Pit Bulls Research Paper

Zuri Robinson
Mr. Paczkowski
English 1101
7 November 2012
How would you feel if a pet you had since you were a child could no longer be by your side because the county you live in does not allow them anymore? This scenario is very possible due to the Breed Specific Legislation law (BSL). This law regulates which animals are not allowed in a certain area. BSL began in the 1980’s when the number of dog bites went up significantly in the U.S. As people noticed this trend, states began becoming stricter with their breed regulatory laws. The laws were really aimed at pit bull terriers and their mixes even though the law was supposed to be aimed at “dangerous dogs to society.” BSL is not limited to just dogs. Other animals are included in this
Some of these breeds, shockingly, include Golden Retrievers, French Bulldogs, American Bulldogs, German Shepherds, and some cattle herding dogs. Of these 75 dog breeds, 4 are banned or restricted in a few counties in Georgia. In College Park Pit Bulls, Rottweilers, Dobermans, and German Shepherds are banned. In Dawson Pit Bulls are banned. Pit bulls are also banned in Floyd County as well as La Grange, Lawrenceville, and Terrell County. Notice how most counties have banned Pitt Bulls. They are banned because of what they are and not how they behave. This is unfair to the dog and the responsible dog owners. BSL becomes a major hiccup when it comes to guide dogs, therapy dogs, rescue dogs, and drug dogs. Pit bulls, Retrievers, and German Shepherds make excellent dogs for these titles, but they are all on the “dangerous” dog list for BSL. For instance, take this case in Northern Ireland where a bulldog Labrador mixed dog named Lennox had to be put down because he was on the “dangerous” list. He was this little girl’s therapy dog for 5 amazing years and had not bothered anyone. The court had the control to put down any dog that merely looked dangerous and so they did to Lennox, even with 200,000 signatures to petition not to kill him. The family did not even get to say goodbye to Lennox, rather they were sent his ashes in the mail. Despite this fact, organizations still use these dogs because of their
Pit Bulls, alongside Terriers, were also very famous in the American military in World War I. Their first unattractive appearance in the news was in 1947 when a dog owner unleashed 27 dogs to attack a woman (Jon Bastian). Again, it began as the dog’s owner’s fault, but the BSL law does not even recognize this fact. Change the law so that it is aimed toward behavior and not breed specificity. Some suggestions I would give to the regulators is to focus more on who they are letting own these animals. Some of these owners are hosting dog fights, which are illegal, and uneducated breeders are breeding aggressive dogs with aggressive dogs. It should be made harder for these people to get these so called “dangerous” breeds of dogs. One way it would be made harder is to present them with more paper work that is detailed and tedious when they come to apply for a dog. Part of the process should include an initial house check before the dog is adopted to make sure there are no home grown puppy mills and/or dog fighting arenas in the home, which some adoption agencies practice currently. Another part of the process should be an educational video that is mandatory to watch at the facility of purchase with a test at the end. To pass the test the potential dog owner has to make a 95% or above to be considered a potential adopter. Another very useful suggestion would