The Pros And Cons Of Breed Specific Laws

Introduction Most dog owners will attest that their furry friend is much more than a four-legged animal. Dogs are man’s best friends, family members, comforters, protectors, and loyal companions. Leaving behind such a valuable, loved member of a family would be absurd, but states and cities around the country still enforce breed specific legislation driving dog owners relocate or forcing them to relinquish their best friends. Affecting dozens of breeds, states have put forth bans and restrictions on so-called dangerous dogs based on appearance. In an effort to decrease dog attacks, breed specific legislation was created to ban or restrict dangerous dogs. Under the original legislation, which most states still enforce, dangerous dogs were defined

Greenwood continues to explain that other states like Texas and California have a law prohibiting breed specific legislation; however, California allows breed specific spay and neuter. Fortunately, some progress has been made in Ohio. According to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA), North America’s first humane society, in 2012, the word “pit bull” was removed from the definition of a dangerous dog in the legislature; now, the statewide statue declares that only dogs with a history of violence are considered dangerous and are subject to the restrictions. Unfortunately, many cities in Ohio are still carrying out the restrictions based on a dog’s appearance alone. Fighting to protect an Ohio veteran and his pit bull, the ASPCA saw this violation of law as a city in Ohio tried to force the veteran to give up his dog. Successful, the ASPCA won the battle in court and saved a lifelong friendship. The ASPCA is continuing to stand alongside dog owners and fight breed specific legislation. Other small organizations have raised awareness for changing the legislation, but few have generated significant transformations. Instead of focusing their time and energy on confronting local governments and representatives, most of these organizations allocate

Dr. Emily Weiss, Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist, collected data from a variety of dog shelters and found that pit bulls are the most euthanized breed in shelters around the United States. Over 25,000 pit bulls were put to death in 45 shelters in 2014; the next highest euthanized breed was the Labrador Retriever at only 7,000 dogs. Weiss explains that the reasons for most pit bull euthanasia were “related to breed specific legislation.” Weiss also discovered that the adoption rate of pit bulls and similar breeds were decreasing. If breed specific legislation is removed, then pit bull adoption rates will increase as euthanasia rates decrease. Owners of dogs who are currently defined as “dangerous” in legislature will be able to freely enjoy their companions without worry of animal control interfering. Indeed, dogs and their owners will be delighted to unite their family once again. With breed-neutral tactic in effect, the whole community will benefit from a more educated society. Complying with breed-neutral laws, the community will be safe. Dog fighting and animal abuse will decrease, and an increase in dog safety and training will increase. Shifting towards a breed-neutral approach will benefit canine and humans