WHAT IS BREED SPECIFIC LEGISLATION?

Breed Specific Legislation, or BSL, is any law that is breed-specific. It includes anything from requiring a special license, or special housing for a breed, to a complete prohibition of owning a breed (breed ban). BSL commonly targets Pit Bulls and other bully breeds, imposing strict fees, fines, and regulations on owners, or banning the breed altogether.

The problem with BSL is that it targets dogs, not their owners. Any breed of dog can be dangerous in the wrong hands, and the irresponsible owners who cause the problems leading to the call for BSL are not likely to heed the BSL in their areas. If Pit Bulls are banned, they will simply continue to own and mistreat them, or they will dump them in shelters, and get a dog of another breed, continuing the cycle. Worse, many criminal-types are already drawn to owning a Pit Bull due to all the negative stereotypes that surround them, and making owning Pit Bulls illegal will simply make them a more attractive dog to own to those who get their kicks from breaking the law.

Perhaps the worst thing about BSL is not only that it doesn't work, but also that it's expensive, using money that would be better spent educating the public on responsible pet ownership. BSL is extremely difficult to enforce, as definitions of the breed tend to be vague at best, and most enforcement agencies have a difficult time distinguishing a Pit Bull from many other dogs.

Can you tell which dog is a Pit Bull? Try taking one of the following tests:

http://www.pitbullsontheweb.com/petbull/findpit.html

http://members.aol.com/radogz/find.html

To learn more about BSL, please visit http://www.goodpooch.com/bsl.htm