On November 1, 2010, The Daily Beast posted the "39 Most Dangerous Dog Breeds."

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has stated: "There is currently no accurate way to identify the number of dogs of a particular breed, and consequently no measure to determine which breeds are more likely to bite or kill." The American Veterinary Medical Association also rejects the claim that any one breed is more dangerous than another.

But The Daily Beast based their list on the notoriously inaccurate "Clifton Report," which studied media accounts of dog bites to draw the conclusion that some breeds are more dangerous than others.

To make matters worse, the ranking of so-called dangerous breeds was based on "the American Kennel Club's most recent precise data on dog registration statistics."

Not only does the AKC reject breed discrimination, but this scoring system is fatally flawed for two major reasons: 1) "pit bull" isn't a breed, it's a type of dog most commonly referring to the American Pit Bull Terrier, American Staffordshire Terrier, Staffordshire Bull Terrier, and any mixes of those breeds; and 2) the American Kennel Club doesn't recognize the American Pit Bull Terrier, which means they have no "precise data" — or any data — on those dogs.

Every time misinformation is spread about "pit bulls" and other breeds being more dangerous than others, it fuels breed-specific policies that target responsible dog owners and cost innocent dogs their lives.

It's not just pit bulls on the list, but mastiffs, greyhounds, huskies, border collies, and dozens more. This is a good example of why every dog owner needs to pay attention to breed specific legislation — your breed just might be on the list, too.

Tell The Daily Beast to stop perpetuating misinformation and retract their article falsely maligning specific breeds of dog.

Photo credit: Marshall S. Boprey