Why is there such a hubbub about dog breeds by insurance companies?

Here are a few facts for you to chew on:

• Dog bites account for one third of all liability claims
• In 2007, claims reached a new high, up 28% since 2003
• In 2007, there were 4.7 million dog bites, resulting in 800,000 injuries requiring medical treatment
• $356,700,000 (yes, that's millions of dollars) was paid in claims, up 10.5% from the previous year
• In 2007, there were 14,500 dog bites claims filed; the average claim payment was about $24,511