These scientific advances have impacted breed identifications by animal-control wardens, police officers and even veterinarians. If a city or state has adopted a breed-discriminatory law, the burden of proof is on city officials to prove that a dog is a member of the targeted breed, either through preponderance of evidence or in some cases — if there are criminal penalties — beyond a reasonable doubt. Niko was housed at animal control for the entire eight months of the court case, at a great cost to the town taxpayers.
Niko, a mixed-breed dog, is now back home after the ordeal. She can be reached at ledyv bestfriends. Click here to download and print this document. PDF 56 KB.
All Rights Reserved. Privacy bestfriends. Share Tweet Email Print. Endnotes 1. Introduction to pit bull terrier laws A dog attacks, and city-council members want the city attorney to react—sometimes by drafting an ordinance that restricts or outlaws a specific breed of dog, most often the maligned pit bull terrier.
Back to top 2. Missing the mark by targeting pit bull terriers Effective public lawyers counsel their clients to make decisions based on research and valid statistics, not emotion.
The results are telling: On Aug. Police officers arrived at the scene, and the dog was shot after charging the officers.
This incident was reported in one article and only in the local paper On Aug. This attack was reported two times by the local paper. On Aug. This attack was reported in one article and only in the local paper. She was hospitalized with severe injuries. Her dog was not injured. Back to top 3. According to Delise, now with the National Canine Research Council , the fatal dog attacks that occurred in the United States in had these commonalities: 97 percent of the owners did not neuter or spay their dogs.
In lieu of drafting costly breed discriminatory laws, public lawyers must decide if legislation targeting the aforementioned factors would be more effective. Back to top 4. Restrict reckless owners from harboring dogs It makes sense to restrict or even ban reckless owners from owning a dog — any breed of dog — because any dog can bite.
Back to top 5. BSL is virtually impossible to enforce. Why is this? Pit bull is essentially a slang term used to describe a group of dogs that encompass a set of certain physical characteristics. Often, these dogs are of unknown origin but may possess a large chest, muscular composure, and certain facial structure.
There is no correlation to improvement of public safety. Many organizations have conducted thorough studies that have shown there is no evidence that BSL makes communities safer for people or animals.
One of the most critical studies was a year study in the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association which identified multiple factors to a fatal dog-bite attack — none of these factors pertaining to breed. Four or more of the factors below accounted for Department of Housing and Urban Development. So, what is the answer? How can we improve public safety? Calendar of events Live webinars Awareness events.
Featured events Applications due: Wellbeing educator training November Animal Welfare Assessment Contest November 19 — Newsletters Get the latest updates on your choice of veterinary topics delivered straight to your inbox.
Media relations Press releases Leadership bios Media guide Media contacts. Contact Contact us Media contacts. Site search. Why Breed-specific Legislation Is not the Answer. The AVMA is opposed to breed-specific legislation. Any dog can bite According to the U. The problem with breed-specific legislation AVMA's Policy on Dangerous Animal Legislation states: "The AVMA supports dangerous animal legislation by state, county, or municipal governments provided that legislation does not refer to specific breeds or classes of animals.
This is because: The breed of a biting dog is often not known or is reported inaccurately. The actual number of bites that occur in a community is not known, especially if they don't result in serious injury. The number of dogs of a particular breed or combination of breeds in a community is not known because it is rare for all dogs in a community to be licensed.
Statistics often do not consider multiple incidents caused by a single animal. Breed popularity changes over time, making comparison of breed-specific bite rates unreliable. However a review of the research that attempts to quantify the relation between breed and bite risk finds the connection to be weak or absent, while responsible ownership variables such as socialization, neutering and proper containment of dogs are much more strongly indicated as important risk factors.
A better solution to dog bite prevention Animal control and legislative approaches to protecting a community from dangerous dogs should not be based on breed, but instead on promoting responsible pet ownership and developing methods to rapidly identify and respond to owners whose dogs present an actual risk. The AVMA recommends the following strategies for dog bite prevention: Enforcement of generic, non-breed-specific dangerous dog laws, with an emphasis on chronically irresponsible owners Enforcement of animal control ordinances such as leash laws, by trained animal care and control officers Prohibition of dog fighting Encouraging neutering for dogs not intended for breeding School-based and adult education programs that teach pet selection strategies , pet care and responsibility, and bite prevention AVMA's report A Community Approach to Dog Bite Prevention PDF highlights tangible steps that veterinarians can take alongside state and local leaders to implement effective dog bite prevention programs in their community.
Letter from veterinarian Letter from state VMA.
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