Executive Summary
Breed Specific Legislation (BSL) is a specific type of legislation that bans a specific dog breed(s) to ensure the safety of the community. It is believed that by banning certain breeds, such as the “pit bull,” dog bites will decrease and overall safety will increase. Let me tell you why this unscientific approach is wrong.
Introduction
BSL is a very hot topic right now. Just this past month, we saw Montreal pass BSL against all dogs that look like “pit bulls.” Thankfully, the ban was suspended after hearing the case presented against it by the Montreal SPCA. When banning a specific kind of breed, or a dog that happens to look similar to the breed, this means you must give up your beloved dog to either relocation or euthanasia, a.k.a., to be killed. Also, this is supposed to decrease dog attacks and promote our safety. So, we see that BSL has a particular impact on us. I mean, how many pit bulls do you know of just inside your own community? Imagine they are sentenced to death, because they have a certain physical characteristic. Also, is using BSL an effective approach to keep us safe from dog attacks? No, it is not. I invite you to continue reading on to hear my explanation.
Approaches
We see there is one piece of evidence that steers the conversation towards enacting BSL. On DogsBites.org, they have statistics illustrating that between 2005 and 2015, “pit bulls” killed 232 Americans, or 64% of all dog bite deaths. When digging deeper into this statistic, there are a number of concerns. First, this data is based strictly on news reports. In 2008, there was a report completed to illustrate media news bias. Over the course of four days in August 2007, we saw two children attacked by dogs (one fatally), and one elderly man attacked. They each received one local article in the local newspaper. On the fourth day, two “pit bulls” attacked a woman, hospitalizing her. It received “more than 230 articles in national…and on major cable news networks.” The media bias plays a significant role in these statistics. Secondly, according to the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA), an organization that strongly opposes BSL, the “pit bull” is not a registered breed and can encompass several breeds, making it difficult to reliably identify one. This leads to a false perception of whether the dog is a pit bull or not. This is highlighted in a study when animal shelter staff were asked to identify the breeds of 120 dogs. They said 55 were “pits,” while only 25 truly had any sort of “pit bull” descent. 8% of the “true pit bulls were identified by all staff members.” These two reasons above make one strongly question the reliability and validity of this only piece of “evidence” backers of BSL have.
Conclusions
BSL has been an ineffective measure to decrease dog attacks and promote safety. The AVMA, American Kennel Club, Humane Society of the United States, ASPCA, American Humane Association, Animal Legal Defense Fund, numerous reports highlighted in the Animal Legal and Historical Center, Best Friends Animal Society and many more animal organizations all oppose BSL. Instead of looking at the statistics of a “breed,” we can instead look to more promising statistics such as: 97% of dogs that attacked people were not spayed or neutered, 84% were abused or neglected, and 78% were “guard, breeding or yard dogs.” If Montreal looked to Calgary and their Responsible Pet Ownership Bylaw, they will see that they can achieve results like a 20% reduction in euthanasia in shelters, instead of the regular effect BSL has for a community: nothing.
What Can You Do to Help?
To help eliminate any potential chances for BSL, a specific type of legislation that has no benefit in saving costs, promoting safety, or effectiveness, then please perform these steps:
- Start a petition to demand BSL is not enacted.
- Send letters and/or emails to your local representatives asking them to consider the facts and professional recommendations by animal organizations.
- Ask to meet with local representatives to discuss this issue in person.
- Spread the word via mouth and/or social media.
- Share cute videos of “pit bull” dogs. Bonus points if it’s your own! (Seriously, this works. And who doesn’t love a cute dog video?)
Finally, enjoy this video of a previously abused “pittie.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nzZAJG7TT4s