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Most Bans Affect Pit Bulls, but Other Breeds Can Be Included as Well.
Meanwhile, pit bulls score extremely high on temperament tests. According to the American Temperament Testing Society, Inc., the American Pit Bull Terrier achieved a passing rate of 86.8 percent (better than collies, golden retrievers, and beagles), which means they rank fourth highest of the 122 breeds tested.
Additionally, a “pit bull” isn’t even actually a breed. Instead, it’s a term used to describe a stockier type of terrier that includes the American Staffordshire Terrier, American Pit Bull Terrier, Staffordshire Bull Terrier and mixes of the above.
Other breeds that can also be affected by BSL include American Bulldogs, Mastiffs, Dalmatians, Chow Chows, German Shepherds, Doberman Pinschers … even Chihuahuas and Shar Peis (or dogs that just look like any of the above).
According to the National Canine Research Council and an October, 2010 report in the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association (JAVMA), studies done in the United Kingdom, Spain, Italy and the Netherlands found that breed discriminatory laws in those countries didn’t reduce the number of dog bites or improve public safety. (http://nationalcanineresearchcouncil.com/uploaded_files/tinymce/NNB%20now%20available%20in%20JAVMA%20dated.pdf)
Based on these studies and concerns about due process and property rights infringement, the National Animal Control Association, the American Veterinary Medical Association, Best Friends Animal Society, the ASPCA, and the Humane Society of the United States are against breed discrimination.
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC), based on its September, 2000 study of human fatalities from dog bites, published in JAVMA, also promotes a breed-neutral approach to legislation. The CDC found that many other factors, besides a dog’s breed such as reproductive status, heredity, sex, early experiences, socialization and training, can affect the likelihood that a dog could attack someone. (http://avmajournals.avma.org/doi/abs/10.2460/javma.2000.217.836)
Many breed discriminatory laws are aimed at pit bull terriers, one of the more popular breeds in the United States. An estimated 5-7 million pit bull terriers live as pets in the United States, and the vast majority of pit bull terriers are loving, loyal family pets.
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