Breed Specific Legislation

Breed Specific Legislation is any law that restricts or prohibits a dog based on their breed. These laws have been enforced in many areas in the U.S. and have also been banned in many places. The main controversy about BSL is that people believe these laws will help reduce dog attacks and dog bites. However, many people don't realize that not only are these laws ineffective but they are much too costly to try to maintain. They also just give a bad name to the dogs affected by these laws. Pit bulls are the breed of dog that most commonly affected by these laws. This has given them the image of a vicious killer animal.

I do believe that it is important to have strict laws on animals that could be considered dangerous, but there is no need for these to be breed specific. When you target an entire breed you are not only giving that breed a bad reputation, which causes them to be abandoned more and adopted less, you also take those good dogs from their loving homes. The best way to lower the number of dog attacks and dog bites are to have laws that target the owners more than the animals or laws that cover all dogs.

The laws that are in place currently that are non-breed specific are what will help bring down the number of dog attacks. When these laws are properly enforced they will apply to dogs who are dangerous. These laws include leash laws and muzzle laws. There are also laws that could be added to avoid dog attacks without targeting certain breeds. These could include mandatory spaying and neutering of dogs unless having a license or behavioral and obedience tests for dogs being adopted and bought. There are ways to help these animals and humans without condemning entire breeds. It is important to remember that dogs are as different as people.

Pit Bulls and every other breed that is targeted by BSL are being judged horribly. They are, as a breed, being called vicious, aggressive and uncontrollable. Even dogs that are not actually Pit Bulls or Pit Bull mixes can be taken by these laws if they just look like a Pit bull. These animals are wrongfully taken and destroyed. There is still hope however. You can let the congress member in your area that you are against BSL. It is wrong to judge a person so why isn't it wrong to judge a dog?