Stop Breed Specific Legislation

Breed specific legislation is short sighted and ineffective as a closer examination of the facts will show.





A survey by the national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta ("CDC") concludes that dogs bite nearly 2\% of the U.S. population -- more than 4.7 million people annually. Almost 800,000 bites per year -- one out of every 6 -- are serious enough to require medical attention. Dog bites send nearly 334,000 victims to hospital emergency departments per year (914 per day). (National Center for Health Statistics National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey for 1992-1994.) However, fatalities are highly unusual. For every fatal dog bite in the United States, there are 230,000 bites that are not treated by a physician.





Although pit bull mixes and Rottweillers are most likely to kill and seriously maim, fatal attacks since 1975 have been attributed to dogs from at least 30 breeds. There is an 8 out of 10 chance that a biting dog is male and a 6 out of 10 chance that a biting dog has not been neutered. (Humane Society of the United States)





Please note that there are five (5) different breeds classified as "pit bull," and approximately another 13 or so that look similar enough to be mistaken for a pit bull even by an experienced person.





Banning a breed punishes those responsible dog owners who are the type of citizen that communities need to keep and those dogs that are reliable community citizens such as Louisiana Search And Rescue Dog Team Member, Snowball, an American Pit Bull Terrier.





Some individual pit bulls have been corrupted by some ignorant breeders and owners, but the pit bull has a long and honorable history of serving man. To label all as vicious for the actions of a few ignores this history and the benefits of owning these dogs.





Regardless of the breed, any pet must also be raised, trained and socialized properly. Singling out breeds of dogs as vicious or banning them outright merely shifts the responsibility from the dog owner (where it belongs) to the breed of dog and does not solve community dog problems.





By signing this petition, we ask that all legislators look at the statistics and enact legislation to protect people from vicious dogs of any breed. Specifically, by making it easier for people to get their pets spayed or neutered, creating and enforcing legislation requiring people to be responsible dog owners, no matter what breed they have, and by educating the public and the children of our community about responsible dog ownership, care and humane treatment.