What Is BSL? Warning Graphic Contents

For a start.. it effect me. In fact, it effects everyone.

I own two dogs, both were abandoned and rescued. One is half Staffordshire Terrier and the other is a purebred Blue Nose American Pit Bull Terrier.

I have read a lot from both sides of the fence, those who would exterminate all bull breeds, and those determined to protect them.
I fall into the latter category.

I owned Dobermans in the years Doberman attacks were being reported on a weekly basis. You never hear of any today.We still have Doberman's in our communities so why do we not hear of attacks?

The reality is, the Dobermans are not longer the "fad" breed for the bad owners. The tough guys ( and gals ) who want to hide behind a muscle dog. The abusers who mistreat them to such a degree that certain dogs become vicious through survival instinct.  The bad owners now actively seek out the bully breeds. And that is where the problems start and end.

The American Veterinary Association conducted a 20 year study on the most dangerous dog breeds. It came as no surprise that the American Pit Bull Terrier was #1 on the list of most deadly dogs.  The Doberman had dropped down to the # 7 place on that list. A much different scenario than that which provoked the massive anti-Doberman campaign that prevailed in the 1970's and 80's.   

When we look at the statistics in comparison to the approx. population 0.00036129% of bull breeds or bull breed types have caused bites or fatalities.
Not Even 1%!
Not even 0.1%
3 ten thousands of a percent of the entire estimated population of pit-bulls in the U.S

And those who do make up that 3 ten thousands of a percent invariably are dogs from a dog ring, fighting dogs, bait dogs,  dogs who have suffered nothing but aberrant abuse, neglect and mismanagement.  There are always exceptions, but in this case, so few. The majority of these dogs suffer silently, hurt no-one and die without ever knowing justice or kindness from human beings.

January, 2013 - A pit bull that had its front legs amputated after suffering horrific abuse will be in court to see its alleged tormentors stand trial for animal cruelty and torture tomorrow.
Court officials in Crescent City, California, are allowing the dog into the courtroom at the trial of young couple, Zachary Hinton and Sarah Anderson, both 20, accused of inflicting injuries so severe vets had to remove its legs.
The one-year-old dog, called London, was discovered to have both front legs broken with the fractures untreated, as well as burnt paw pads and belly, that vets believe were untreated for months http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2266049/Pit-bull-legs-amputated-horrific-abuse-court-tormentors-stand-trial-animal-cruelty.html

Under those conditions the bite and fatality statistics are incredibly low, and silently speaks volumes.

This is, sadly, the life many pit bulls receive. They are, without a shadow of doubt, the most abused breed of dog in the western world.

  

Few cases receive the media spotlight as Mike Vick's dogs did. Today the surviving dogs are rehabilitated and in wonderful loving homes .. they are a testimony to the spirit, the depth of loyalty, courage and forgiveness all of the bull breeds exhibit. 

Animal fighting has been brought to the forefront of the nation’s attention by the highly publicized conviction of NFL star quarterback Michael Vick and three of his associates on federal and state charges related to illegal dogfighting. Vick and his associates operated the aptly named “Bad Newz Kennels,” which housed and trained over 50 pit bull dogs, staged dog fights, killed dogs, and ran a high stakes gambling ring with purses up to $26,000. The exposure of Bad Newz Kennels helped alert the nation to the viciousness of dogfighting that is commonplace in many communities despite the fact that dogfighting is outlawed in every state and, to some extent, by the federal government.

Yet still the discrimination against the breed continues without merit.

BSL is "Breed Specific Legislation".. here we get the political spin at work that has led to the euthanasia of beloved family member, often by governmental force and cohesion. 

The Humane Society say's:

The HSUS opposes laws and ordinances aimed at forbidding or regulating dog ownership based solely on breed or type of dog. Breed-specific legislation (BSL) does not enhance public safety or reduce dog bite incidents. Rather, such laws, regulations, and ordinances are costly to enforce and harm families, dogs, and communities.

The HSUS supports finding real and effective strategies for safe, humane community dog management and believes BSL is a distraction from that goal—it wastes valuable resources and charges a moral cost in the process.

Most breed-specific laws are created as a misguided response to a dog bite incident or attack. There are a number of reasons BSL does not protect citizens from dog bites, including:

• Identifying breeds is often subjective and unreliable. For example, the term “pit bull” usually encompasses three separate breeds, along with any mixes of those breeds. Any medium-sized dog with short hair and a squarish muzzle could meet most people’s visual perception of a “pit bull” dog—including hound mixes, retriever mixes, and other dogs with no “pit bull” ancestry. Clearly, the larger the dog, the greater the potential damage if he or she bites, but no one breed or type is more genetically programmed to bite than others.
• BSL is nearly impossible to enforce. It often ends up being created as a reactionary measure to a bite incident that ignores the true scope of the problem. As a result, there’s no scientific data that proves breed-specific measures have ever been effective at eliminating dog bites.
• Underfunded animal-control agencies bear the brunt of the burden, as BSL creates unrealistic mandates that take dogs out of homes and into shelters. These shelters then must endure the burden of housing—and often euthanizing—family dogs who posed no bite risk.

 http://www.humanesociety.org/issues/breed-specific-legislation/fact_sheets/breed-specific-legislation-flaws.html

Pit Bull "Round Up" Part of Problem

BSL promotes ignorance and intolerance

 We teach children at an early age to be respectful of differences. Why is it okay to judge a dog by its appearance or purported breed?During his report, Hayes had the following conversation with City Manager Doug Friend: “‘Are you sure they were pit bulls that you took?’

Friend replied, ‘We identified them as pit bulls, but not thru DNA.’
Hayes followed up, ‘How did you identify them?’
Friend said, ‘We just looked at them.’”
Friend’s ignorance is astounding. Allowing a dog to be subjectively seized is horrifying. Most people don’t even know what a pit bull looks like. Purebred dogs such as Boxers, Bull Terriers, English Bulldogs, Catahoulas, Mastiffs, Vizslas and many more are commonly mistaken as American Pit Bull Terriers. Think you know what a pit bull looks like? Try the “Find a Pit Bull” test and see how you fare.
http://thebark.com/content/pit-bull-round-part-problem

 If we have any hope of combating BSL, and the indescribable abuse these dogs suffer through, we must start with the dog fighting rings, and those who mistreat and abuse. Legislation towards the breeds while ignoring the root of the problem will resolve nothing and bring heartbreak and hardship to millions

     

Dog fighting ring busted: 367 pit bulls rescued

Dog fighting ring spanned at least three southern states. Officials arrested 12 people, seized $500,000 in cash, and rescued 367 dogs involved in the organized dog fighting ring.

By Phillip Rawls,  
Associated Press / August 27, 2013

An investigation into organized dog fighting and gambling in the Southeast resulted in 12 arrests and the seizure of 367 pits bulls in one of the nation's largest crackdowns on the bloody exhibitions.
Federal, state and local officials announced the arrests Monday. They stemmed from raids Friday on homes in Alabama and Georgia and the seizure of more than $500,000 in cash that investigators believe was tied to illegal gambling on dog fights.
"I believe if Dante were alive today and rewriting the 'Inferno' that the lowest places in hell would be reserved for those who commit cruelty to our animals and to our children," U.S. Attorney George Beck said at a news conference.

 http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Latest-News-Wires/2013/0827/Dog-fighting-ring-busted-367-pit-bulls-rescued

Over the