Punish the deed, not the breed

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By: Jenni Reinhart
Posted: 4/20/09
Imagine Sparky, your golden retriever. He is another member of your family right? He hasn't missed a family vacation, always greets you at the door, listens to all your problems without passing judgment, and is always willing to play.

Now imagine turning on the morning news to find out that Golden Retrievers are banned and all existing ones are to be euthanized, because they are deemed to be vicious. This is incomprehensible for most, except for those of us who own a pit bull.

I am one of the many individuals in Cincinnati and nationwide who devote their lives to the rescuing and well being of all animals. Animal rescue has been part of my life since I was a small child, and it is a way of life in my family. I have owned many breeds ranging from chihuahuas to great danes, and have recently adopted an American pit bull terrier.

Anytime one decides to get a dog, there is a lot of responsibility involved, and if that dog happens to be a pit bull breed, the responsibility is multiplied by ten, a reality that I am currently facing.

Pit bull is an inclusive term that is used to clump together many breeds, including the American pit bull terrier, American staffordshire terrier, bull terrier, American bull dog, and many others. Unfortunately, any dog in the pit bull category or a mixed breed that resembles a pit bull breed is subject to serious scrutiny not only by people but by the law, because of a common misconception that pit bulls are naturally vicious. In reality, since 1965 there have been 17 fatal dog attacks in Ohio and 11 different breeds were involved.

Breed Specific Legislation (BSL) are laws that ban "dangerous breeds" from communities in order to try to keep people safe from dog attacks. Although this sounds like an appropriate measure to take, it is an uneducated attempt that does not make communities safer and results in the euthanasia of millions of sweet, loving dogs just because of their breed type.

Every year one million pit bulls will be put to sleep. BSL concentrates solely on stereotypes of breeds as a whole and does not take into account the actions of an owner. Any dog that is not treated properly, is continuously provoked, is taught to fight, or is chained up in the back yard with no proper socialization will react when approached by a stranger.

Pit bulls are no different, but they seem to catch the most flack because the constant media hysteria that has led to a stigma about the breed that is completely unjustified. For example, most people assume that American pit bull terriers would make excellent guard dogs because they can be "aggressive" and have a "locking jaw mechanism" that allows them to inflict wounds far worse than other breeds. However, this assumption is completely inaccurate.

Pit bulls were originally bred to be very good with people, even though they were used to fight other dogs in the pit. Through bad breeding practices, an increased number of pit bulls have shown aggression towards people, but this is how they were bred, not how they are by nature. Furthermore, studies have shown that the pit bull's jaw, although very strong, is built no different than any other breed. The Canine National Research Council found that "no breed of dog has a particular method of attack or inflicts an exclusive type of injury."

By nature pit bulls are very loyal, sweet dogs and in the proper environment they thrive as family dogs. In fact, the American pit bull terrier had an 84.3 percent passing rate in 2007 for the canine American Temperament Tests. To put that into perspective, the golden retriever had an 84.5 percent passing rate. With these statistics, a fair conclusion would be that the breed should not be held accountable and punished for particular deeds of a specific dog; the owners should be.

Thousands of other people and I are fighting everyday to turn over BSL and keep it from being enacted in towns. Cincinnati is one of the many cities that have BSL, but all it has accomplished, as in many other cities, is hurting law abiding, responsible owners who have loving pit bulls. It steers responsible dog owners away from the pit bull breeds, leaving 4.8 million classified pit bulls homeless, many of whom are well mannered companions.

Only one of six pit bulls born will find itself in a good, loving home. Criminals and irresponsible dog owners who neglect their dogs or use them for dog fighting and other criminal activity, which makes them much more likely to attack, are not going to stop getting pit bulls simply because a new law is put into place. Those individuals could also turn to different breeds to manipulate into aggressive dogs which will then become a dangerous breed and more dogs will be banned from their loving home. It is a vicious cycle that has to be stopped. It affects all dog owners, because someday your precious Sparky could find itself on the "dangerous breed" list.

The professionals do not support Breed Specific Legislation either. The American Veterinary Medical Association, National Animal Control Association, U.S. Center for Disease Control, Humane Society of the United States, ASPCA, American Kennel Club, and the National Canine Research Foundation do not support BSL, because it is not effective and does far more harm than good.

BSL is a quick fix solution to a serious problem. Instead of wasting taxpayers' dollars through the expense of enforcing BSL, the government can take other practical measures that would make communities much safer now and in the long term. For example: enforcing leash laws, enacting anti-tethering laws (chained up dogs account for 25 percent of fatal dog attacks), regulating breeders, funding public spay/neuter clinics (70 percent of all dogs bites come from unsterilized males and an unneutered dog is 2.6 times more likely to bite), and finally educating the public about dog behavior and proper dog ownership.

If you want to join me in the fight to save my dog, your dog, and all the helpless dogs out there, you can become their voice. You can begin to educate yourself more about BSL and become an advocate for pit bulls. You can contact Bark Ark Bully Rescue, a local rescue that provides refuge to dogs, usually of a pit bull or "bully" breed that is likely to be euthanized at the local shelter and who also provide information, training, and advocacy in the community, by going to their website www.barkark.org.

You can also contact your local state representatives and ask them to support H.B. No. 79, which will amend Section 955.11 of the current state law by removing pit bulls from the definition of a "vicious dog."

If people unite for this cause, education will spread and lawmakers will not be able to resort to useless, quick fix legislation, which is all too common. It is time to stand up for those who need us most by ridding communities of Breed Specific Legislation, so all of your Sparkies are forever safe and no bully is left behind!