Four More Cities Repeal Breed-Specific Legislation

Great news: Since only February, four more cities have repealed breed-specific legislation (BSL) against pitbull-type dogs including Reynoldsburg OH, Lakewood OH, Ironton MO, and Anamosa IA. A big congratulations to these cities for repealing discriminatory breed-specific legislation that multiple peer-reviewed studies have concluded is ineffective for reducing serious dog bite incidents. Almost always, ineffective breed-based bans are replaced with more effective comprehensive breed-neutral regulations that improve public safety by addressing all dangerous dogs and irresponsible ownership - regardless of the dog's breed. Below, we summarize the key differences between breed-specific and breed-neutral regulations and highlight the reasons why comprehensive breed-neutral regulations are the widely preferred standard and the more effective solution recommended by public safety experts and veterinary professionals.

Breed Specific Legislation:

• Appearance-based: Single-factor approach that targets dogs based only on their physical appearance or breed.
• Limited: Does not address a dog's behavior, irresponsible ownership, abuse, neglect, spay/neuter, or other factors that are scientifically linked to the majority of serious dog bite incidents.
• Complicated: Difficult and costly to enforce due to the many complexities associated with accurate breed identification and the legal challenges associated with enforcement based on breed.
• ​Discriminatory: Impacts a targeted population of dog owners regardless of their dog's positive behavior or responsible ownership.

Breed Neutral Legislation:

• Behavior-based: Addresses all dangerous dogs based on their behavior and/or history, regardless of the dog's appearance or breed.
• Comprehensive: Multi-factor approach that addresses a dog's behavior, irresponsible ownership, abuse, neglect, and other factors that are scientifically linked to serious dog bite incidents.
• Straightforward: Because it is behavior-based and owner-based, the conditions for enforcement are clear and there is no need for breed identification or DNA analysis.
• Equitable: Impacts all dog owners and holds all dog owners accountable for their dog's behavior and/or for irresponsible ownership.

---

No more lawsuits, no more delays ... freedom wins today in Reynoldsburg
​- Acting Mayor (Reynoldsburg, OH)

What veterinary, public safety, and legal experts say:

• American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA): "Breed-specific legislation (BSL) targets specific breeds of dogs that are wrongly thought to all be dangerous ... BSL is not a reliable or effective solution for dog bite prevention."
• Topeka, KS Police Department & City Attorney's Office: "Current breed specific ordinances have proven ineffective in reducing the ... number of dog bites. Breed Specific Legislation ... has generally been discredited in actual experience of cities, professionals and academic research as being both ineffective and expensive."
• American Bar Association: "​The American Bar Association urges all state, territorial, and local legislative bodies and governmental agencies to adopt comprehensive breed-neutral dangerous dog/reckless owner laws that ensure due process protections for owners, encourage responsible pet ownership and focus on the behavior of both dog owners and dogs, and to repeal any breed discriminatory or breed specific provisions."
• State Farm Insurance: "State Farm determines risk based on a dog's bite history rather than breed. Thus, State Farm does not exclude insuring households solely based on breed."

To improve public safety and reduce the number of serious dog bite-related incidents, the scientific studies, experts, and the vast majority (98%) of cities and towns in the U.S. all agree that breed-neutral regulations are the most effective, most equitable, and most enforceable solution. But more importantly, comprehensive breed-neutral regulations are the best solution to protect children, adults, and pets from serious dog bite-related incidents because they address all irresponsible owners and all dangerous dogs, regardless of breed. The old and obsolete policy of "banning dogs" has proven over and over again to be ineffective, unpopular, and difficult to enforce - so it is entirely reasonable that over time, cities and towns with BSL will continue to upgrade their animal control policies by replacing breed-specific bans with more effective, stronger, and comprehensive breed-neutral regulations.