Love and Pit Bulls

I've been thinking a lot about Boo lately. Partly it's because he's been getting older - he was lethargic and running a fever this weekend and is at the vet's today - and partly because I've been hearing more and more about Breed Specific Legislation (BSL).

BSL seeks to regulate and ban dogs considered aggressive. Enforcing these laws often involves euthanizing dogs simply because of their breed. Pit bulls are frequently the target of such legislation because of their negative portrayal in the media. But this isn't an accurate picture of the breed.

When I first got Boo, I had no idea about pit bulls. All I knew was that Boo was incredibly sweet and good-natured. He played well at the dog park, and he was always friendly with people.

As I learned more about the breed and met more people at the dog park and on walks, I noticed two kinds of pit bull owners. The first were incredibly responsible and knowledgeable about the breed. They knelt down and got close to Boo and told me stories about their own pits' antics. The second type often started conversations with, "You fight him?" They'd say it was a shame that I didn't, and try to give me tips for how to increase Boo's aggression and stamina.

Fighting dogs is illegal in all 50 states, but somehow these people still seem to be able to get their hands on dogs and continue to fight them. BSL is considered a way to combat this, but it doesn't seem like the most effective way.

Denver has had a ban on pit bulls since 1989, but they still estimate that there are more than 4,500 pits living in Denver. That law was put on hold in 2004 when the state passed legislation against BSL, but courts recently overturned that legislation and Denver began rounding up and killing pit bulls again in early May.

The problem is that pit bulls as a breed, according to the American Temperament Test Society, are less aggressive than golden retrievers and cocker spaniels. Pit bulls become aggressive because their owners make them so, and as a breed they are certainly one of the most abused because of this. Don't believe me? Read this or this.

BSL isn't going to end this pattern of abuse. More pit bull owners are going to go underground and continue fighting their dogs which just means there will be less scrutiny of the activity and abuse. There are other options.

• Why not enforce the laws already on the books when it comes to fighting and abuse?
• Why not require training classes for owners of dogs who have a history of aggression?
• Why not do more to enforce licensing laws and require that all dog owners attend dog obedience classes
• Why insist on coming after my dog when he hasn't done anything wrong? It just doesn't make sense, and it isn't proving effective at combatting dog aggression.

Organizations like Bad Rap do an excellent job of encouraging responsible ownership. Renata Bitencourt is single-handedly changing perceptions of pit bulls in Brazil with her Pit Bull Olympics. Why not have local authorities work with such groups to encourage responsible ownership? I guarantee you that the results would be much more positive and long-lasting than BSL.