Why Breed-specific Legislation Is not the Answer

reed-specific legislation (BSL) targets specific breeds of dogs that are wrongly thought to all be dangerous – most frequently "pit bull types" – and places stricter regulations on these dogs or even makes ownership of them illegal. Several cities, towns and states across the United States and Canada have adopted breed-specific measures in an attempt to prevent dog bites in their communities. However, while BSL may look good on the surface, it is not a reliable or effective solution for dog bite prevention.Breed-specific laws can be difficult to enforce, especially when a dog's breed can't easily be determined or if it is of mixed breed.Breed-specific legislation is discriminatory against responsible owners and their dogs.Breed bans do not address the social issue of irresponsible pet ownership.It is not possible to calculate a bite rate for a breed or to compare rates between breeds because the data reported is often unreliable.