Dog Breed Ban Alternatives
To keep people safe from dog-bite-related incidents, the best and most effective laws focus not on breed, but on behavior — both the pet owner’s behavior and the dog’s behavior.
Causes of dog-bite incidents
In 2013, the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association published a peer-reviewed study examining 256 dog-bite-related fatalities in the U.S. from 2000 to 2009. The researchers found that dog-bite incidents often involved factors under the control of the dog owner, including failure of the owner to neuter or spay a dog, isolation of a dog from positive family interaction, and mismanagement (abuse or neglect) of a dog by an owner.
Dog breed bans and breed-specific laws
Breed bans and other forms of breed-specific legislation force many responsible people to give up their beloved pets, but do not make communities safer. In America, responsible people should be allowed to love and care for any breed of dog they choose.
The following are examples of good alternatives to breed bans and breed-specific legislation (BSL). These laws focus on reckless owners instead of dog breeds: