Breed Specific Legislation

Reckless Owners and Dangerous Dogs in Your City

Owners who let their dog run loose, and dogs who attack people or other animals, are big issues across the country—but how to best deal with this has led to much controversy.

“Breed-specific” legislation (BSL) is the term for laws that regulate or ban certain breeds completely. Some city/municipal governments have enacted breed-specific laws. However, the problem will not be solved by the “quick fix” of such breed-discriminatory laws.
In some areas, regulated breeds include not just American Pit Bull terriers, American Staffordshire Terriers, Staffordshire Bull Terriers, English Bull Terriers and Rottweilers, but also other dogs, including American Bulldogs, Mastiffs, Dalmatians, Chow Chows, German Shepherds, Doberman Pinschers, or any mix of these breeds—and dogs who resemble these breeds.
Many states (including New York, Texas and Illinois) favor laws that identify, track and regulate dangerous dogs individually, regardless of breed, and prohibit BSL.

Are Breed-Specific Laws Effective?

There is no evidence that these laws—make communities safer for people or companion animals. Following a thorough study of human fatalities resulting from dog bites, the United States Centers for Disease Control (CDC) decided not to support BSL. The CDC said, the inaccuracy of dog bite data and the difficulty in identifying dog breeds (especially mixed-breed dogs). The CDC also noted if certain breeds are regulated, those who make them aggressive will replace them with other, unregulated breeds.

The Negative Consequences of Breed-Specific Laws:

• 
  Owners hide their Dogs rather than give up their pets, owners of banned breeds will avoid detection of their “outlaw” dogs by not taking them out side as much and forego licensing, microchipping and even veterinary care. This is not good for anyone.
  


• Good owners and Good Dogs are punished BSL causes hardship to responsible owners of friendly, well supervised dogs who happen to be the regulated breed. And even though these dog owners have done nothing to endanger the public, they are still required to comply with the regulations.
  


• BSL may actually encourage irresponsible people to own these breedsOutlaws are attracted to "Outlaw" Breeds. Some people take advantage of the “outlaw” status of their breed to boost their own self image as rebelling against mainstream society. Is it a coincidence that the rise of Pit Bull ownership among gang members in the late 1980’s coincided with the start of breed-specific legislation?
  

What are the facts?

In the study, the CDC stated that many other factors may affect a dog’s aggression—as heredity, sex, early experience, reproductive status, socialization and training.

• More than 70% of all dog bite cases involve unneutered male dogs, which is 2.6 times more likely to bite than is a neutered dog.
  


• A chained dog is 2.8 times more likely to bite than a dog who is not chained.
  


• 97%of dogs involved in fatal dog attacks in 2006 were not spayed/neutered:
  78% were not really pets, they were for guarding, self image, fighting or breeding.
  


• 84% had reckless owners—these dogs were abused or neglected, their living conditions were inhumane and did not interact them with children or anyone.

The ASPCA seeks effective enforcement of breed-neutral laws that hold dog owners accountable for the actions of their animals.

For help in drafting animal control laws, contact the ASPCA’s Government Relations department at lobby@aspca.org.