Should Pitbulls Be Breed Specific Laws?

Pit bulls are one of the most stereotyped breeds of dogs in today’s society. Many of the dogs found in shelters are in fact members of the pit bull breed. However, adding breed specific legislation to areas with issues involving the breed will not solve the issues but as a matter of fact make the issues worse and create new ones. As a pit bull owner myself, I know banning the breed will not solve the problem and will only cause suffering to all involved. Breed specific legislation is a series of laws that are used to regulate or ban certain breeds of dogs. They are used to attempt to reduce the amount of attacks on people or other animals by the breed in question. Some know the laws by the alternative name they have also been named, Breed Discriminatory Laws. People feel they are discriminatory because they target dogs known to attack but without proper education. All dogs are able to be aggressive and attack, but most often someone looking for an aggressive dog will choose a strong and loyal one, therefore pit bulls have begun to be punished for qualities that should be considered great qualities to own.

In the United States twenty-nine states are enforcing breed specific legislation since there is no state level law prohibiting the enforcement of the specific laws. There are four states that prohibit the enforcement of breed specific laws on a state level but some cases have slipped through the cracks of the state law due to being grandfathered in or finding a loophole through home-rule exemption. However, some states have begun enforcing more laws that identify, track, and regulate dangerous dogs not matter what the breed