This is the article that my wife had published…
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After coming home from a stroll with their newly rescued dog, the Bishop family was surprised when an animal control officer was standing at their door. It seemed there had been a complaint about their dog by a neighbor. The family insisted that this must be a mistake: their dog was current on his vaccinations, was never allowed to run off leash, and had been responsibly neutered. The animal control officer quickly explained that although their dog had caused no “problems”, the issue was that their 35 pound dog which had been identified by a veterinarian as a French Bulldog/Boxer mix, “looked” like a Pit Bull. Since Pit Bulls are banned in the city, they were ordered to remove the dog from city limits within 72 hours. Does this sound unfair, irrational, and possibly even crazy? Unfortunately, this scenario happens daily in the Kansas City metro area where breed specific legislation (BSL) is running rampant.
Many proponents of BSL will use the Center for Disease Control’s (CDC) statistics regarding dog bites to have specific breeds banned from their cities. What these BSL advocates do not tell you is that the CDC does not support BSL. In fact, in a special report titled “Breeds of dogs involved in fatal human attacks in the United States between 1979 and 1998”, the CDC indicates, “data may be biased…” Among the reasons they cite are the following, “to the extent that attacks by 1 breed are more newsworthy than those by other breeds, our methods may have resulted in differential ascertainment of fatalities by breed” and “because identification of a dog’s breed may be subjective (even experts may disagree on the breed of a particular dog), DBRF [dog bite related fatalities] may be differentially ascribed to breeds with a reputation for aggression.” In their conclusion they acknowledge the following:
Although fatal attacks on humans appear to be a breed-specific problem… other breeds may bite and cause fatalities at higher rates. Because of difficulties inherent in determining a dog’s breed with certainty, enforcement of breed-specific ordinances raises constitutional and practical issues.
Breed misidentification is only one of the many reasons why BSL is not the best alternative for our community. The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) asserts that, “many of the factors that affect a dog’s propensity to bite are no more specific to a pit bull than they are to a poodle.” In a May-June 2001 article called “Blame the Breed?” the HSUS cites the following statistics:
• Since 1975, dogs belonging to more than 30 breeds have been responsible for fatal attacks on people.
• Sexually intact dogs are 2.6 times more likely to bite than sterilized dogs
• Chained dogs are 2.8 times more likely to bite than unchained dogs
Nearly all reputable organizations that know anything about dogs, including the CDC, HSUS and many others such as the American Veterinary Medical Association, the American Kennel Club (AKC), the National Animal Control Association, and the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, oppose BSL in favor of enforcing responsible pet ownership. Alternatives suggested by these organizations are as follows:
• Lobby for non-breed specific laws such as a dangerous dog law that would punish owners that allow their dogs to run off leash or deliberately train their dog to be a danger to others. A new law that is gaining momentum and that has recently been passed in Lawrence is an anti-tethering law. According to an article in the Lawrence Journal World titled City decision goes to the dogs, the law will “prohibit people from keeping a dog chained for more than one hour at a time, for a maximum of three hours a day, with required three-hour breaks between chaining.”
• Enforce existing laws. Many cities already have dangerous dog laws and leash laws that are not enforced. It is essential that the public insist that these laws are enforced.
• Educate the public on responsible dog ownership by providing responsible dog ownership seminars and canine safety education. Education should include the importance of spaying and neutering and the dangers of allowing their dog to run at large.
Another statistic fallacy that the CDC explains on their website is the fact that they have no data regarding how many dogs there are of one breed in the United States and therefore the numbers gathered have absolutely no meaning. In other words, the numbers would have more significance if they could compare the number of bites per breed versus the number of dogs of that breed that exist in our country. According to the American Temperament Test Society, Inc., a non-profit organization dedicated to “uniform temperament evaluation of purebred and spayed/neutered mixed-breed dogs”, over 83.9% of the American Pit Bull Terrier’s and 82.2% of Rottweilers tested, have passed their temperament test. This is compared to 79.2% of Border Collies, 76.2% of Australian Shepherds, and 80.9% of breeds on average. These figures seem to indicate that our view of certain breeds have been skewed by positive or negative media attention, depending on the breed.
The bottom-line is that BSL is not a community’s answer to dog bite prevention. In addition to the reasons mentioned before, the AKC has this to say about BSL:
Breed-specific laws are not the best way to protect communities. An owner intent on using his or her dogs for malicious purposes will simply be able to switch to another type of dog and continue to jeopardize public safety. The list of regulated breeds or types could grow every year without ever addressing responsible dog ownership. Deeds, not breeds, should be addressed.
For additional information regarding this unfair epidemic you may visit the following websites:
Center for Disease Control:
http://www.cdc.govHumane Society of the United States
http://www.hsus.orgThe American Veterinary Medical Association
http://www.avma.orgThe American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals
http://www.aspca.orgAmerican Kennel Club
http://www.akc.orgMissouri Pit Bull Rescue
http://www.mprgroup.netPit Bull Rescue Central
http://www.pbrc.netAmerican Temperament Test Society, Inc.
http://www.atts.org
