Letter: Breed Specific Legislation doesn't work

Dear Editor:

As a new resident of the Libby area (April ‘08), I was amazed to find out this June that the town of Libby had an ordinance against pit bulls such as my own. Although I live outside city limits, I still consider such an ordinance a threat to my own life, liberty and pursuit of happiness since there will always be some well-meaning zealot wanting to expand their fear mongering beyond its current borders.

Here are just a few reasons why Breed Specific Legislation (BSL) doesn’t work:

• Dog aggression and human aggression are different. In the canine world there are several sources of aggression: fear, food, territory, displacement, etc.

• Prince George County Md. produced a report recommending lifting the ban on pit bulls because of cost, ineffectiveness and the inadvertent punishment of responsible dog owners.

• The Alabama Supreme Court and a court in Westbury, N.Y. have declared BSL to be unconstitutional. Three other cases are pending.

• These organizations have written position statements against BSL: the AKC, ASPCA, UKC, SPCA, AVMA and HSUS.

• Dog owners often stop traveling through BSL cities and counties. Many websites alert people to BSL areas.

• BSL is costly to taxpayers – cost to enforce BSL, more kennels to house the dogs, vet care, food, euthanasia, etc.

• All dogs bite! Pit bull is not a breed of dog, but a term for three breeds. Over 25 breeds are commonly incorrectly identified as pit bulls. As a result, bite statistics are inaccurate.

• Dogs of any breed can be dangerous. BSL does nothing to educate citizens or protect them from dangerous dogs. Laws need to be based on the deed, not the breed.

Check out www.understand-a-bull.com for more details.

Dale Chapman

Libby