Article about Breed-Specific Legislation

You may be aware of recent developments in the United States and other parts of the world regarding breeds of dog that have been singled out for specific discrimination. This situation arose from dog biting incidents. However, in most cases, the owner rather than the dog is often at fault. Due to the irresponsible actions of a few, dozens of dog breeds and their responsible owners now face being banned or subjected to severe restrictions under new legislation being enacted or considered by countries throughout the world.

Breed-specific legislation bans or restricts particular breeds or mixes. A dog of a banned breed can be confiscated by the authorities and killed. A dog of a restricted breed must be confined, muzzled, chained, or restricted in other ways and owners must provide proof of liability insurance that covers dog bites. In some jurisdictions, dogs of restricted breeds and mixes must be identified by microchip or tattoo and must have mug shots on file with the police.

Breed specific legislations are based on faulty statistics, media hysteria and politicians looking for a quick answer to the increasing number of people being injured or killed by dogs in North America and abroad. It is often stated that deaths from dog bites are about one per 10 million of the population. Any death is not acceptable but let us be practical. Reaching zero risk is not only improbable, it is simply impossible. All human activities entail a level of risk, from eating chicken to crossing a street. Breed bans are an illogical answer that may make certain individuals safer, but will not do a thing to reduce biting accidents.

There are a number of reasons why BSL fails to reduce the number of biting incidents. The main reason is the basic premise is fatally flawed. It is a dog's upbringing that determines his actions, not his breed. So, when one breed is banned or restricted, the responsible owners of that breed suffer the consequences and abide by the new restrictions, even though they've done nothing wrong. Whereas the irresponsible owners of those breeds will simply continue operating outside the law or move on to an unrestricted breed. Statistics show this is the case.

It is a people problem, not a problem with dogs. It is the kinds of people who encourage aggressive behaviors in their dogs who must be stopped. Some people raising and breeding dogs have no knowledge of ethical breeding practices, nor any experience training dogs.

A fatal dog attack is always the culmination of past and present events that include the following: inherited and learned behaviors, genetics, breeding, socialization, function of the dog, physical condition and size of the dog, reproductive status of dog, popularity of the breed, individual temperament, environmental stresses, owner responsibility, victim behavior, victim size and physical condition, timing and misfortune.

While many circumstances may contribute to a fatal dog attack, the following three factors appear to play a critical role in the display of canine aggression towards humans:

• Function of the dog – This includes dogs acquired for fighting, guarding/protection or image enhancement.
• Owner responsibility – This includes dogs allowed to roam loose, chained dogs, dogs and/or children left unsupervised, dogs permitted or encouraged to behave aggressively, and animal neglect and/or abuse.
• Reproductive status of the dog – This includes unaltered males dogs, bitches with puppies, and children coming between male dog and female dog in estrus.

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