What is your opinion of Breed Specific Legislation?

My brother and sister-in-law own two dogs that are in risk of being banned from where they plan to move, and I wondered if anyone out there had any opinion of what they though of BSL. They are working on something to present to the city council to try to stop them from banning the dogs; but the thing is that they are banning just "Pit Bulls" and their dogs are AmStaffs. And the banning is for no reason.



Any Opinion?What is your opinion of Breed Specific Legislation?
It has been proven that BSL does not work to eliminate or reduce the amounts of dog bites. I think BSL is just another way AR groups are trying to end all dog ownership. I think the media creates the fear of certain breeds and because of the fear that is created by sensationalizing bites from certain dogs, people believe what they hear and back BSL but what they do not realize is that once one breed has been banned, it will open the door to any and every breed being banned.



Here is an example of what will happen if people do not start paying attention to BSL, and my guess is that list will get bigger.

In Italy they started out with a list of 13 dogs on the dangerous dog list and the list has now climbed to 92 and the dogs on the list are not all large breed dogs there are dogs on the list such as Corgis, Schipperkes and Schnauzers.



This is exactly where we are headed if we allow BSL.



I believe that stiffer penalties (jail time and hefty fines) should be imposed on people who use dogs for illegal purposes or for people who chose to keep dangerous dogs also, for owners that fail to train, socialize and contain their dogs. I bet if you had to go to jail and/or it hurt your pocket, people would be more inclined to research dogs before they got one. People need to be educated about dogs in general, they need to understand pack mentality and behavior. What people need to do is start being responsible when chosing and raising a dog. They need to quit buying dogs based on looks alone and be honest in their ability to handle certain breeds because not all breeds are suited for everyone.



The bottom line is until the law starts making PEOPLE responsible for their actions and the actions of their dog, BSL will change nothing except make certain dogs breeds extinct. I fear that if BSL is not stopped eventually we have have to visit dogs in the zoo with the rest of the wild and dangerous animals.



Punish the deed not the breed.
Well this is very sad in a way, isn't it. It almost seems communistic. However, like guns, there are certain breeds which have come to the forefront in endangerment of others.



So maybe instead of making life miserable, if you own a Pitt Bull, Chow, etc., society could enforce a program of certificate of obedience class passage, which has to be annually updated. Also, animals have to be confined by fence or by leash on walk. Humans come first. However, I have a part Chow, and my homeowners insurance went up.



I think we should approach these issues with more education and in a positive and educated way, rather that just legislating punitive restrictions. It's gotten to the point where these breed are being treated almost as negatively as humans that smoke. I believe in the capabilities and education of the Dog Whisperer, Cesar Millan,(www.cesarmillan.com) and would like to hear what he has to say about this. http://fightbsl.tripod.com/ gives a list of targeted breeds of BSL, supporting the FightBSL Yahoo group:

(http://groups.yahoo.com/group/fightBSL).What is your opinion of Breed Specific Legislation?
sign a petition
It is not effective. You have to go after bad owners with strict penalties for knowingly owning vicious dogs. Breed is not the issue, ownership responsibility is.



That said, I am in favor of banning wolf hybrids which are highly unpredictable in behavior and cannot safely be kept like pet dogs. But that is a different issue.What is your opinion of Breed Specific Legislation?
BANNING DOGS IS PURE S***!!!! (PARDON MY FRENCH)
I would definately tell them not to move there.



Breed-specific Legislation is complete BS. These laws do NOTHING to protect the public. In England and in Winnipeg, bite numbers went on the rise when BSL was put in place. This is because the real problem is being ignored; irresponsible ownership and crap breeding. Every reputable organization, even non-dog groups, from the Canadian Safety Council to the Centers for Disease Control, are all against BSL. The politicians who make up these laws ignore the real advice, only so that they can make themselves look good (typical).
My opinion is that it's bad! Where I live, the local shelter will adopt out Pit Bulls and Rotties which are the breeds the insurance companies have a fit about. But they destroy all Chow mixes because someone has the dumb idea that they are all bad dogs. It's a shame that any particular breed should be singled out for legislation. The problem is not the dog; it's the ignorant owners who encourage aggression either for dog fighting or because they think it's cool to have a mean dog.
We have 2 Pit Bulls. I'd move before I'd give my babies up. It's ridiculous.
In my opinion, BSL is just racism applied to dogs. What else can you call condemning an idividual based on the minority (breed) it belongs to, rather than assessing the individual.



Competent breeders select away from dangerous temperments, and have done for decades. If felony charges and appropriate penalties were applied to owners and breeders that act irresponsibly, there wouldn't be a problem.



What would I do if BSL was enacted where I live - I'd move! I would also write an open letter to the local paper stating my reason for moving, and how much I used to spend in my local community on an annual basis. (It's not a protest if you don't tell people you're doing it).
tell them not to move there.

breed bans include ANY dog that looks like a pit bull.

look into getting the dogs their canine good citizen, it may help.



AMEN shepherdgirl!! took the words right out of my mouth.
I think it is stupid and straight up racism against dogs. So many Pitbulls have proved to be excellent pets as well as service dogs. Many of the "pit bulls" you hear about in mauling cases aren't even true Pit Bulls. It's ridiculous. They should tell the city these are American Staffordshire Terriers and the dog has no bite history or history of aggression. Banning specific breeds does nothing to stop biting. Some crooked lawyers will claim that pitbulls are responsible for most bitings but that is a misconception. A chihuahua can be listed as a pitbull if it bites. Also, it does not correspond with a study researchers conducted on dog bites. Although a fewof the "banned" breeds were more toward the top of the list many, including Pits were toward the bottom when it comes to most likely to bite humans.

Besides, why should a dog have to suffer for the way a human treated it?
First, I wouldn't move to a place where my dogs were in threat of being banned.

The only other option is to go to the city council and present their case against banning dog by breed and encourage the enforcement of the leash laws and holding dog owners accountable for their behavior. Any dog can be viscious and that includes the little ankle biters and the beautiful cocker spaniels. They may not be able to damage as much as the larger dogs, but they can do enough damage.
I think it is absolutely ridiculous!!! to me its like banning a specific race from living in a community.
I understand why a lot of cities are doing this, but I think its wrong. They need to make stricter rules and punishments for dog fighters and stop banning certain breeds. A lot of towns have been banning pit bulls, but in actuality they can be very sweet dogs and make wonderful pets. They are misunderstood and people use them for wrong and unlawful reasons. I don't believe any city should be able to tell you what breed of dog you can own.
It's Bull $hit Legislation in my book.
Banning a breed of dog is completely wrong... IF the must ban a breed of dog then to make things fair then they must ban all dogs...
I think it's unfortunate that some breeds are singled in BSL, but what's more unfortunate is that there are many owners of such 'dangerous' or potentially dangerous breeds who do not provide their dogs with the appropriate amounts of socialization and behavior training. Disobedient dogs are always potentially dangerous, but some breeds are more inclined to be out of hand.



I think that BSL is unfair, but I don't know what other alternative recommendations that I could make. As I said, there are dangerous dogs of every and any breed. Much of this is a result of pet shops who sell dogs on the spot; you need nothing more than a credit card to own a dog in many situations. It's the sad truth that so many pets (70% of those that are given up) are abandoned because of behavior issues that would not exist if the dog's owner(s) were aware of how to raise the dog correctly.



Perhaps there could be some system which certifies dog owners? This is so hypothetical and near impossible to regulate; I just know that BSL is unfair.