Breed specific legislation is not evidence-based and lacks support by reputable academic and professional groups. We will be talking about some of these groups as part of our #BSLbytes campaign.
The International Association of Canine Professionals is dedicated to the education, development, and support of dog training professionals world-wide. Their position statement on breed-specific legislation “strongly opposes legislation which discriminates against dogs and their owners by labeling certain dogs as ‘dangerous’ or ‘vicious’ based on breed or phenotype.
“Breed or breed type is only one factor which determines an individual dog’s temperament. Many other factors also influence behavior. In the case of aggressive acts by dogs, factors may include, but are not limited to: genetic predisposition; irresponsible handling; lack of animal management; general care; improper socialization and training; poor housing conditions; physical ailment, and lack of education and supervision.
The vast majority of dogs typically affected by breed-specific legislation are not "dangerous" by any standard. Their physical appearance alone cannot be used as an indicator of an aggressive nature. Breed-specific legislation creates an undue burden on responsible owners of targeted breeds - dogs which are most often not dangerous to their communities.
Limiting the risk of dog bites should be the legal responsibility of the dog owner. The IACP believes in the importance of educating owners in the proper selection, care, socialization and training of dogs. We also recognize the importance of
teaching the general public, and especially children, in bite prevention skills and techniques.
The IACP supports the creation and enforcement of laws which protect responsible dog owners while at the same time promote the safety of all. We support laws which penalize irresponsible dog owners on an individual basis. Current animal control laws should be enforced. In many communities, laws allow officials to confiscate the individual dog who has proven dangerous. This, along with the education we advocate, will help the public not to simply feel safer, but actually to be safer. A very small minority of dogs pose any significant threat to humans. Dog ownership, on the whole, improves quality of life for countless families.
#endBSL #notoBil128 #Canada150 #BSLbytes
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Source and further reading: http://politicalanimal.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/PositionstatementonBSL.pdf
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#BSLbytes is a joint initiative of Hugabull Advocacy & Rescue Society and Justice for Bullies.
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For background on the #BSLbytes campaign visit the HugABull blog: http://blog.hugabull.com/take-a-byte-out-of-bsl
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