Pit Bulls and Breed Specific Legislation

As a Pit Bull Advocate, I have been a part of many groups/campaigns against Breed Specific legislation throughout the years. I have signed petitions and had friendly debates to try and help people see the facts. I though I should write a blog about why I am so concerned and passionate about BSL and why you should be, too!!

Let's start with a definition. Breed Specific Legislation is when a town/city, county, province, state or country bans or regulates specific dog breeds. The laws span from dogs of the breed having to be muzzled in public, or it being completely illegal to own one. When it is the latter, the dogs are taken away from their owner and euthanized, even if they have never bit or threatened anyone. Many think that the only breed targeted by BSL is the Pit Bull. This is not true. Other commonly targeted breeds are German Shepherd Dogs (GSDs), American Staffordshire Terriers (AmStaffs), Shar Pei, Staffordshire Bull Terriers (Staffords), Mastiffs, Rottweilers, Cane Corso, American Bull Dogs, Siberian Huskies, Alaskan Malamutes, Dobermans, Chow Chows, Bull Terriers, and Akitas. There are even some places where you can't have a dog weighing over 100lbs which would include Newfoundlands, Irish Wolf Hounds, St Bernard Dogs, Great Danes, and many other gentle giants. These breeds and many more have been targeted in the US so far!! YOUR beloved breed (if not already on this list) could be next!

Before you say, "My breed would never end up on that list! Those breeds all bad/dangerous!" Let's look at some statistics. The American Temperament Testing Society does temperament testing throughout the year at breed clubs and complies the statistics, a description of the test can be found here. The 2010 statistics (the most up to date) show American Pit Bull Terriers (Pit Bulls) passing 86 percent of the time, Alaskan Malamutes passing 85.1 percent of the time, GSDs passing 84 percent of the time, AmStaffs and Rottweilers passing 83 percent of the time, and Cane Corso passing 82 percent of the time. Pretty good passing rate for such "Dangerous" dogs!! Here are some statistics from some popular dogs that are not effected by BSL. The statistics show Golden Retrievers and Jack Russell Terriers passing 84 percent of the time, Yorkshire Terriers passing 82 percent of the time, Cocker Spaniels and Border Collies passing 81 percent of the time, Pomeranians passing 75 percent of the time, and Chihuahuas passing 71 percent of the time. Are the numbers of the non targeted breeds all that different from those of the targeted breeds? No! Then why would you ban dogs from the first set of breeds, but not the second?

Of all the commonly targeted breeds, the breed that I am most concerned about is the Pit Bull. The term Pit Bull can be misattributed to as many as 20 different breeds but only correctly refers to the American Pit Bull Terrier (APBT). While the term Pit Bull is tossed around a lot these days, most people can't even pick a pure bred Pit Bull out of a line up (see if you can pick the Pit Bull out of this group of 30 purebred dogs). A lot of people mistakenly think Pit Bulls are huge 90 pound dogs, when in actuality they should only be about 18-24 inches tall at the shoulder and 35-55 lbs. People think of them as vicious and claim they are a "dangerous" breed. What they really are is exploited and misunderstood.

They were originally bred as a cross between Terriers and Bulldogs to fight in the pit when Bull Baiting fell out of favor. Because of this, they can be Dog Aggressive/Dog Sensitive (which is usually manageable with proper training), though some dogs have lower prey drives and can actually get along quite well with other dogs/small animals. A properly bred and socialized pit bull should never be Human Aggressive and should be friendly to all people including strangers. Human Aggression was selected out because the dogs needed to be controllable in the ring and it is still considered a major flaw in the breed. Today the Pit Bull has evolved into a working and companion dog. They are employed as Police Dogs, Service Dogs, Search and Rescue Dogs, Therapy Dogs and Livestock Dogs as well as being great family pets! For more information on this wonderful breed please visit The REAL Pit Bull. While a lot of Pit Bull Advocacy groups seem to be hiding from the breed's history and certain traits, The REAL Pit Bull is a great resource for straight shooting, "fluff-free" information about the breed (Check out their "Not For Everyone" article).

Here is a picture of Benny, the Pit Bull that I fostered in the Fall of 2009, cuddling with my cat Bowie to show that not all Pit Bulls have a strong prey drive!