Breed Specific Legislation is Unfair to All Dogs and All Dog Owners

There have been many, many terrible reports in the news recently of dogs being shot to death by police officers and animal control officers who claimed the dogs were "vicious"; even though, videos taken of the incidents clearly showed that this was not the case. Why does this happen? Misinformation, hysteria, and poor officer training all play a big part.

One example of misinformation and hysteria is the fact that a growing number of people believe that "bully dogs" (Pit Bulldogs and Pit Bull type dogs) are all "vicious". This leads to an apparently growing number of uninformed, poorly trained police and animal control officers believing that these dogs should be shot on sight. Because of this, many cities are considering breed specific legislation (BSL) that would impose very unfair restrictions on dogs by breed or breed type. BSL is unfair to responsible dog owners, good bully dogs, and indeed, all dogs. It masquerades as addressing a problem, when it actually contributes to it by targeting people and dogs who may not be problematic at all and ignoring the behavior that can lead to problem dogs of all types.

BSL is as unfair as racial profiling. There are no bad dogs, only bad people. The unfortunate bully dog just happens to be the type of dog that bad people seem to prefer right now. Nonetheless, there are far more nice, responsible people with well-behaved bully dogs than there are mean people with unruly bully dogs. The unfortunate thing is that the nice people will usually have their dogs out and about and ready to greet people. These are often the dogs that are shot.

Aside from the fact that BSL is essentially canine racism, there is another factor to consider. The fact of the matter is, the majority of people can't tell one kind of dog from another at all!

For example, once on an episode of Animal Cops Detroit, numerous people called the officers to complain that a man was beating a Pit Bull in the street and that he had thrown the Pit Bull into the trunk of his car and driven off. When the officers arrived and talked with witnesses, they all said the abused dog was a Pit Bull. When the officers apprehended the suspect and opened the trunk, there sat a Chow! There is almost no dog that could look less like a Pit Bull than a Chow, but there you have it.

So, if BSL is in effect, any dog perceived as a Pit Bull or Pit Bull type dog is in danger of being shot if it is not in compliance with BSL, and that could be any dog at all. If you own a dog such as a Labrador Retriever, German Shorthaired Pointer, Greyhound, or other tall, muscular, short-haired dog, you are probably in just as great a danger of having your dog shot for being out of compliance with BSL as if you had a genuine Pit Bull.

What is BSL?

Here are some typical BSL type rules.

A person who owns a "restricted" dog must:
Keep the dog inside a child-proof/escape proof enclosure
Have "Beware! Restricted dog!" warning signs prominently displayed around the enclosure
Keep the dog muzzled in public
Control the dog with a leash of no more than 3' in length at all times
Put a special red-and-yellow collar on the dog that marks it as "restricted"
Have the dog spayed/neutered, tagged, collared, and micro chipped.
Register the dog with the authorities
Inform the authorities if the dog attacks an animal/person, is lost, stolen, or relocated
Obtain a special permit to own more than two restricted dogs
Must not sell, give away or acquire more restricted dogs
And/or must let prospective owners know that the dog is a restricted dog
Must be sure that the dog is always handled by a competent adult (over age 18).

This is a sampling of rules from various places where BSL is in force. Clearly they are quite restrictive to everyone involved and certainly not the sort of thing a person would want to impose on a family pet. Aside from being restrictive, impractical, and unfair, these rules are simply unnecessary. Most towns have leash laws in place that apply to all dogs. If a town does not have a leash law, it should. Most towns require that dogs be vaccinated against rabies, and the city has access to these records. If a town does not have this requirement, it should.

It is not in a town's best interest to feed hysteria by forcing people who happen to own bully dogs to go through this kind of conspicuous, restrictive, irrational nonsense while simultaneously ignoring the habits of owners of other types of dogs or the needs of those dogs. Supporting BSL endorses the notion that a particular type of breed is dangerous, and ignores the fact that any and all dogs can be dangerous if badly cared for or improperly handled.

Here are the kinds of dogs that tend to be dangerous/unpredictable:

Dogs that are chained constantly - any breed.
Dogs that are teased, harassed, abused - any breed.
Dogs that are ill - any breed.
Dogs that are not socialized - any breed.
Dogs that are taught by mean humans to be mean - any breed.

Conversely, any dog that is healthy, well-cared for, well-trained, treated humanely and that is well-matched with its owner(s) can be an enjoyable and satisfying pet. Therefore, there should certainly be rules governing dogs and dog ownership. These rules should apply to all dogs and all dog ownership.

The following rules applied to all dog ownership would greatly reduce the number of "vicious" dogs!

All dogs should be registered with the city/county in which they reside.
All dogs' should be spayed/neutered.
All dogs' spay/neuter records & proof of rabies vaccination should be kept on file with the city/county in which the dog resides.
All dogs should be contained in a reasonably secure fence or on leash at all times.
No dog should ever be chained for more than an hour at a time.
No dog should ever be left alone chained.

To ensure a happy & harmonious dog population cities should provide:

Low cost/high quality spay, neuter & vaccination clinics
Low cost/high quality, city sponsored obedience classes and dog care classes
Training in dog behavior and handling for police and animal control officers
Dog parks.

Rules and support mechanisms of this sort would encourage proactive, educated, responsible dog ownership and discourage abusive, neglectful dog ownership. This would effectively address the problem of "vicious" dogs and improve dog care in general.

Of course, as with all other subjects, the media feeds frenzy whenever it can, and people would often prefer to be frightened and hysterical rather than sensible and self-reliant, so the hysteria surrounding bully type dogs will probably continue for a long, long time. Additionally, people who own any other type of dog will likely resist any kind of rules and regulations, so it will be quite difficult to get any sensible, doable rules regarding dog ownership in place.

If you have a bully dog, what can you do now?

Here is what I have done. I favor bully type dogs. I have found them to be the best dogs in the world, but I know their reputation, and I know that they are in danger just because of the way they look. That's why I go the extra mile to promote my dogs in our hometown. I always make sure that everyone knows my dogs.

When I first moved to my small town over a decade ago, I brought my bully type dog, Freckles, with me. There was no leash law, animal control officer or police force in town, and there were no rules about dogs; however, I knew that with Freckles' looks, I needed to be proactive in his PR campaign. I took my dogs' shot records to the city office (even though this was not required or expected) and let them know that I had 2 well-behaved, well-trained dogs.

I made sure to walk my dogs on leash around town every day so that people would become familiar with them and recognize them if they ever got loose. I made sure they always had well-fitting collars with shot & ID tags prominently displayed. Since that time, I have had several other dogs and have always continued these practices.

Today we have a leash law, a police force, and an animal control officer. I make it a point to introduce my dogs to local police officers. All of the officers and the animal control officer know my dogs by name and have met them and petted them. I feel confident that if my dogs did get loose or if a problem arose on my property, my local officers and animal control officer would behave responsibly and humanely when handling my dogs.

Of course, not everyone lives in a small town, but even in a big city there are things you can do!

Right from the get-go, be sure to choose a dog (from your local shelter, please) that has the right personality to fit in with you and your family. Even though I love bully type dogs, I am the first to say that they are not right for everyone. If you are not able to be firm and consistent and give your bully type dog a lot of love and attention, this is not the right breed for you.

If you are not physically fit, this is not the right breed for you. A bully dog is a big, strong, smart, active dog. They are challenging and are best suited for calm, firm, experienced handlers. They are not naturally "vicious" or "dangerous"; however, they do require calm, firm, consistent, knowledgeable training and handling for the best results.

Be sure to:

Keep your dog contained. Never let your dog roam around loose and unsupervised.

Supervise your dog & keep him/her safe. Never leave him/her loose in your yard or chained outside while you are gone.

Make sure your dog is well-trained, well-behaved, and well-socialized.

Take your dog on walks (on leash) in your community frequently, and introduce him/her to neighbors and especially to your local police officers and animal control officers.

Be sure your dog looks like a family pet!

Keep him/her well-groomed.

Make sure your dog does, indeed, have all shots up-to-date with tags prominently displayed on an attractive, good quality, well fitting collar or harness.

Have your pet spayed/neutered. There is no reason to breed a family pet. Spaying/neutering will help your pet to be a healthier, happier, calmer, more satisfying pet.

Have your pet micro chipped and/or tattooed to be sure that s/he can be returned to you if s/he is lost or stolen and becomes separated from ID tags.

These are the things I do to care for my dogs and ensure their safety. I believe that all dogs should have the benefit of this kind of care. Some folks may feel that even these cautions are restrictive, but these days, a dog is a family member and must be cared for responsibly in order to be a good citizen and be safe and welcome in the community. Folks who feel that this sort of care would be too much trouble would be well advised to think more than twice before adding a dog to the family. Especially a boisterous bully dog!

For more on responsible dog ownership, you may enjoy:

Advice On Caring For Your Dog Responsibly
http://www.advice.com/article.jsp?id=8d36928ef016496d95a904a9ac805361

Advice On Socializing Your Dog
http://www.advice.com/article.jsp?id=e87656478b1749c7acbcb6e6ffc9abf6

Advice On Keeping Your Pet Safe From Stranger Danger
http://advice.com/article/2010/02/26/Advice+On+Keeping+Your+Pet+Safe+From+Stranger+Danger

Sources & Resources:
Wikipedia: Breed Specific Legislation
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Breed-specific_legislation
Pit Bull Rescue Central
http://www.pbrc.net/breedspecific.html
For the Love of Pet-bulls
http://www.pitbullsontheweb.com/petbull/legislation.php