The Zoomies

The purpose of enacting Breed Specific Legislation is to limit the amount of dog bites and attacks in a certain area. This is based on the assumption that getting rid of, or restricting, certain breeds will accomplish this. This assumption, however, is formed from bias and misinformation, and lacks a true understanding of the cause of dog attacks and how to prevent them. I do believe that it is important to protect people from vicious dogs, but blaming one particular breed or breeds will not solve the problem. There are several reasons why these laws are ineffective and unfair, and I hope through this article to explain my opinion on them clearly.

All Dogs Bite
BSL supporters would have you believe that a certain breed of dog is responsible for all or most dog bites in the area, and that by eliminating that particular breed, the number of bites will go down. They seem to ignore the fact that all dogs bite, and that attacks by all breeds and mixes can and do occur. They may not ignore this on purpose, however, as most people are unaware of the attacks by other breeds and mixes, since they are not as well publicized. Stories of attacks or “scares” by breeds like pit bulls and Rottweilers get far more attention in the media, than those by other breeds. But they do happen, and they happen often. I think it is easy to prove that it is not the breed of the dog that is the cause of attacks, rather the circumstances that are involved… and unless legislators want to continue to ban one breed after another until there are none left, they should examine the causes of the bites and not put so much emphasis on the breed of the dog itself. But since many people would like to propose BSL with the idea that one breed is more dangerous than the others, I will start by showing the other breeds involved in attacks, that may not have gotten as much media attention.

Check out these links for lists of attacks by all breeds:

Dog Bite Press:
Chako.org Press
Understand-a-bull: All Dogs Bite

Dangerous?

BSL ignores the reasons behind the bites
BSL doesn’t work because it doesn’t address the real issues behind dog bites. The ability to bite and do damage to a human is not limited to one type of dog. All dogs can and will bite if pushed past their threshold. What that threshold is, is dependent on his genetics, surroundings, history, and current treatment. When he is put in a particular situation, all those causes will come together to form an instant reaction, one that is most often based on fear and the desire to protect himself. A dog will not bite without a reason. The commonly used excuse, “He just snapped out of nowhere!” when properly researched, is found to always be false. We may not be able to see the reason, but there has always been an issue in the dog’s mind that makes him more apt to bite. Commonly, it is the instinct to protect himself, the instinct to attack prey, or the desire to protect a loved one that can trigger a bite. It may even be an unnoticeable trigger, but it has always been there, not just a spur of the moment desire to attack. (There is a very rare case called “Rage Syndrome” where a dog will suddenly lose his sanity, but this is very uncommon). This is different in each individual dog, and most dogs will never pass this threshold. Every dog does have the ability to bite, though, and an owner should be aware of what the dog’s limits are and what (if anything) would instigate him to bite.

BSL does not take any of these things into mind. It categorizes dangerous dogs solely based on breed, and does not address the fact that every dog can bite, and it is up to the owner to control their dogs and work with them to overcome fears or inappropriate behaviors. When we look at the individual cases and beyond the story, the problem will always lie with the owners. Whether the owner intentionally or unintentionally allowed their dog to attack, the owner should have been responsible in preventing the situation from ever occurring. Some common circumstances that are found to lie behind bites are poor socialization, poor containment, abuse, and encouraging aggressiveness. A responsible owner should be aware of their dog’s temperament, get them basic training, give them enough exercise, and keep them properly contained.

These are some common problems I have seen in the majority of dog bite reports. By no means will one always cause a dog to bite, but they seem to be a better indication of why dog attacks occur, rather than because of the dog’s breed.

Containment – From what I have read, it seems that the majority of dog attacks occur by a loose dog. Sometimes a stray dog, but normally an owned dog who has gotten loose, or is allowed to roam. The dog may be defending itself, looking for a meal, or be fearful of a new environment. Either way, the dog should have never had the chance to bite, were he properly contained by the owners. A dog that may have never shown any signs of aggression at home, may act aggressively when out roaming on his own, when his owner isn’t there to protect or control him. It is the owner’s responsibility to keep their dog (and people) safe by keeping him in a secure environment at home.

Poor Socialization and Exercise – Many times, the dog bite incidents come from dogs that are kept in the backyard, or on a chain, most of their lives. They get little attention and little exercise. These dogs are not able to release their mental and physical tension, and can get overly riled up by small amounts of attention. They might become fearful in certain situations, as they are rarely introduced to new things, and don’t know how to handle them in a positive way. When they bite, it can be based on fearfulness of the person or protectiveness of their property, which they have learned is all they really have.

Prey Drive – Also occurring often in attacks, is that a person gets between a dog and the “prey” (cat, small dog, etc.) he is going after. Prey drive is a natural instinct in many dogs, and one that is often misunderstood. I’ll get into this in more detail in an article on this subject, but want to quickly mention that it does not mean a dog is aggressive towards people or “a mean dog” if he is just following natural instinct. He should, however, be able to have the control not to let that attacking instinct turn onto a person. He should also be under the control of his owner so that he can’t go running off after the prey and the human nearby, and properly trained as to learn how to manage this instinct.

Behavior around the dog – This seems to be a common problem especially with children. They approach the dog in a way that intimidates him and makes him uncomfortable. In order to deal with this feeling of fear or discomfort, the dog will bite to make the person, and bad feeling, stop. Some of these behaviors are leaning over the dog, petting him harshly, approaching abruptly, or reaching towards his face. These can be scary things for a dog who isn’t used to them, or hasn’t learned how to deal with them. This is especially true for small dogs. When a dog is about to bite, he will show a warning sign either through a growl, trying to move away, tail tucking, or a fearful look in his eyes. When these signs are ignored, he will resort to his next move, which is to bite to make it stop.

I will look at some bite instances, and see the issues that continually reoccur in dog attacks of all breeds.

Greyhound – loose greyhound attacks woman after she picks up a cat the dog was chasing
Link

Two things are at play here. First is prey drive. Greyhounds have been bred to desire to chase small animals. He probably was so fixated and riled up on getting to the cat, that he didn’t even realize the person was there. Although people often consider the desire to kill other animals as “vicious”, it really is just instinct for the dog, and has nothing to do with the dog being “mean”. The main issue here, however, is that the dog was not properly contained. If he were on a leash, he would have never had this incident. Most likely he escaped out of a yard that was not properly fenced, while the owners were not home. A dog that is on leash and properly contained will never have the opportunity to attack or allow prey drive to get out of control.

Labrador – stray black Labrador bites man in arm while he is outside playing with puppy
Link

Just like the greyhound attack, this is probably based on prey drive. The dog was fixated on getting to the puppy, and when the man got in the way, he invoked aggression from the dog. And like the greyhound, why wasn’t this dog contained? If he were contained at his home, or on a leash, this incident would never have happened.

Boxer – toddler attacked by family’s boxer
Link

Looking into the article, you see that the boxer had already bitten an adult in the home. The owners already knew that the dog would bite if provoked, yet they left him with their toddler on the floor. This is not the fault of the breed, rather a dog with aggression issues that weren’t dealt with, who should not have been allowed to be loose with a young baby in the home. Most likely there was a surrounding circumstance that caused the dog to bite, like a fear or protective instinct.

Pit Bull – girl attacked after chained dog broke free
Link

The dog was normally chained up, not a cause of aggression in itself, however often a symptom of a dog that is being poorly socialized and exercised. He then broke free (not properly contained) and was obviously riled up, as he went to bite the child right away. A combination of several problems, all based on the poor ownership.
These incidents show that it is not the breed that is the problem, rather the irresponsible owners who let these attacks occur. Every dog can bite when put under certain circumstances, and if not properly contained, socialized, or trained, it is more likely that this will occur. Not all dogs will bite when one of these issues is in play, so you cannot say that one is the cause of dog attacks, just as you cannot say a breed is the cause of dog attacks. You should be able to see, however, that it is a combination of issues, and if the owner takes responsibility for a dog that is already more apt to bite under certain circumstances, then the opportunity to bite will never occur. Breed Specific Legislation wants to look at only one circumstance and say that is the cause of the majority of dog bites. This completely ignores the other issues that are more important, but actually require owners to take responsibility for their dogs.

The Dog and the Debris by Ben Scicluna

There is no breed that is “inherently dangerous”
Certain people will try to insist that pit bulls or other so called “dangerous” breeds are inherently dangerous and that we would all be safer with them gone. This assumption is based on ignorance and fear, instead of research and facts. With every breed there are owners who mistreat the dogs, don’t control or work with bad behaviors, or encourage aggressiveness. With every breed, however, there are owners who treat them wonderfully, train them well, and encourage positive behaviors. If the majority of dogs of that breed have solid temperaments and are well behaved, how can one say that it is the breed that is the problem, and not the individual dogs themselves? A little research into a breed you may have once believed to be aggressive and vicious, should point you to owners who show off all the good qualities of the breed and reveal the truth. Often they are used as service dogs, therapy dogs, and in sport competitions. They have high levels of obedience training accomplishments, and pass the American Temperament Test and Canine Good Citizen tests in large percentages. With so many dogs of that breed doing social activities, and interacting with people in positive ways every day, how can it be possible that they are inherently dangerous? Perhaps people have been misled to believe an easy way out… to believe that if their dog (or their neighbor’s dog) is not of that breed that they are somehow “safe”. Sometimes it is easier to place blame and fears on a particular thing (in this case a breed of dog) instead of opening up to the idea that there are many different aspects that are involved in a situation. In the case of dog attacks, there can be many reasons why they acted aggressively. It cannot be as simple as “That’s because they are ____”, when so many similar dogs do not act the same way.

Every breed can be owned responsibly and have positive interactions with the public. Every breed can also be mistreated and brought to the point of aggression. We cannot generalize that one breed is inherently dangerous, when there is evidence dogs of that breed can live harmoniously with humans every day. Dangerous dogs must be considered on an individual basis, and not by the actions of others believed to be similar to them.

Mis-identification and judging by appearances
Another reason why BSL is ineffective is the inability to properly identify breeds and the idea that one can base judgment on appearance alone. Since the pit bull is the most common “breed” being targeted in BSL, I will use them as an example. First, the term “pit bull” refers to a type, not a breed, although sometimes it can be used as an abbreviation for the American Pit Bull Terrier. However it is more commonly used as a catch all term for the American Pit Bull Terrier, American Staffordshire Terrier, and Staffordshire Bull Terrier. But in the way that many laws are described, it can end up referring to any type of short coated, medium sized, large headed and muscular dog. As the pit bull can be bred to a great variety of looks, it can be near impossible for a city worker, let alone an experienced dog person, to identify if a dog is a “pit bull”. A boxer/lab mix, an American Bulldog (or mix), a Cane Corso mix, and a large variety of purebred or mixed dogs can look like what the public believes to be a “pit bull”. If these dogs look like one at all, they can be considered illegal under certain legislation. How does that make sense? Because a dog has a certain appearance, he is automatically dangerous? If the law has gone so far to justify that a certain breed is inherently dangerous, they can begin to justify that a certain type or appearance of dog is dangerous as well. It has been shown that most people cannot identify what a “pit bull” looks like in the first place. This has also been repeated with other breeds, such as the legislation against Rottweilers and Dobermans and any mix of those breeds. That means any short to medium coated black and tan dog (no matter what the heritage!) can be considered to be a dangerous dog because of the way they look. Even if it were true that a certain breed were more dangerous, the inability to determine the heritage of a dog based on their appearance would make the task of finding and removing only dogs of that breed impossible.

Can you find the pit bull?
Chako.org Test
Pit Bulls on the Web Test
Understand-a-bull Test

Examples of Press and Mistaken Identity:
Wrong ID

Bite Statistics
Some people would have you believe that because statistics show that one breed has more bites on record, that they are obviously more dangerous. These statistics, however, seem to cause people to ignore the reasons why the numbers are what they are. As mentioned earlier, there can be a variety of reasons why dogs bite, but these are ignored when placing information into specific categories. There are also several factors which influence these numbers, including popularity of the breed, what type of dogs fall into that category (The commonly used “pit bull type” covers dozens of short coated, bulldog type dogs), and the ratio of reported bites. The popularity of the breed with irresponsible owners can make a big difference in the amount of bites reported, and reflects on the type of owners, not the breed itself. However, that statistic is more difficult to represent clearly with numbers. The CDC based their statistics on newspaper articles, where clearly the reports are biased. They are based on the reports of witnesses or the victims themselves, where breed identification can be difficult, and is often later retracted as the real breed of the dog is identified. There are also a large number of mixed breed dogs whose heritage isn’t considered when using this system. The CDC ignored about a quarter of their sampled articles for those that did not state a breed. Clearly there can be no real and effective way to identify breeds in this manner, where the information is based on the newspaper’s perspective, and all other factors besides breed are not taken into account.

The CDC themselves have been upset by the way their statistics have been misused. From CDC.gov:

“A CDC study on fatal dog bites lists the breeds involved in fatal attacks over 20 years (Breeds of dogs involved in fatal human attacks in the United States between 1979 and 1998). It does not identify specific breeds that are most likely to bite or kill, and thus is not appropriate for policy-making decisions related to the topic. Each year, 4.7 million Americans are bitten by dogs. These bites result in approximately 16 fatalities; about 0.0002 percent of the total number of people bitten. These relatively few fatalities offer the only available information about breeds involved in dog bites. There is currently no accurate way to identify the number of dogs of a particular breed, and consequently no measure to determine which breeds are more likely to bite or kill.”

CDC.gov

Since this can be a quite detailed subject, I will provide you with links that go further into detail, as well as some book recommendations.

About CDC Bite Stats
Bad Logic
Public Safety Concern or Media Hype?
Dog Bite Statistics: Science or Junk Science?

Book Recommendations:
Dogs Bite: But Balloons and Slippers Are More Dangerous
The Pit Bull Placebo: The Media, Myths and Politics of Canine Aggression

BSL punishes the innocent and lets the problems continue
Besides the fact that BSL doesn’t address the source of dog attacks, it also ends up punishing innocent dogs and their owners. Dogs that have done nothing wrong, and are well behaved and well loved, can be taken away from their owners based only on what they look like. A dog that has never acted aggressively in his life can be forced to wear a muzzle in public. The responsible owner that takes extraordinary care of their dog may have to pay for millions of dollars in insurance. The owners and their dogs are feared, treated like criminals, and forced to endure criticism and personal attacks. In my opinion, this is completely unfair; laws should not punish the innocent. I fail to see how making responsible owners jump through hoops and restrict their dogs can help stop dog bites from occurring, when their dogs are not the ones that are the problem. Their dogs might look like one that has attacked someone, but that doesn’t mean theirs will do the same. All the while, the owners with the loose, untrained, mistreated dogs of various other breeds are not regulated against. Most likely, the responsible owners are going to be the only ones who abide by the laws. The source of the bite problems, the irresponsible owners, will either ignore the laws or get another breed that will have the same likelihood of biting due to their improper care.

I personally like the analogy of car crashes. If one found that more Mustangs were responsible for car crashes than other cars, should Mustangs be banned? Obviously they have too much power and are the preferred car of young boys who like to drive fast. (I’m making this up, so bear with me!) Since Mustangs are responsible for the most accidents, banning them, or restricting the speed they can go will surely reduce the number of crashes. The Mustang owners will be better off without them, since they are the ones who choose to own such reckless cars, they should choose something we determined was more safe, like a mini-van. But what about the Mustang drivers who drive responsibly and have never been in an accident or disobeyed the law? Should they have to give up the car they love? Obviously more research would have to be done to find out more about why Mustangs were involved in more accidents, like the age of the drivers, their experience driving, or location, speed, and time of day. It wouldn’t be fair to say that Mustangs themselves are dangerous, but that it’s the circumstances surrounding the accidents that tell the truth. You might find that those Mustangs driven by experienced and responsible drivers are no more likely to get in an accident than any other car. All the while, the people who were driving the Mustangs recklessly will continue to do the same with their new cars. Truly it’s not the type of car itself that is the problem, rather the people who choose to drive it irresponsibly, and the circumstances that commonly surround them when they get into accidents. There is no valid reason to punish the Mustang drivers that have done nothing wrong, as they weren’t the cause of the crashes. The fact that their car is like another car that gets into more accidents doesn’t mean theirs will too.

Let’s stop allowing people to judge others by the dog they own, and stop judging dogs by those that appear to be the same on the outside. Getting to the real issues with dog bites is the only way to truly make an impact on stopping them from happening. I will continue on to part 3, to discuss what experts believe is a better solution than BSL for reducing dog attacks.

Other articles of interest:
Introduction to BSL
What is a Better Solution than BSL?