Banned dog lists conjure up images of pit bulls or any bully type dog, and these are the breeds most people associate with breed specific laws. However, these breeds are by no means the only ones on banned dog lists in cities and states across the country. You may think your dog is safe from BSL, but if he falls into any of the breeds of dogs deemed dangerous by these laws, he can be taken from you and killed for no other reason than he fits a specific profile.
Breed specific legislation, according to supporters of these laws, protect the public from dog attacks and bites. Breeds included in these laws are at the discretion of the lawmakers crafting their bill. However, any dog, regardless of his breed, can and will bite if he feels threatened. It’s not the dog that’s responsible for his actions, it’s his owner. Punishing a dog because of the way he looks does not and will not solve the problem of bad owners who refuse to take responsibility for their dogs.
Pit bulls are usually the first breed mentioned on dangerous dog lists, however, there is no such breed. It’s a label that’s been put on a number of dog breeds and describes a dog by looks. There’s five breeds classified as “bully breeds”, or “pit bull type” dogs, the American Pit Bull Terrier, American, Staffordshire Terrier, American Bulldog, Bull Terrier, Mini Bull Terrier, and the Staffordshire Bull Terrier. However, these breeds are far from being the only ones on dangerous dog lists. The Great Dane, Irish Wolf Hound, German Shepherd, St. Bernard, Boxer, Pug, Siberian Husky, Golden Retriever and the most popular dog breed in America for the last 21 years, the Labrador Retriever, are just a small sample of dog breeds considered to be dangerous dogs and included in many breed specific laws.
The American Kennel Club (AKC) recognizes 170 dog breeds. Of those 170 breeds, 75 are banned or restricted in many cities across the country. It doesn’t stop there; if your mixed breed dog has any of the banned breeds in his makeup, he is also included. What this means to a dog owner is it’s your responsibility to check with city officials to find out if there are breed specific laws in your city, and what you need to do to comply with your city’s dog laws. You may be required to carry extra liability insurance, which can be difficult to impossible to get or very expensive if you can get it. Most breed specific laws force you to spay/neuter your pet, you can’t let him run loose, he may have to wear a muzzle when out in public, and he will need to be implanted with a microchip. You may be required to put a “dangerous dog” sign in your yard and put tags on his collar saying he’s a dangerous dog. Failure to comply with your city’s laws can result in your dog being taken away and killed, or you may be forced to leave your home and relocate in order to save your dog’s life.
Earlier this year, Ohio repealed their statewide BSL, but that still leaves 39 other states and the District of Columbia with dangerous dog laws still in place. It’s hard to get an accurate count of the number of cities with breed specific laws on their books because the number changes as more cities enact BSL and other cities repeal their laws. The District of Columbia, along with 11 other states, have breed specific pit bull laws that have been upheld as constitutional.
The sad fact is any dog, purebred or mixed, on a banned dog list can be taken from his family, even if he has never been a threat to anyone or other dogs. A mixed breed dog can become a target of BSL profiling just by resembling a specific breed, even though he has none of the banned dog breeds in his DNA. Breed specific laws are only concerned about what a dog looks like, not what is actually in his genetic makeup or what his temperament is like. Fear and hysteria spread by people who don’t know how to properly identify dog breeds, and a media eager to sensationalize dog attacks, is why dangerous dog laws are still alive and well in states and cities across the country, as well as in other countries.
Lennox, a Labrador/American Bulldog mix was taken from his family in Belfast, Ireland. His family had complied with the law and did everything right. After a two year court battle his family lost, Lennox was killed on July 11, 2012. Hundreds of thousands of dog lovers around the world joined their fight, but pleas to spare an innocent dog’s life fell on deaf ears and empty hearts. Lennox has become the poster dog for what’s wrong with breed specific laws, and why it’s time to repeal out of date dog laws that do not protect the public and cost millions of innocent dogs their lives worldwide. It’s not dog breeds we need to be concerned with, it’s bad owners who don’t train their dogs, won’t spay or neuter them, don’t register their dogs, and can’t control them. The question shouldn’t be how do we protect the public from dog attacks? It should be how do we protect dogs from unfair laws and irresponsible owners? We should be able to protect both.
Unintended Consequences of Breed Specific Laws
Is Your Mixed Breed Dog at Risk for False Genetic Identification?
What’s in a Name-Bully Breed and Pit Bull Myths
