Archive for the ‘Staffordshire Bull Terrier’ Tag
BSL is BS- Punish the Deed NOT the Breed!!
Filed under: Animal News | Tags: American Staffordshire Terrier, Breed Specific Legislation, BSL, canine, Chow Chows, Doberman Pinscher, dog, pet care, Pit bull, Rottweiler, Staffordshire Bull Terrier
Comments (8) Breed Specific Legislation (BSL). Those are 3 of the most hated words among animal owners, primarily pit bull owners. And I’ve just learned that one of the towns in the county next to mine is trying to put a BSL ordinance into affect forcing owners to muzzle their pit bulls when they are out in public. An animal control officer for the county is requesting that the ordinance be put into affect after a 3 year old girl was attacked by the same pit bull that was involved in an attack on December 2nd. The officer feels that there have been too many bites, and pit bulls have been the main type of dogs involved in the attacks.
Now some may be wondering what exactly Breed Specific Legislation is. I feel the ASPCA says it best, and I quote-
“Breed-specific legislation (BSL) is the blanket term for laws that either regulate or ban certain breeds completely in the hopes of reducing dog attacks. Some city/municipal governments have enacted breed-specific laws. However, the problem of dangerous dogs will not be remedied by the “quick fix” of breed-specific laws—or, as they should truly be called, breed-discriminatory laws.
It is worth noting that 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 a variety of other dogs, including American Bulldogs, Mastiffs, Dalmatians, Chow Chows, German Shepherds, Doberman Pinschers, or any mix of these breeds—and dogs who simply resemble these breeds.”
I don’t understand why it is necessary to punish an entire breed just because some people can’t (or won’t) keep their dogs under control. I know plenty of pit bull and pit bull type dogs who are the nicest, sweetest animals on earth- why should they be forced to wear a muzzle and get a bad rap? Why should they have to wear a muzzle just because they “might” bite? Well guess what, any dog can bite without warning! Does that mean that all dogs should wear muzzles out in public? No, of course not, so why should one breed be singled out?
For example- the attacks that sparked the talk of BSL near me was on a 3 year old girl who was playing in her yard. The pit was running loose, and went into the child’s yard and attacked her, completely unprovoked. The attack on December 2nd, a woman was beaten by 2 men, and the same pit bull that attacked the child plus an additional pit bull were ordered by the men to attack her (although according to the article, the dog that attacked the child did not attack the woman- it attacked the other pit bull).
See why I’m against BSL? Why should the breed be discriminated against when it’s obvious that irresponsible ownership is to blame? People like this should not only not be aloud to own pit bulls, but the shouldn’t be aloud to have dogs, period.
Although I am against BSL, I do feel that there needs to be much stricter rules to regulate who can adopt certain breeds, and those who wish to adopt breeds that are considered “dangerous” should have to go through a canine behavior/training course to prove that they are smart/strong willed enough to handle a dog that has a dominant personality. As much as I love dogs such as pit bulls, rottweilers, and dobermans and the like, I do believe that these particular breeds are not for everyone, and they should be trained how to properly handle them.
Sources:
http://www.aspca.org/fight-animal-cruelty/dog-fighting/breed-specific-legislation.aspx
