"PitbulL" Bans Fail To Reduce Dog Bites

In effect since 2005, breed-specific legislation (BSL) in Toronto which bans dogs labeled as "pitbulls" including American Pit Bull Terriers, American Staffordshire Terriers, Staffordshire Bull Terriers, and many mixed breed dogs that can resemble the breeds commonly included in the modern "pitbull-type" category has fully failed to prevent or reduce serious dog bite-related incidents in the city. In fact, over a 10 year period with BSL enacted in Toronto, dog bite incidents increased 57% based on hospital records for serious dog bite-related injuries. While multiple peer-reviewed studies have determined that BSL is ineffective, dog bite data in Toronto is evidence that BSL is also entirely ineffective in practice. Speaking about the failure of BSL in Toronto, a member of Ontario's Provincial Parliament stated: "The current law isn’t working, and thankfully we’re getting the stats to back that up. Anybody who’s been on this issue for a long time knows that it’s a predictable failure." By contrast, dog bite-related incidents in Calgary, which adopted comprehensive breed-neutral regulations in 1985, decreased 68%. Furthermore, the significant reduction of dog bite incidents in Calgary has continued for over 30 years despite large increases in both the human and dog populations in the city since 1985.

Tale Of Two Cities

In Toronto, BSL resulted in a dramatic increase in serious dog bite-related incidents and by contrast in Calgary, comprehensive breed-neutral regulations significantly reduced the number of bite-related incidents. Given the data, the public safety impact of BSL compared to modern breed-neutral regulations is clear:

+57%
Toronto: Enacted BSL in 2005 and dog bite-related incidents increased 57% over a 10 year period (from 486 in 2005 to 767 in 2014).

-68%
Calgary: Enacted modern breed-neutral regulations in 1985 and dog bite-related incidents decreased 68% over a 30 year period (from 2,000 in 1985 to 641 in 2014).
Sources: Global News (Toronto) | Montreal Gazette (Calgary)
​In the graph below, the green line shows the increase in dog bite incidents in Toronto after BSL was enacted even as the pitbull-type dog population declined due to the ban (purple line):
dog bite statistics
​
Graph courtesy of: Global News (Canada)

Breed-Neutral for Public Safety

Regardless of any personal opinions about specific breeds (or types) of dogs, appearance-based dog bans such as BSL are proven to be ineffective by multiple peer-reviewed studies and also in practice. The dog bite statistics in Toronto and Calgary provide clear evidence of the difference between archaic, breed-specific regulations and modern, breed-neutral regulations that are more effective because they address all potentially dangerous dogs, all irresponsible owners, and all unsafe dog-related situations - regardless of a dog's appearance or breed. Furthermore, BSL is a waste of public resources as it diverts valuable public funds and resources away from factors and situations that are directly and scientifically linked to public safety and dog bite incidents such as irresponsible owners, abuse and/or neglect, and aggressive or problematic dogs (of any breed). Even worse, BSL is discriminatory towards responsible owners and punishes dogs based solely on their appearance or assumed breed, sometimes resulting in the seizure of loved pets that have done nothing wrong. Consequently, it's really no surprise that BSL is a trend in decline as over 70 cities in the U.S. have repealed bans or BSL since only 2018 - which is not only great news for responsible owners and many wonderful dogs, but also for public safety.
Updated: November 18, 2022