by Beth Romero
Finding a place to live is no easy task, especially if you have dogs that are a specific “bully” breed. I own two adorable dogs, who happen to be rottweilers. They are big cuddlers, they love to go on walks, and they are also scared of the vacuum. These big, lovable dogs have been labeled dangerous because of the breed they are and what they look like. When my husband and I were looking for our first place to live, we could not purchase quite yet, so we turned to renting. During the rental property hunt, it was easy to find a house we liked, but the application process was difficult and held disappointment because of the discrimination against “bully” breeds. A few of the breeds listed in this clause were: Huskies, German shepherds, Doberman, and anything “bully”- pit bull, bull terrier, rottweiler, etc. Each time we would fill out an application, the section on pets would end up causing us to start our house hunt all over. Many of the houses we looked at had a clause in their application asking if the dog was one of about ten breeds listed. If your dog were one of them, you would be denied because they were not allowed. On that list was “bully breeds.” Because of this clause that many places have, we, just like many, many others, were being denied housing because of the pets we own. As a former vet tech, the experiences I had with all these dogs were always great. I could not understand why they had them listed as dangerous and banned for that property management company.
The question arises, what is a bully breed? This name is a generic term for dogs that have a terrier type to them. Under this umbrella are American Pit Bull Terriers, Bullmastiffs, Staffordshire Terriers, Boston Terriers, Boxers, English Bulldogs, Rottweilers, and a few more. This term has nothing to do with their temperament, behavior, or their origin. The temperament of these dogs can be described as working dogs. They are playful and affectionate towards people, they are agile and athletic, and they are active. These dogs are also great for dog sports, bomb detection, drug detection, search, and rescue, and even as therapy dogs. Bully breeds are also usually very prey driven, meaning they have predatory behavior (“Bully Breeds” 1). The misconception of these animals all being dangerous and unpredictable is negated when one dives into each breed and their temperament.
Headlines continue to arise labeling “Pit Bulls” as dangerous. Pit bulls used to be nicknamed “American Pets” in the early 1900s. As time continued, the pit bull’s reputation as the American dog had fallen significantly and they were looped in with drug dealers and street gangs. Since the early 1980’s, legislation has developed laws that continue to grow, banning specific breeds. Supporters of these laws state that these dogs pose a threat to our communities and citizens. Reasoning behind the threat is the misconception that these large breed dogs are more dangerous and unpredictable. However, many animal experts claim that a breed is not indicative of a dog’s personality, behavior, or level of threat. The laws that ban specific breeds of dogs should not exist because discriminating against an animal based on how it looks does not indicate its personality, the care it receives, or its behavior.
Pit Bulls were once thought to be the ideal family pet. When the British came over to the United States, they brough their dogs, along with the tradition of dog fighting (Medlin 1288). Pit Bulls appeared in posters for World War I and II. In fact, “The first dog to receive an army medal was a pit bull” (Linder 55). Once the 1980’s hit, their reputation started to go downhill. Many citizens that participated in drug deals or gangs used pit bulls as their guard dogs. These once known family dogs, with their affectionate and calm demeanor, were now seen as dangerous. A common stereotype linked with pit bulls are that they are owned by young African American males that live in low-income communities and are associated with crimes, such as dog fighting and drug dealing (Linder). Due to these presumed dangers, pit bulls have been mislabeled and laws have been enacted to discriminate against them.
Local governments have created laws that ban pit bulls from being owned within city limits. The term “pit bull” does not cover one specific breed of dog. Instead, it covers a few breeds that all relate to the bully style breed. These laws were put in place to help decrease the problem of dog attacks (Medlin 1290). Denver, Colorado is one city that once had a ban on bully breeds. Their ban has made it “…illegal for anyone to ‘own, possess, keep, exercise control over, maintain, harbor, transport or sell’ a pit bull in the city” (Medlin 1290). Many of the cities that have developed such bans have done so considering attacks on people and children, when, there is no actual concrete data to show that attacks have decreased in those cities,by these breeds. In fact, during the time Denver had the ban, only 10% of dog bites over a ten-year span were committed by a “bully” breed (Hawes et al 20). Perpetuating discrimination against all creatures, great or small, needs to end. Breed bans are a straightforward way for governments to try and deal with the number of attacks that happen in their community and stated plainly: they do not work. Discrimination against animals is like discrimination against humans. The United States is aspiring to create non-discriminatory laws, however, these breed bans negate this aspiration. The U.S. is creating laws that are continuing the oppression of animals and humans. Breed bans are an example of unjust laws. They are not founded on facts; they are just discriminatory.
Comparatively, many veterinarians believe that the human’s behavior and how they treat their pet have a lot to do with the reasoning behind dog attacks. If an animal is being treated poorly or neglected, this is a result of the human owner. The abuse that an animal endures will shape the temperament and behavior of that animal. This is at no fault of the animal itself; it is a result of its owner. A study conducted by researchers at Colorado State University and the Veterinary Information Network had some surprising results. Through an anonymous online survey, veterinarians were asked a series of questions. Around 70% of doctors felt that some breeds of dogs were more likely to be aggressive towards other dogs. When questions were asked about breed bans specifically, most participants were opposed to them. Study results stated, “The majority (75.3%) agreed that banning specific breeds creates an animal welfare issue and that banning certain breeds of dogs by a government entity (city, county, state) is an overreach of governmental authority (76.2%)” (Kogan et al 5). This shows that the experts that work in the field and with these animals do not believe that bans are beneficial.
The study also showed what the veterinarian’s thought were the most high-risk breeds for bite risks. The top six breeds are (in order from most substantial risk to lowest): the Chow Chow, the Chihuahua, the German Shepherd, the Rottweiler, the Akita, and the Belgian Malinois. Of the top six breeds, only the Rottweiler is considered a bully breed. There might be trends for these breeds of dogs, but that does not mean all breeds are destined to viciously attack people.
There are other options available to the public instead of banning breeds. According to the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA), there are a few things you can do to prevent dog bites. Theare: socializing your dog, being a responsible pet owner, educating your family and friends about your dog, and avoiding risky situations. With the suggestion of education, the city/state can have better public education about behaviors and preventions when it comes to dog bites. An educational need for dog behaviors in general is widely suggested throughout not only the veterinary community. Another approach is to enact a law that imposes spay and neuter programs (Medlin 1291). A similar law was passed in California that also forced breeding restrictions. The law allows communities to require their pets to be spayed and neutered, and breeders to become more responsible. The law is helping to tie irresponsible breeding and behavior of overpopulated pets linked with attacks. The law forces the owner to take the proper steps to help behaviors from getting out of hand.
Supporters of these breed bans do note that human behaviors add to the development of dangerous dogs, but these supporters also claim that pit bulls are aggressive and unpredictable (Medlin 1292). Through many years of working in the veterinary industry myself, pit bulls are one of the least aggressive dogs treated. There are far more breeds on my list of dangerous animals that come before pit bull type dogs.
A story of an attack in 2021 claims, “My younger brother was walking with a girlfriend and her dog in a city park when an unleashed pit bull attacked. The girlfriend’s dog was killed by the pit bull. My brother needed to be taken to the hospital and will have permanent damage to his arm and hand” (Pit bull causes severe, permanent damage). This story attacks the emotions of anyone willing to listen. Because of stories like this one, the general population of people throughout the United States then associate a pit bull as a terrible animal. These stories are the stories that influence the laws. This story could have happened with any other type of dog, not just a pit bull. The story is based on anecdotal evidence, not any actual data. Personally, when I read this story, my first thought was, “where is the dog’s owner and why was it not on a leash?” We should have laws that target irresponsible dog owners, not the animals. This story is an excellent example that the owner needs to be held responsible, not the dog. Further into the story it is stated that there were no legal consequences because no lawyer would represent the irresponsible dog owner- a felon that had no money. This ties right back to the stereotype of pit bull owners. Regardless of race, criminal background, or finances, this owner should have been held accountable for not having his dog on a leash in a public city park. Lastly, the blog that posted this story is named "National Pit Bull Victim Awareness" which cements that this is not a news outlet, but a biased blog dedicated to discriminating pit bulls.
There are several reasons as to why the ban of bully breeds should not be a law. As stated before, in a ten-year period, only 10% of dog bites came from a breed under the bull umbrella. Instead of punishing the breed of animals which have nothing to do with their temperament, why are we not punishing the irresponsible owners of the animals responsible for the attacks? There are other options instead of imposing a ban in cities. One option is to have better public education for people on dog behavior and dog bite prevention.
During our rental property search, it would have been so much easier to find a place to live if the breed bans did not exist. We would have been able to live in a city that was not an hour away from our loved ones. We would have been able to pay less in rent if the stipulations of breeds were not around. It leaves a bad taste in my mouth to know that people could be on the verge of homelessness simply because of the pet they own. When posed with the thought of having to give up your prized pets because of the breed they are, would you do it?
Works Cited
“Bully Breeds.” Marin Humane, chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://www.marinhumane.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Bully-Breeds.pdf.
“Dog Bite Prevention.” AVMA. American Veterinary Medical Association, 2022, https://www.avma.org/resources-tools/pet-owners/dog-bite-prevention.&nb…;
Hawes, Sloane M, et al. “The Impacts of the City and County of Denver’s Breed Specific Legislation.” Animal Law Review, 2020, p. 64. Wellbeing International. chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://www.wellbeingintlstudiesrepository.org/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?arti…;
Kogan, Lori R, et al. “Small Animal Veterinarians' Perceptions, Experiences, and Views of Common Dog Breeds, Dog Aggression, and Breed-Specific Laws in the United States.” International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, vol. 16, no. 21, p. 4081. 23 Oct. 2019, Google Scholar, doi:10.3390/ijerph1621408.
Linder, Ann. "The Black Man's Dog: the social context of breed specific legislation." Animal Law Review, vol. 25, 2018, p. 51. Google Scholar. chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://law.lclark.edu/live/files/32171-25-1-third-article.pdf
Medlin, Jamey. "Pit bull bans and the human factors affecting canine behavior." DePaul L. Rev. 56 (2006): 1285. Google Scholar. chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://via.library.depaul.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?referer=&httpsredir=… Accessed 18 June 2022.
“Pit bull causes severe, permanent damage.” Pit bull Victim Awareness. https://www.nationalpitbullvictimawareness.org/pit-bull-causes-severe-p….