What is BSL?

Breed specific legislation (BSL) targets specific dog breeds, such as pit bulls and pit-bull-type dogs because they are deemed inherently dangerous and therefore deserving of prejudicial rules and regulations. There are two types of BSL laws, those that “ban” and those that “regulate.” If the law is a “ban,” then it is illegal to own, house, harbor, import, train, or breed the specified breed. If the law is to “regulate,” the breed isn’t banned but is next to impossible to own. Regulatory requirements can consist of liability insurance, higher licensing costs, muzzling in public, etc.

Even Chance’s Stance on BSL

Instead of discriminating against dog breeds, responsibility should be taken for dog ownership and management practices. A community approach with the help of animal care facilities and shelters, to prevent dog bites and improve the human-canine bond, is imperative to change. Regulating the ownership of dogs based on inaccurate information and appearance is expensive, ineffective and prejudiced.

10 Reasons Not to Ban the Pit Bull

You can download the PDF here

1. Breed bans do not stop dog bites.

Although it seems like a quick fix, studies have shown that breed bans do not decrease the number of bites in a particular area. What does assist in lowering dog bites is public education, enforcement of leash laws, and responsible canine ownership.

3. It is expensive to tax paying citizens.

It’s time to put our community’s resources into non-breed ban launches to make the community safer. Legislation should focus on dog bite prevention, community education, leash laws, rabies licensing, anti-dog fighting laws, anti-tethering laws, and spay/neuter promotion endeavors.

5. Good owners will lose and innocent dogs will die.

People who are responsible with their dogs will subsequently lose them to a breed ban. Friendly and properly supervised dogs with no aggressive history will be euthanized because of their appearance. Imagine families watch their beloved dog be dragged away to be killed just for the way he looks.

7. Pit bulls are great family dogs.

Pit bulls were once known as “nanny dogs,” due to their love and loyalty towards their household’s children. Well-socialized and trained pit bulls make fabulous family dogs! They tolerate the rough-and-tumble antics of young children and share their live-in-the-moment attitudes.

9. Pit bulls serve as service and therapy dogs.

Pit bulls excel at service and therapy work due to their natural love and admiration of people. They have succeeded in many service positions such as search and rescue, therapy, law enforcement and educational assistant dogs.

2. Blame the owners, NOT the breed.

All breeds of dogs are held responsible under the care of their owners. Bites occur only after a dog’s warning signs have been ignored or misinterpreted. An owner who is shocked by a dog’s behavior hasn’t been paying attention.

4. Banned breeds cannot receive proper vet care.

BSL comes with a host of negative and utterly unintended consequences. For example, owners will forgo licensing, micro-chipping, and proper vet care for fear of having their dogs seized, all of which have implications for public safety and the health of the dogs.

6. Prompted by myths.

Inaccurate data and breed myths are often brought up as “facts” to support breed bans. This misinformation includes statements about the percentage of pit bulls in the U.S. (which is unknown) and the numbers of attacks caused by pit bulls (which is also unknown given breed misidentification).

8. Pit bulls are an American icon.

Sergeant Stubby, a pit bull, is America’s most decorated war veteran. Stubby served as a gas bomb detector, searched for lost Americans in the trenches and frequently visited The Red Cross to spend time with injured soldiers. Stubby also learned how to salute soldiers and the President!

10. BSL is based on flawed data.

Lawmakers in favor of BSL usually cite the Center for Disease Control (CDC) report on dog bite fatalities, but they fail to take into account the CDC’s own warnings about the data or the CDC’s conclusion that BSL is not the answer. The CDC acknowledges that the data is flawed due to unknown total dog population numbers, lack of all dog bites being reported and breed misidentification.