« Congratulations! | Main | My sister, the idiot »

April 16, 2007

Letter to the Editor - Breed Specific Legislation is Not the Answer

Published in the 4/18/07 Tacoma News Tribune. See it here.

Robert Shirley’s letter regarding dog attacks in his neighborhood unfortunately puts the blame on the wrong party – the dogs. He complains of loose, dangerous dogs, and asks that “aggressive breeds” be banned.

The problem lies not with dogs, but with irresponsible owners. Most cities currently have Animal Control laws in place that allow for the pickup of loose dogs, especially those that are aggressive. Any dog that attacks is impounded.

The idea of banning “aggressive breeds” is a slippery slope. Pit bulls are typically the primary focus of breed specific legislation (BSL). To some, banning the breed that statistically bites or attacks most often makes sense. However, it is only in this decade that Pit bulls have received this dubious distinction. The Center for Disease Control statistics show Rottweilers, German Shepherds, and even Great Danes have topped the list in previously. Labradors, Dauchunds, and Yorkshire Terriers also make an appearance.

BSL does not address the root of the problem - any breed can be made aggressive if mishandled and/or abused. The same dogs that are considered “aggressive breeds” in some areas are celebrated for their sensitivity and intelligence in others. German Shepherds are one of the three breeds used by Guide Dogs for the Blind.

At a time when a large percentage of adoptable shelter dogs are crossbred in some way with Pit bulls, banning “aggressive breeds” from one neighborhood and moving them to another makes no sense. Requiring spaying and neutering and strengthening current dangerous dog laws are better solutions.

Read the unedited version in the extended entry

Robert Shirley’s letter regarding dog attacks in his neighborhood unfortunately puts the blame on the wrong party – the dogs. He complains of loose, dangerous dogs, and asks that “aggressive breeds” be banned from “family neighborhoods”.

The problem lies not with dogs, but with irresponsible owners. Lakewood, like most Washington cities, currently has Animal Control laws in place that allow for the pickup of loose dogs, especially those that are aggressive. Any dog that attacks is immediately impounded, and the owner may face further legal action.

The idea of banning “aggressive breeds” is an incredibly slippery slope. Pit bulls are typically the primary focus of breed specific legislation (BSL). To some, banning the breed that statistically bites or attacks most often makes obvious sense. However, it is only in this decade that Pit bulls have received this dubious distinction. The Center for Disease Control statistics show Rottweilers, German Shepherds, and even Great Danes have topped the list previously. Labradors, Dauchunds, and Yorkshire Terriers also make an appearance.

The CDC also notes several factors that “affect a dog’s propensity to bite”:

Several interacting factors affect a dog’s propensity to bite, including heredity, sex, early experience, socialization and training, health (medical and behavioral), reproductive status, quality of ownership and supervision, and victim behavior. For example, a study in Denver of medically-attended dog bites in 1991 suggested that male dogs are 6.2 times more likely to bite than female dogs, sexually intact dogs are 2.6 times more likely to bite than neutered dogs, and chained dogs are 2.8 times more likely to bite than unchained dogs.

BSL does not address the root of the problem - any breed can be made aggressive if mishandled and/or abused. And who decides exactly what an "aggressive breed" is? The same dogs that are considered “aggressive breeds” in some areas are celebrated for their sensitivity and intelligence in others. German Shepherds (often included in BSL) are one of the three breeds used by Guide Dogs for the Blind. Boxers and Dobermans (also considered “aggressive breeds” in some communities) have also been used as guide dogs and service animals.

Banning specific breeds is akin to banning the automobile because it is the most accident-prone mode of transportation. Forcing everyone to travel by plane doesn't make airplanes or automobiles any safer.

At a time when a large percentage of adoptable shelter dogs are crossbred in some way with Pit bulls, banning “aggressive breeds” from one "family neighborhood" (what exactly is a family neighborhood? last I checked almost all neighborhoods have families in them) and moving them to another makes no sense. Requiring spaying and neutering and strengthening current dangerous dog laws are better solutions.

pitbullrescuecentral banner.jpg

Posted by Ensie at April 16, 2007 07:15 AM

Trackback Pings

TrackBack URL for this entry:
http://blog2.mu.nu/cgi/trackback.cgi/209697

Listed below are links to weblogs that reference Letter to the Editor - Breed Specific Legislation is Not the Answer:

Comments

Wonderful blog to my mind. Keep writing such stuff!

Posted by: angry birds news at February 28, 2012 12:29 PM

Magnificent items from you, man. I've have in mind your stuff prior to and you are just extremely magnificent. I really like what you've obtained here, really like what you are stating and the way in which in which you assert it. You are making it entertaining and you still take care of to stay it wise. I cant wait to read far more from you. This is actually a tremendous website.

Posted by: improve credit score at February 29, 2012 03:17 AM

Hello admin excellent submit much thanks liked this blog actually considerably

Posted by: sikiĹź izle at March 12, 2012 06:56 PM

fantastic publish, very informative. I'm wondering why the other specialists of this sector don't realize this. You must proceed your writing. I am confident, you've a huge readers' base already!

Posted by: find jobs online for free at March 18, 2012 11:31 AM

You made some clear points there. I did a search on the subject and found most persons will go along with with your blog.

Posted by: credit advice at March 19, 2012 07:23 AM

Hi there, I discovered your blog by way of Google even as searching for a similar topic, your site got here up, it appears great. I have bookmarked it in my google bookmarks.

Posted by: canker sores natural treatment at March 20, 2012 03:18 PM

We're a group of volunteers and starting a new scheme in our community. Your web site provided us with valuable info to work on. You've done an impressive job and our whole community will be grateful to you.

Posted by: personal trainer at March 22, 2012 07:00 AM

I want to point out my admiration for your kindness giving support to those people who need guidance on your area of interest. Your real dedication to getting the message all through has been especially helpful and has really helped associates just like me to get to their targets. Your entire warm and helpful recommendations signifies this much to me and especially to my office colleagues. Regards; from everyone of us.

Posted by: Salt lake business solutions at March 24, 2012 03:50 AM

The other day, while I was at work, my sister stole my iphone and tested to see if it can survive a 25 foot drop, just so she can be a youtube sensation. My iPad is now destroyed and she has 83 views. I know this is entirely off topic but I had to share it with someone!

Posted by: prices of braces at April 6, 2012 07:09 AM

Hello this is kinda of off topic but I was wondering if blogs use WYSIWYG editors or if you have to manually code with HTML. I'm starting a blog soon but have no coding knowledge so I wanted to get guidance from someone with experience. Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Posted by: cheap car insurance for students at April 7, 2012 06:24 PM

Thanks on your marvelous posting! I definitely enjoyed reading it, you may be a great author.I will make certain to bookmark your blog and definitely will come back in the future. I want to encourage continue your great posts, have a nice weekend!

Posted by: car insurance calculator malaysia at April 7, 2012 09:01 PM

I was curious if you ever thought of changing the page layout of your website? Its very well written; I love what youve got to say. But maybe you could a little more in the way of content so people could connect with it better. Youve got an awful lot of text for only having 1 or two pictures. Maybe you could space it out better?

Posted by: car insurance travelers at April 8, 2012 01:20 AM

First of all I want to say terrific blog! I had a quick question that I'd like to ask if you do not mind. I was interested to know how you center yourself and clear your head before writing. I have had a difficult time clearing my thoughts in getting my thoughts out. I truly do enjoy writing but it just seems like the first 10 to 15 minutes are generally wasted simply just trying to figure out how to begin. Any ideas or hints? Cheers!

Posted by: car insurance quotes ct at April 8, 2012 06:11 AM

Hey there! This is my first visit to your blog! We are a collection of volunteers and starting a new initiative in a community in the same niche. Your blog provided us useful information to work on. You have done a marvellous job!

Posted by: car insurance estimator canada at April 8, 2012 12:29 PM

Wow that was unusual. I just wrote an extremely long comment but after I clicked submit my comment didn't show up. Grrrr... well I'm not writing all that over again. Anyways, just wanted to say excellent blog!

Posted by: guarantor loans lenders at April 18, 2012 06:05 AM

Hi there, i read your blog occasionally and i own a similar one and i was just curious if you get a lot of spam feedback? If so how do you stop it, any plugin or anything you can suggest? I get so much lately it's driving me mad so any help is very much appreciated.

Posted by: Ahmad Girman at April 28, 2012 09:24 AM

It's a pity you don't have a donate button! I'd certainly donate to this excellent blog! I guess for now i'll settle for book-marking and adding your RSS feed to my Google account. I look forward to new updates and will share this site with my Facebook group. Talk soon!

Posted by: Kurt Lawerence at May 22, 2012 02:17 AM

Buy Cheap Retro Air Jordan Shoes, Jordans Sneakers now!

Posted by: Jordan Winterized 6 Rings at May 24, 2012 08:21 PM

Jordans Shoes Online Store. Authentic Nike Air Jordan Sneakers on sale With discount & cheap price.

Posted by: jordan fusion at May 24, 2012 10:33 PM

I have been browsing on-line more than 3 hours today, but I never found any attention-grabbing article like yours. It is lovely price sufficient for me. In my view, if all site owners and bloggers made excellent content as you did, the web will be much more helpful than ever before.

Posted by: Winnie Hoving at January 28, 2013 11:42 AM

I have been surfing online more than 3 hours today, yet I never found any interesting article like yours. It’s pretty worth enough for me. In my view, if all web owners and bloggers made good content as you did, the internet will be a lot more useful than ever before.

Posted by: w najnowszym artykule at February 18, 2013 02:25 PM

I love it when individuals come together and share ideas. Great blog, keep it up!

Posted by: muzyka reklama at March 10, 2013 03:09 AM

Excellent glance at, I a minute ago accepted this onto a isolated who was doing approximately examination proceeding that. In addition to he really bought me lunch ever since I set up it for him smile So agree to me rephrase that: Thanks for lunch! "Bill Dickey is learning me his experience." by Lawrence Peter Berra.

Posted by: Tyler Filipi at March 18, 2013 01:27 AM

Post a comment

Thanks for signing in, . Now you can comment. (sign out)

(If you haven't left a comment here before, you may need to be approved by the site owner before your comment will appear. Until then, it won't appear on the entry. Thanks for waiting.)


Remember me?