BSL or Breed Specific Legislation is a law which creates a number of severe restrictions and regulations for any breed considered vicious or dangerous under a specific state or city law. Each state or city may have different standards for BSL. Owners of certain dog breeds may be required to:

If you think that’s tough, take a deep breath before continuing. The most common kind of BSL in the U.S. completely bans all dogs of a certain breed. Meaning all dogs of the banned breed must be removed from the area by a designated deadline or they will be confiscated and euthanized by state officials without any exceptions. Even dogs that have never displayed any form of aggression are killed. Any owner who fails to comply with these deadlines will face costly fines and or jail time.

One of the major flaws with BSL is that it often identifies “Pit Bulls” based on the breed standard for physical appearance, while disregarding the breed standard for temperament. This form of “Blanket legislation” can be compared to racial or gender profiling because it passes judgment based solely upon appearance. Due to this primitive profiling technique thousands of lovable, well-trained, socialized family pets will suffer and even die as a result of this ineffective and unfair “blanket legislation”.

BSL has affected many countries besides the United States, including, Germany, Australia, England, and France. Breed Specific Legislation has different restrictions depending on each city’s standards. Many cities with BSL in effect have experienced an overall spike in “Pit Bull” ownership since the legislation has been enacted. One example is Denver, Colorado where there are more “Pit Bulls” now than before the dangerous dog act was passed in the 1980s. Sadly this fact is not enough to deter state legislators from continuing to enact BSL all over the US.

As silly as it may sound mistaken identity is responsible for a staggering number of false reports on “Pit Bull” attacks each year in the U.S. This is also true for many media reports we frequently see in the news. It seems it may be too difficult for most people to differentiate between similar looking breeds. It is for this reason that state legislators created a label for any dog with a broad face, wide chest and short hair. Dogs with these characteristics would automatically be categorized as “Pit Bull-type” dogs. The problem with this general label is that there are so many breeds falling into this large category, each with very different temperaments being lumped together as one. Although it may be close to impossible for the average person to identify the breed of an unruly “Pit Bull-type” dog running lose in their neighborhood only with one quick glance, referring to all of them as “Pit Bull-types” is clearly not a realistic solution. According to the CDC there is also no way to determine which of these breeds is responsible for the majority of annual dog bites in America, making our overall statistics inaccurate. For this reason the CDC does not support using dog bite statistics as motivation for BSL or any other breed specific dangerous dog acts. With the words “Pit Bull” rolling off tongues all over the U.S. it is more than likely a bystander or even a victim of an attack would quickly label any dog with the “Pit Bull” physical characteristics a “Pit Bull” even when there is a strong possibility it is not.

Think you know a real “Pit Bull” when you see one? Can you identify the American Pit Bull Terrier while looking at 20 very similar “Pit Bull-type” breeds? It’s easier said than done! Play the name that dog game and test your skills. Good luck, you’ll need it!

Absolutely not. BSL is only a mask for a much bigger problem that has not been adequately addressed thus far. BSL is not the answer for the following reasons:

These are approaches that any citizen can take to ensure a safer city for their family to live in. You do not have to be a parent or pet owner to improve the quality of life for your neighbors and yourself.