An Argument Against Breed-Specific Legislation

2742 Words6 Pages

The term “breed-specific legislation” is not one that comes up often in day-to-day discussion for most people. Breed-specific legislation refers to all laws that seek to restrict or eliminate ownership of certain animal breeds, most often dog breeds. It was first conceived as a method of controlling and reducing animal cruelty, as well as mitigating the occurrence of dog-related human injuries and the illegal activities of dog-fighting and related crimes. Breed-specific legislation is distinct from animal control laws that restrict ownership of wild or demonstrably dangerous (those with a past history of unacceptable, aggressive behavior) animals, because breed-specific legislation makes a blanket restriction on all animals of a certain breed regardless of individual history. This means that breed-specific legislation is often promulgated on the basis of breed reputation. In recent years it is the pit bull which has come under the scrutiny of legislative bodies, as their reputation becomes more and more sullied by street crime.

To say “pit bull,” however, is a vague reference to several pit bull types, which are considered separate breeds by registries like the American Kennel Club (AKC). Each type has a slightly different breeding history; many began with the breeding of bulldogs with terriers to produce a loyal, compact and tenacious breed (“American Pit Bull Terrier”). The standard three pit bull types most often mentioned by name in breed-specific legislation include the American Pit Bull Terrier, the American Staffordshire Terrier, and the Staffordshire Bull Terrier. That is not the extent of the legislation, however, which also includes dogs that “substantially conform to the breed standards established by the American Ken...

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...e 2010. Web. 22 Nov. 2010.

Cohen, Judy, and John Richardson. “Pit Bull Panic.” Journal of Popular Culture 36.2 (2002): 297. Academic Search Premier. Web. 21 Nov. 2010.

“Dog Bite: Fact Sheet.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. CDC, 1 Apr. 2008. Web. 13 Nov. 2010.

“Dogfighting Fact Sheet.” The Humane Society of the United States. 2 Nov. 2009. Web. 23 Nov. 2010.

Melvindale, Mich., Municipal Code art. II, § 4-137 (1990).

Perry, April M. “Guilt by Saturation: Media Liability for Third-party Violence and the Availability Heuristic.” Northwestern University Law Review 97.2 (2003): 1045. Academic Search Premier. Web. 20 Nov. 2010.

“The Truth About Pit Bulls.” ASPCA. American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, n.d. Web. 22 Nov. 2010.

“U.S. Dog Bite Fatalities January 2006 to December 2008.” DogsBite. 20 Apr. 2009. Web. 22 Nov. 2010.

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