in my youth.
As a young boy I was walking home from school, all 71 lbs of me, minding my own business listening to my Walkman…damn I’m old…I’m sure the wheel had just been invented that year… Anyway, all of a sudden a woman’s loud scream came from behind me, “ Rocky NO!” I turned around and there running towards me was this ball of fur with teeth. So I, smooth as butter and cool as a cucumber, screamed like a little boy and turned to run so fast that I tripped on my shoelace. Nope, I didn’t get far. I rolled onto my back facing what I believed was the most terrifying canine I’ve ever seen. I totally thought I was a goner. I started to tear up (well, I was 12) waiting for the jaws to clamp down on me… See if you can guess what kind of dog it was by the end of this article
There’s no doubt that all dogs can be aggressive, especially if provoked, but there are a few that seem to have some wires crossed and can snap on a dime.
Research by the Center for Disease Control, the Humane Society, and the American Veterinary Medical Association have identified the following breeds as the most dangerous:
Number 3: is of German breeding, a canine that is highly motivated to learn and please their master. It seems we hear daily about the brave and noble German Shepherd can be. In 2018, a US Army dog was awarded a posthumous medal for bravery. This highly trained shepherd attacked a machine-gun nest in the Second World War — a medal well deserved!
Interesting fact — due to anti-German sentiment after World War I, the German Shepherd Dog‘s name was shunned and the breed was renamed, “Alsatian Wolf Dog” after the French-German border city of Alsace. ‘Wolf Dog’ was eventual dropped, but the name remained until 1977, when German Shepherd was reinstated, although Alsatian still appeared in parentheses in the formal breed name until 2010.
The German Shepherd breed is named as one of the most dangerous dogs because every time this breed lays its teeth into a human it counts as a bite. Police use these dogs every day to help catch criminals so the attack count increases rapidly. And we just don’t hear about the “crime stopping” cases. So stop committing crimes and you’ll stop getting bit and the German Shepherd will no longer be in the top 3 of this list!
Number 2: This breed is also from Germany and is twice the size of the Shepherd. To be bitten by this canine love would indeed leave you with scars. The name means Rottweil butchers’ dogs because their main use was to herd livestock that eventually went to the butcher.
The Rottweiler is a very powerful dog that has great speed and very strong biting power. I’ve dealt with these dogs quite a bit over the years and I’ve had great experiences and not-so-good experiences. It depends on the day. And the dog.
You can ask anybody and they will either say they have been chased or know somebody who has been chased by these gigantic beasts. It can be terrifying, to say the least. But you will also find owners who affectionately refer to their Rottweilers as “gentle giants”.
The reason these dogs are on the list is that there is a certain mentality of humans who overwhelmingly own these dogs. I would never say that drug dealers or steroid-filled bodybuilders are among the most outspoken and noticeable owners of these dogs because that would be stereotyping, which is just wrong. But everybody knows you can’t protect your stash of illegal drugs by throwing a chihuahua dog at your attackers, so IF these were a common type of Rottweiler owner, which clinical research does not support, it would make sense that they chose these dogs to be slightly ferocious and intimidating to others.
There are many Rottweiler attacks that do not get reported but that doesn’t mean they are all bred to be attack dogs. I personally love these dogs — all 132 lbs of them.
Number 1: Before you jump to the conclusion that I’m going to say Pit Bull — well, OK, you are correct. But, there is one other dog that is more powerful and dangerous than a Pit bull.
It’s just that Pitbulls, according to the Center for Disease Control, the Humane Society, and the American Veterinary Medical Association, are the most dangerous. They do have attacks on both humans and pets in the hundreds over the years. Sixty-six percent of fatal dog bite deaths are caused by Pit Bulls. From their data collection, they found 346 of 521 deaths were from Pit Bull attacks. Rottweilers made up 10%, followed by German Shepherds and the remainder was mixed.
In May 2021 a doggy daycare/Dog kennel in Winnipeg Pooches Playhouse was in the news after two tiny adorable dogs Rocky, left, and Tango, right, were killed by another dog. Even though they didn’t say which breed of dog it was so as not to criminalize that particular dog, most people will assume it was a Pit Bull.
I believe that one of the little dogs may have tried to protect the other one as they were being attacked which led to its own demise. No matter the size, dogs will try to protect, often at any cost.
Dogs can be your best friend and most of the time they refrain from any type of aggressive behavior. But it is important to remember it is in their DNA to think of us as just another animal — who happens to give them treats and belly rubs. If you let your guard down, and let your furry friends think they rule your household, then bad things can happen. Dogs need to know who is the boss, or the leader, and then they can remain your best friend for life.
Not all Pitbulls are mean. In May 2020 A loyal pit bull is being hailed a hero for protecting his lost owner until rescuers showed up. Buddy the dog stood on guard and helped police locate a missing 3-year-old boy who had wandered off into the woods.
The dog that is the most dangerous and the most expensive is a canine that lives high in the mountains with the Nomads of Tibet.
The Tibetan Mastiff isn’t just the most dangerous but also the most expensive dog — fetching $2 million in 2014. The seller claimed the animal was a crossbreed with a lion; ya — lion’s blood! I laughed out loud when I read that. It’s impossible for one animal breed to adopt another totally different animal’s blood. If that is the case I can bull #% also. I have a cat that has giraffe’s blood. Two million dollars, please.
But seriously, these breeds are extremely powerful and very aggressive. So aggressive that people in China were releasing them into the streets because they couldn’t control them. This massive doggo made its way to America from Tibet where it protected sheep from predators like wolves, leopards, and bears! A grown male mastiff can reach more than 150 pounds, and fends off some of the fiercest animals. Can you imagine a dog being able to take on a bear and win?
The Tibetan Mastiff is clearly the most dangerous dog — but given that it is so rare, it didn’t make this list. But if there was ever a resurgence of this breed — well, let’s just hope that doesn’t happen. Now — have you guessed which breed was chasing down my 12 year old self?
So as I was laying there on the ground watching this terror approach, I closed my eyes. I was young and had no experience with dogs. I didn’t know what to expect when suddenly out of nowhere the owner was able to grab her furry friend, clip a leash to the collar and lead the Dachshund away. Yup, you read it right, it was a cute little Dachshund. I was tiny myself. So everything looked big to me.
I couldn’t eat hotdogs for a month after that.
These are my thoughts. These are my opinions.