Whitney Holt
English 2010
Professor Seminario
Report
The issue my group decided to choose was Breed Specific Legislation (BSL). This is a
legislation based on banning specific species of dogs known as “dangerous” dogs usually pit
bulls and terriers from being allowed in the public. These dogs were at one time bred to fight
because of their tenacity, pain tolerance, and protective instincts. However, since dog fighting
has been illegal much of the aggressiveness of these dogs has been bred out. Dog bites and
attacks are major issues that need to be dealt with. People have died and been seriously injured
from dog attacks. Most dog attacks and bites that are reported are pit bull and terrier attacks.
Statistics show in 2011 71% of dog attacks reported were from pit bulls. (1)
However, there statics can be misleading. Pit bulls have characteristics conducive to being a
family dog. The issue the government is trying to solve is less dog bites and attacks. Legislators
believe by putting this legislation in place it will reduce the number of attacks in the country.
Examining current animal control laws and enforcement of these laws is pertinent to creating
good laws, because focusing efforts on specific breeds, rather than on dealing with the true cause
of these threats to public safety -- pet owner responsibility – has been shown not to work. (3)
We cannot punish a whole breed of dogs for what one dog has done. Because one dog of
a specific breed attacks someone doesn’t mean that every single dog of the same breed will do
the same. Can pit bulls and terriers be aggressive, yes they can, but only because they are
protecting themselves or because they have been taught to be that way. Due to a serious of a
serious lack of regulation in dog breeding, some dogs inherit defective genes. Another problem is
it becomes impossible to identify breeds especially mixed of breeds for most dogs. Also dogs
are sold to irresponsible owners. (2) Banning Pit Bulls would be like banning cars because
people get killed in car accidents. (2) How effective would that legislation be? BSL is very
expensive to implement and ineffective in deterring dog bites and attacks as any species of dog
could be trained to attack or in a certain circumstance attack a human. BSL also causes hardship
to responsible owners of friendly, properly supervised and well-socialized dogs who happen to
fall within the regulated breed. Although these dog owners have done nothing to endanger the
public, they are required to comply with local breed bans and regulations unless they are able to
mount successful (and often costly) legal challenges. (5) The Central for Disease Control (CDC)
have done test that have shown the most "dangerous breed" of dog changes from year to year
based on popularity and reputation of dogs. In the aforementioned study, the CDC noted that
many other factors beyond breed may affect a dog’s tendency toward aggression—things such as
heredity, sex, early experience, reproductive status, socialization and training. These last two
concerns are well-founded, given that:
• More than 70 percent of all dog bite cases involve unneutered male dogs.
• An unneutered male dog is 2.6 times more likely to bite than is a neutered dog.
• A chained or tethered dog is 2.8 times more likely to bite than a dog that is not chained or
tethered.
• 97 percent of dogs involved in fatal dog attacks in 2006 were not spayed/neutered:
• 78 percent of dogs involved in attacks were maintained not as pets, but rather for guarding,
image enhancement, fighting or breeding.
• 84 percent were maintained by reckless owners—these dogs were abused or neglected, not
humanely controlled or contained, or allowed to interact with children unsupervised. (5) As you
can see from these statistics most dog attacks occur when the dog is not neutered or has been
owned by an irresponsible owner. To reduce the number of attacks we need to educate, neuter,
enforce better supervision, training and socialization of dogs. Unchaining your dog might seem
like a terrible idea, but actually chaining dogs causes them more stress, to be more protective,
and have more aggression. These are easy steps to learn and implement to reduce the amount of
dog attacks we have each year.
The best argument against BSL is that the dogs shouldn’t be punished it is the owners
that should be taking the blame. There can be a tendency for the media to report on “pit bull
attacks” and not attacks by other breeds of dogs. Since only 20% of dogs are licensed we do not
have an accurate statistics of dogs to measure the percentage of pit bull attacks to other dog
attacks. It has been said “Dog bites man isn’t news, but Pit Bull bites man is.” Similarly, certain
breeds can be over-represented in statistics, as they are more likely to be reported, when bites by
other breeds are not. (3) Most pit bull attacks have been reported for roaming not supervised. A
dog not supervised or in a confined area is against the current law. Enforcing the law once it is
on the books is another issue. Prince George’s County, MD, spends more than $250,000 annually
to enforce its ban on Pit Bulls. (4) This law is not only costing money, but is it actually
ineffective. In 2003, a study conducted by the county on the ban’s effectiveness noted that
“public safety is not improved as a result of [the ban],” and that “there is no transgression
committed by an owner or animal that is not covered by another, non-breed specific portion of
the Animal Control Code (i.e., vicious animal, nuisance animal, leash laws).” (4) By educating
ourselves and neutering our dogs we can prevent the number of dog attacks that happen in the
U.S. owner responsibility is the most important factor in preventing dog attacks and bites. Dogs
should not be punished for the irresponsibility of their owners. Laws should not target one breed
of dogs, but rather affect everyone fairly across the board. Education goes further than legislation
in controlling unwanted behaviors in animals Remember dogs are a man’s best friend.
Works Cited
1) Media Group, Lynn. "2011 Dog Bite Fatalities:" 2011 U.S. Dog Bite Fatalities.
DogsBite.org. Web. 02 Mar. 2012. <http://www.dogsbite.org/dog-bite-statisticsfatalities-2011.php>.
2) "Pet Pit Bull - Breed-specific Legislation." Pit Bulls on the Web. Web. 02 Mar. 2012.
<http://www.pitbullsontheweb.com/petbull/legislation.php>.
3) "Companion Animal Welfare." Breed Specific Legislation and Policies. Web. 02 Mar.
2012. <http://www.mspca.org/programs/animal-protection-legislation/animalwelfare/companion-animal-welfare/companion-animal-welfare.html>.
4) "Breed Specific Legislation." ASPCA. Web. 02 Mar. 2012. <http://www.aspca.org/fightanimal-cruelty/dog-fighting/breed-specific-legislation.aspx>.
5) "Breed-Specific Legislation." American Humane Association. Web. 02 Mar. 2012.
<http://www.americanhumane.org/animals/stop-animal-abuse/fact-sheets/breed-specificlegislation.html>.