Knowing which dog breeds carry a higher risk of causing serious harm matters for two reasons. It helps you stay safe, and it helps you understand who may be liable if an attack happens. A dog's behavior is shaped heavily by how it is raised, trained, and treated, and most dogs of any breed are gentle companions. That said, some breeds are simply larger, heavier, and more powerful than others, which gives them the physical ability to maul or even kill. If you have been attacked and are considering speaking with a Norfolk dog bite lawyer, it helps to understand both the behavior and the law governing these cases.
Shapiro, Washburn & Sharp has handled injury claims across Virginia and North Carolina since 1985, and injury law is the only work we do. Dog bite claims can be surprisingly complicated in Virginia, and knowing how they work puts you in a far stronger position.
Dog Aggression Is Rarely About One Thing
It would be easy to blame breed alone, but that oversimplifies a real problem. Aggression in dogs comes from a mix of factors. Genetics play a part. So does upbringing, socialization, training, and the individual temperament of the specific animal.
A dog that is well bred but poorly socialized can become dangerous. A dog from a breed with a reputation for aggression can be gentle and well adjusted in the right home. What this means in practice is that while certain breeds appear more often in serious attack statistics, being a member of that breed does not automatically make a given dog dangerous. The dog in front of you is the product of its genes and its life, not a statistic.
What the Numbers Actually Show
The data on fatal attacks is worth taking seriously, even with the caveats above. According to information compiled from CDC records, pit bulls were involved in roughly 66 percent of fatal dog attacks over a recent 15-year span, and pit bulls and rottweilers together accounted for about 76 percent of those deaths. That concentration is striking given that these breeds make up a small share of the overall dog population.
Fatal attacks have also been rising. CDC provisional data recorded 127 fatal dog attacks in 2024, the highest number ever documented in a single year and a sharp increase from prior years. Numbers like these are part of what drives the ongoing debate over how communities should handle powerful breeds.
The Breeds Most Often Cited
No single dog should be judged by its breed alone. However, a few breeds show up again and again when people talk about aggression, and it usually comes down to size, strength, and bite force rather than temperament by itself.
Pit bull terriers tend to lead these conversations. That includes the American Pit Bull Terrier and the American Staffordshire Terrier. They are muscular and strong, and in the wrong hands, that build can cause real damage. Rottweilers come up often too. They are large, protective by nature, and can become aggressive if no one takes the time to socialize them properly.
German Shepherds are a different story. These are smart, capable working dogs used in law enforcement for good reason, and when they turn aggressive, it usually traces back to bad training or outright mistreatment. Doberman pinschers fall into a similar category. They are alert and protective, and how they behave depends almost entirely on how they were raised.
A few other breeds round out the list:
- Chow Chows, which tend to be aloof and are often less patient with strangers
- Presa Canarios, a powerful breed that needs early socialization to stay balanced
- Boxers, usually playful and affectionate, but capable of aggression when training falls short
The common thread here is not that some dogs are simply born bad. It is the pairing of physical power with careless or irresponsible ownership. A strong dog raised well is usually no threat at all. That same dog, neglected or trained to be aggressive, is where the danger lies.
How Virginia Handles Dog Owner Liability
Virginia treats dog bite cases differently than many states, and the difference matters if you have been hurt. Rather than holding owners automatically responsible for every bite, Virginia follows a version of the so-called one-bite rule. Under this approach, an owner can be held strictly liable when they knew, or had reason to know, that their dog might be dangerous. A knowledgeable Norfolk personal injury lawyer will focus heavily on what the owner knew about their dog's tendencies before the attack.
Virginia also has a specific statute governing dangerous animals. Under Virginia Code § 3.2-6540, a dog can be formally declared dangerous after it seriously injures a person or kills a companion animal. Once a court makes that finding, the owner faces strict obligations. Within 30 days, they must have the dog spayed or neutered and microchipped, and they must carry at least $100,000 in liability insurance that covers animal bites. The dog must be kept in a secure enclosure at home and muzzled and leashed whenever it is off the property.
Even setting aside a formal dangerous dog finding, an owner may be liable if their negligence led to the attack. If a dog was running loose in violation of a local leash law, for example, a victim generally does not have to prove the owner knew the dog was dangerous. Proving the owner broke the law by failing to restrain the animal can be enough.
Why These Cases Need Careful Handling
Virginia does not hand victims an automatic win, so these claims depend on the evidence. A strong case usually pulls together the dog's history, any prior complaints or incidents, animal control records, statements from witnesses, and evidence that a leash law or local ordinance was violated.
The victim's injuries have to be documented just as carefully. Serious attacks can leave behind deep lacerations, nerve damage, broken bones, infections, and permanent scarring, along with emotional trauma that lingers well after the wounds heal. Children tend to suffer the worst of it. A bite to the face can leave lasting scars and psychological effects that follow a child for years.
Many dog bite claims are covered under the owner's homeowners or renters insurance. That means a victim can frequently be compensated without suing a friend, neighbor, or family member directly, which helps preserve those relationships while still securing recovery.
Talk to Us After a Dog Attack
Our attorneys bring more than 100 years of combined legal experience to the cases we take, which matters when an insurer starts disputing what an owner knew or whether a law was broken. Because we handle nothing but injury law, we stay current on Virginia's dog bite rules and the local ordinances that often decide these claims. We have kept that focus since 1985.
If you or someone you love has been bitten or attacked by a dog, a Norfolk personal injury lawyer at Shapiro, Washburn & Sharp can review what happened, explain your rights under Virginia law, and pursue the compensation you are owed. Contact us at 833-997-1774 for a free consultation. We have offices in Virginia Beach, Portsmouth, Suffolk, Hampton, Norfolk, and Chesapeake, and we are ready to help you and your family recover and move forward.
