Breed-Specific Legislation Essay

Pit Bulls are known worldwide for being inherently dangerous and extremely vicious, but according to the American Temperament Test Society, Inc. 86.8% of American Pit Bull Terriers have passed their temperament tests better than Collies, Golden Retrievers, and Beagles. Many people don’t know that the term “bully breed” refers to more than forty breeds that hail from the same root breed. The history of the Pit Bull goes back to about the nineteenth century, during that time they were used to protect livestock, families, and even children as nannies (the Canine Journal). Today Pit Bulls are used as therapy dogs, police dogs, and of course a simple companion. Many myths about pit bulls circulate, which scares society into believing that they are dangerous to us and our families the question of banning Pit Bulls has been hotly discussed around the world, but banning Pit Bulls will not stop illegal breeding, fighting and distribution of Pit Bulls, other dogs from biting, and the problem will grow. The question of whether or not Pit Bulls should be banned is a hot topic in recent society, but the real question is should Pit Bulls be punished for the actions of their owners, or should laws be enforced at a higher degree.

“If somebody is too stupid to understand the fundamental immorality of dog fighting, you’re never going to be able to explain it to him” (Kevin Hench). Most people think that pit bulls have locking jaws. This is false however; no dog breed in the whole world has locking jaws. Dogs are not always aggressive how they are raised and trained determines the behavior of a dog. Dogs have tendencies to be aggressive only if not trained properly. The discrimination against pit bulls is wrong and uncalled for. Pit bulls are not the only culprits of attacks and death to humans. Dog fighting and stray pits are the fault of the people who own them. It is man kind’s job to take care of and be responsible for their dogs. Why should the dogs be punished

BSL fails at make communities safer from dog bites and attacks. There has been no conclusive data that even suggest that BSL has prevented dog bites or attacks. An Australian study conducted in 2006 entitled, Breed-specific Legislation and the Pit Bull Terrier: Are the laws justified?, concluded that the data collected in the United States to support the theory that pit bulls posed a unique danger to the public is flawed by methodological shortcomings (Breed). What this means is that the statistics of dog bites in the U.S. are inaccurate and flawed. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has reported that it is impossible to

Pit Bulls are among the top percentage of dog bites across the nation, but it partly due to the misrepresentation. Most handlers just see a similarity to a Pit Bull’s physical appearance and then the dog is classified as such. The media always misrepresents and wrongly accuses Pit Bulls, they are always quick to name the pit bull breed as the attacking dog. The government also does the same thing if a dog has similarities to a Pit Bull, then it is automatically classified as a Pit Bull even if it’s not correct. They don’t care about

An intense debate follows when the word Pitbull is mentioned. Pit Bulls do not have naturally, dangerous characteristics, yet they are still negatively perceived by people believing they are all aggressive dogs and dangerous to the public. The banning of Pit Bulls has caused the establishments of anti-Pit Bull banning organizations. Moreover, laws that ban this precious breed of dog creates illusions, but not the reality of public safety, which is why Pit Bulls should not be banned anywhere and must be allowed to live in any residential area with their owners.

Dogs seem to be one of the most common and beloved pets in our society. Many even consider their dog to be a family member. One thing that is especially great about dogs is that there are many different breeds of dogs out there that have different characteristics, and traits. Which gives people the option to choose the type of dog that is right for them, but one breed in particular has been banned in various places, and discriminated against that breed being pit bulls. Breed specific legislation targets pit bulls based on misconceptions, appearance, and poor knowledge about the breed. Breed Specific Legislation and discrimination in general are not justifiable against pit bulls.

The abuse of pit bulls drew national attention in 2007. “Over 30 breeds of dogs are responsible for over 500 fatal attacks in the past 30 years”. It wasn’t just pit bulls. “All dogs defend territory, they exhibit dominance and if allowed can become protective of their family.” “Aggressiveness has many definitions and its stimulus of the environment that causes behavior problems.” Some cities and towns have banned pit bulls. Some people believe no one should own pit bulls and “the world would be a better place without them”. These people are trying to destroy the breed through “fear tactics, half truths, and lies.” Other people believe pit bulls belong in any dog loving home and can and should be in public eye. Many people don’t have a clear understanding of pit bulls. In that case when the owners have negative effects on the dog because they are a lot more work than expected. Ending in many of the dogs living in shelters. People get pit bulls and fail to give them the outlets they need turn them into “loaded weapons.” Some outstanding qualities can be challenging for people who don’t have a lot of experience with dog ownership or have limited understanding of the pit bull. “It is man who is responsible for the dog’s behavior, not the breed of the dog.” “It is man who is responsible for the dog’s behavior, not the breed of the dog.” It’s up to people who allow their dogs to become dangerous and determine whether they will be useful members of a community or a

Breed-specific legislation is not as functional or as useful as it was intended to be. According to Fred Kray of StopBSL.com, “Breed specific legislation (BSL) is a law that bans OR restricts certain types of dogs based on their appearance, usually because they are perceived as ‘dangerous’ breeds or types of dogs”. These restrictions include total exclusion of certain breeds from individual cities, muzzle requirements for dogs in public, the requirement of purchasing liability insurance for dog bites or even the requirement of placing a “vicious dog” tag on the dog’s collar just to name a few. BSL causes the bully breeds (breeds considered dangerous and most importantly, have a Pitbull terrier appearance) to become more dangerous, leads to the discrimination of individual breeds, and causes Pitbulls to be put down when surrendered to shelters instead of being adopted into loving homes.

A man in Coventry, England recently bought two pitbulls, soon after he bought them police showed up to his home and took his dogs away from him. He had went to court to fight for his dogs back and he was able to get them back because they were properly trained dogs. In order to get that back he had to pay a fee and he now has to keep the dogs muzzled in public, always on a leash, and always have insurance. That is not the only event in which officials have tried to take away dogs from their owners. In Denver officials are being sued for banning the breed of dog because it affects the Americans with Disabilities Act. A veteran has pitbull service dog for his PTSD and in 2009 he had gotten his dog taken away from him. Once again the dog was returned but the law became that he had to muzzle him in public. He sued the city saying that if the dog had to be outside with a muzzle he wouldn't be able to his job at full potential as a service dog. This proves that if they can be used as service dogs they are able to be easily trained and they can’t be

Maryland has laws on both rulings against just Pit Bulls and the concept of ‘dangerous dogs’. First we will focus primarily on Maryland’s law against Pit Bulls. Aaron C. Davis, a reporter for the Washington Post, states that “Maryland’s highest court ruled in March [of 2012] that pit bulls…are more dangerous than other breeds” (Davis). Even the media today is biased against Pit Bulls based on the immensely smaller number of media articles reported on non-Pit Bulls versus Pit Bulls. The ASPCA, American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, shows that a “quantitative study by the National Canine Research Council of dog-bite reportage in a four-day period proves that anti-pit bull bias in the media is more than just a theory—it’s a fact” (ASPCA). Under Maryland law as well, there are specific rulings on what deems a dog as a ‘dangerous dog’. Stated in West’s Annotated Code of Maryland, “‘Dangerous dog’ means a dog that: (i) Without provocation has killed or inflicted severe injury on a person” (West). This could relay onto any breed of dog depending on the situation and environment. Because of the Maryland law on Pit Bulls, many Maryland families are facing distress.

BSL stands for Breed Specific Legislation. BSL is a law that bans OR restricts certain types of dogs (based on their appearance), usually because they are perceived as “dangerous” breeds or types of dogs.

BSL consists of restrictions levied on owners of specific dog breeds deemed dangerous or even bans on possession of such breeds.

Now the current law says ‘’for providing that a dog deserves its label is on the dog warden,and

I’m going to start off with a question: how many of you guys have a dog? Well imagine if one day a dog, the same breed as your dog, attacked and killed a person, and now that breed is banned in your state or city. Well that is what is happening in the U.S and Canada at the moment. There is a legislation called Breed-Specific Legislation, or BSL, that on the federal, state, or municipal level can outright ban or restrict specific named breeds of dog, and currently, this legislation is targeted towards pit bulls. The reason you guys should care is because, every year in the U.S alone, 3.9 million dogs are euthanized, of those 3.9 million, 1 million are pit bulls, that’s roughly 2,800 pit bulls put down per day. If some of you own a pit bull or

People are adopting pit bulls from Craigslist and Facebook to have them put down or dropped off at a kill shelter because they are trying to eliminate the breed. They are doing this since they believe pit bulls are dangerous naturally, but all dogs have the potential to be dangerous and attack humans, not just pit bulls. How a dog acts depends on how it was treated or trained by the owner, not the breed they are. Pit bulls have a poor reputation which is a result of what people train them for, dog fights. So rather than trying to eliminate the breed, why not deal with the owners of violent pit bulls? The dogs are not to blame, so they shouldn’t be punished for the actions of their owners since there is no such thing as a bad dog, just a bad