Companion Animal Care Articles from All-Creatures.org

Overturning Breed-Specific Bans

From Nathan Winograd
April 2023

Breed-specific laws also negatively impact surrounding communities and rescue groups, which have to take on the burden of such regressive and selfish policies to save the lives of these dogs.

The Iowa House overwhelmingly passed a bill prohibiting local governments from banning specific dog “breeds” and targeting them for extermination. The bill encourages local governments to “instead focus their ordinances on responsible dog ownership.” The bill now goes to the Iowa Senate.

Likewise, the Florida Senate “passed a bill that would strip away the last remaining municipal and public housing restrictions against specific dog breeds — which mostly target pit bulls.” The bill now goes to the Florida House.

Banning dogs based on how they look is immoral. It is also ineffective. That's not just opinion; it's science:

• 50% of dogs labeled as pit bulls lacked DNA breed signatures of breeds commonly classified as pit bulls;
• Dogs targeted for breed discriminatory laws are not more likely to bite, do not bite harder, and such bans do not result in fewer dog bites or bite-related hospitalization rates; and,
• Enforcement of a ban is expensive, with no measurable impact on public safety.

Bans also negatively impact surrounding communities and rescue groups, which have to take on the burden of such regressive and selfish policies to save the lives of these dogs.

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