AVSAB Position Statement On BSL

Communities seeking to enhance community safety, and deter dog bites and dog attacks sometimes believe that an “easy fix” is to ban specific breeds. It turns out this strategy never works, according to a new position statement from the American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior (AVSAB)

Breed-specific legislation or BSL occurs when communities ban specific dog breeds. Pit bull-type dogs are always at the top of the list – sometimes the only dogs on the list.

The position statement, co-authored by myself and veterinary behaviorist Dr. Sagi Denenberg of Ontario Canada begins, “AVSAB is concerned about the propensity of various communities reliance on BSL as a tool to decrease the risk of dog bites to humans…AVSAB’s position is that such legislation is ineffective. “

The facts and statistics

It all begins when public officials and concerned citizens look to point blame after a serious dog bite occurs, or worse if someone is killed as a result of a dog bite. It’s a tragedy. But is there an epidemic of dog bites in America as some maintain? In other words, is there really a problem?

According to the 2013-2014 American Pet Products Association National Pet Owners Survey, there are 83.3 million dogs in America, and according to the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC), about 4.5 million dog bites a year.

Looking at those numbers more carefully, most dog bites occur within families (and mostly to children), and experts agree with adult supervision and appropriate socialization of dogs to children, most bites could have been prevented. Just over two percent of all bites require any hospital stay (according to a study on injuries resulting in hospital visits).

While between 1999 and 2006, an average of 27 people (in the U.S.) died annually due to a dog attack – a number which ideally would be lower, of course.

Still, it turns out that people are far more dangerous to people than dogs are to people. Over 1,500 children died of child abuse and/or neglect within their own families in 2010 (according to the Administration for Children and Families), and there were over 16,000 homicides in the U.S. in 2010 (according to the CDC). Sadly, in some major U.S. cities, more than 27 people can die of homicides in a month.

A common refrain is, “Everyone knows that when dogs do attack, it’s a pit bull responsible.” Actually, the CDC stopped tracking alleged breeds responsible for serious dog attacks many years ago for two reasons: The CDC felt what’s most important was what led individual dogs to attack in the first place. But no matter, breeds were likely being misidentified.

Genetic testing shines new light

It turns out cutting-edge genetic testing has proved that the CDC was right. Various studies utilizing modern genetic testing confirm that dogs with a “pit bull look” are mostly merely mixed-breed dogs, often with no real pit bull in them.

How a dog looks (phenotype) doesn’t necessarily match up with what a dog is genetically (genotype).

So where BSL exists, dogs who happened to match a profile consistent with what officials believe looks like a pit bull can be removed from a family, and even euthanized, though that dog has done nothing wrong.

And that’s another issue – the reality is that there are a whole lot of dogs in America with a profile that matches what many would call a pit bull. Arguably, dogs with this general look might be described as the All-American dog because there are so many of them. The overwhelming majority are great family pets with no history of dog bites.

Besides, data indicates that BSL doesn’t improve community safety.

• In 2008, the Dutch government repealed a 15-year nationwide pit bull ban after a government study demonstrated that the ban was ineffective.
• A year later, Italy repealed its ban, with both countries instead concentrating on supporting responsible ownership.
• Closer to home, Denver enacted their ban in 1989. Since then, the rate of hospitalizations in Denver due to dog bite-related injuries has been higher than in nearby breed-neutral Boulder, CO.
• In 2013, a national study in Canada found that BSL wasn’t an effective tool to lower dog attacks. However, public education, and dog owners taking responsibility for their pets have proved extremely effective.
• For example, in Calgary, proactive public education programs resulted in a 50 percent decrease in reports of dog aggression. An essential focus of these programs is humane education in schools.

Often dangerous dogs are intertwined with socio-economic issues. Perhaps, it’s those issues that public officials need to focus on, not a dog breed.

The position statement is free to download at https://avsab.org/resources/position-statements/.