Breed Bans…Do they work? by Dr Wes Borgman of the Seminole Animal Hospital

Should Dangerous Dogs Be Banned?

By: Dr. Wes Borgman

Since the 1980s, breed specific legislation (BSLs) or aggressive dog
laws have been working their way across the United States and Canada.
Touted by many to be the answer to vicious dog attacks, BSL
initiatives are more frequently seen in state legislatures, city
council meetings, and small town agendas.

A breed specific legislation is defined as a statute or regulation
that is directed toward one or more specific breeds of dogs. According
to the website, www.animallaw.info, the majority of BSLs focus on dogs
that some consider to be "dangerous" breeds. These include pit bulls,
German Shepherd Dogs, Chow Chows, Rottweilers, and Doberman Pinschers.
The list, however, is growing and often includes mixed breed dogs that
show characteristics of these breeds. Thirty-seven states have already
enacted laws or have legislation pending at some level of government.

The current trend for enacting breed specific legislation began two
decades ago after a series of attacks left several people dead and
many more injured. As examples, in 1980, the city commission of
Hollywood, Florida passed an ordinance requiring that persons owning
pit bulls must file special registration papers and maintain $25,000
public liability insurance. In New Mexico, a 1984 town ordinance
allowed animal control officials to confiscate and euthanize pit bulls
due to a newly enacted ban on the breed.

Opponents of breed specific regulations will often use the definition
of the law as one of their main arguments against it. The BSLs are
aimed more at restricting certain breeds than addressing the specific
behavior of individual animals. Other points opponents make include
the difficulty and often arbitrary nature of actual enforcement of the
laws, an overloaded court system and the mis-identification of
animals. The American Kennel Club's Position Statement on BSLs says
that the AKC will support dangerous dog control that is
non-discriminatory and is enforceable (www.akc.org). Additionally, the
AKC is encouraging all types of dog lovers and veterinarians to become
active in or start animal control advisory boards locally.

Besides nationally known groups, many smaller local groups have been
voicing their concerns as well. Entire organizations have been created
to help defeat these bills. The Ohio Valley Dog Owners says that BSLs
are not likely to work because "irresponsible owners and the criminals
who use dogs for illegal purposes simply won't obey the laws or switch
to another breed."

The city of North Chicago just recently passed a BSL restricting the
ownership of pit bulls. The restrictions include annual license fees
of $500-$1000, requirements that the dogs be kept on 4 foot leads and
muzzled whenever on the streets, registration and notification of all
births of pit bulls and photo identification to be supplied to the
city. North Little Rock, Arkansas has a similar ordinance but includes
rottweilers as well.

Even with some local municipalities taking the plunge to prohibit
certain breeds, some states are putting their foot down to stop any
reactionary legislation. According to Colorado's state laws, no
municipality may enact a law that is restrictive based on breed alone.
Recently 4 BSLs were stopped due to public outcry or cost
ineffectiveness in Colorado, Massachusetts and Oklahoma. However,
California has recently repealed a ban on BSLs, allowing cities to
adopt ordinances banning or restricting certain breeds.

Even as the debates on BSLs heat up, dog attacks continue to make news
with alarming regularity. In Grant County, Indiana, a story originally
surfaced about a rottweiler type dog and a potential pit bull entering
the home of an 88 year old woman on oxygen and attacking her. After
two days of frantic reports of stray dog sightings and the canceling
of recess at a local elementary school, the real culprits were found
to be the dachshund and Labrador owned by the woman's daughter.
Because of breed misconceptions and stereotypes, some pets are
considered to be less dangerous than others simply due to their breed
makeup. This story illustrates how wrong that assumption can be and
how ineffective BSL can be in the context of these misconceptions.

Searching the Internet for Breed Specific Legislation, more than a
quarter of a million sites appear on MSN alone. All of the national
dog clubs and even the American Veterinary Medical Association have
position statements denouncing the need or wisdom of such knee-jerk
breed specific laws. It is important that dog owners of any breed, or
any mixed breed, pay attention to laws that may affect their right and
ability to keep their dog. Remember, it is often the individual dog,
not the breed, that is at issue. Stronger aggressive dog laws that are
non breed specific will do a better job of helping to stop the terror
of dog attacks.

As always, visit your veterinarian if you are concerned about your
dog's behavior and have questions about the breed. For more
information, visit www.wesborgman.com and watch the video detailing
dangerous dogs laws.

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Dr. Wes Borgman is the veterinarian and owner of the Seminole Animal
Hospital in Sanford. He can be reached at 407-330-7387.Prevent bites in your puppy

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