| What is Breed Specific Legislation (aka BSL)? Breed-specific legislation (BSL), is any law, ordinance or policy which pertains to a specific dog breed
or breeds, but does not affect any others. The term is most commonly
used to refer to legal restrictions or prohibitions on the breeding and
ownership of certain breeds. (source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Breed-specific_legislation)
BSL: An Opinion from the Animal Legal & Historical Center (MSU College of Law)
"Breed-specific legislation is not an effective approach for
regulating dogs' behavior in communities. Although such bans might
comfort individuals who have had unpleasant experiences with particular
breeds or have heard of attacks by specific dog breeds in the media,
the bans do not act to effectively regulate the behavior of any breed
or of dogs and their owners collectively. The bans carry with them too
much potential for arbitrary or improper enforcement: inaccurate breed
identification by officials, difficulty enforcing breed bans against
mixed-breed dogs, animal control, and court system overload, and the
potential for not identifying a genuinely "dangerous dog" as such
because it doesn't fall into the specified breed categories.
Unfortunately, large breeds of dogs such as Dobermans, German Shepherd
Dogs, and Pit Bulls are popularly believed to be dangerous, and
therefore may be judged more severely by judges than smaller,
"cuddlier" breeds.
Government
officials at the local and state level should focus on the problem
itself - dangerous canine behavior - and concentrate their efforts on
dogs' and owners' conduct. In doing so, officials can maintain a safe
community for both dog owners and other residents." Excerpt from Breed-Specific Legislation in the United States, Article by: Linda S. Weis, 2001 (click here to read the entier article)
BSL links at Understand-A-Bull
Topics Including: OTHER BREEDS Affected by BSL in the US, Positive Pit Bull Stories, BSL listing by state/country
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