BSL Is BS.

Although the ugly threat of BSL (Breed Specific Legislation) has passed, at least for the time being, in Vancouver, there are other, less enlightened cities, towns and municipalities that are plowing ahead with laws that cause nothing but needless misery for Pit Bulls (and that term, a misnomer, encompasses a wide variety of breeds on the BSL hit list) and the people who love them.

Banning a breed of dog serves no purpose. Not in public safety, not in morality, not in fairness, not in the eradication of dog on human or dog on dog aggression. Add to this the fact that a dog's breed cannot be proven, even through DNA, and BSL is clearly pointless.

Vicious people produce vicious dogs. Should one wish to, one can easily make a Labrador Retriever, a Beagle, a Vizsla or a Cocker Spaniel vicious. Any idiot can corrupt any breed, but all dogs are born perfect, and it takes deliberate acts of cruelty, neglect and/or training to change a healthy puppy into an aggressive adult dog.

Pit Bulls are bred to be rock solid with humans, especially children. Careful and thoughtful breeding long ago erased aggression against humans; these dogs are born loyal and loving. When some braniac drug dealer, gang banger or other criminal decided that Pitties are cool, and psychotic Pitties are even cooler, the process to eradicate the breed's natural trustworthiness, reliability and faithfulness began. Irresponsible breeders saw a niche and followed the money, creating dogs that were destined for lives of abuse and depravity.

There is a certain small but damaging group of people who covet the stereotypical Pit Bull. They want man-stoppers and do whatever it takes to get one. Those people are in the minority, but they get a lot of attention.

Just what these idiots want.

I know several gorgeous, gentle, sweet-natured Pitties....from soft and sensitive Brando, a truly amazing case of love conquering all, to gentle, confident, intelligent Arlo, an Ambassador for his breed, to wild and wacky Pucci, who has far more character than any dog needs. To even contemplate a law being passed that would condemn any of these wonderful animals makes me nauseous. It should make everyone queasy. It should make everyone furious.

The fantasy, urban legend and bald-faced lies about attacks by Pit Bulls mean nothing in the real world. The fact is that any dog can bite, and will, if sufficiently provoked. Any dog can kill. Any dog can go off the deep end and turn on her guardian or a complete stranger. To blame an entire breed is pointless, to blame even an individual dog is ridiculous, a vicious dog has one cause, the human who made it that way.

A 27 year study out of New York University identified the nine pure and/or mixed breeds that are responsible for the most biting incidents. They are:
1. German Shepherd Dog
2. Chow Chow
3. Poodle
4. Italian Bulldog
5. Fox Terrier
6. Mixed Chow Chow
7. Airedale
8. Pekingese
9. Mixed German Shepherd

Not a Pittie on the list.

Until society steps up to the plate and lays the blame for aggressive dogs at the feet of the guardians of these dogs, nothing will change. Banning Pit Bulls will eradicate the aggressive Pit Bull problem, but it will not succeed in addressing the real issue of dog aggression. Which breed will be targeted next? Rottweilers? Mastiffs? Doberman Pinchers? None of those breeds made it to the top nine, but there are people who view them as dangerous, too.

Shih Tzus? Collies? Golden Retrievers? Will complacent people sit idly by while every breed is jeopardized because of the actions of stupid people?

There are many war cries regarding BSL, "Punish the Deed, Not the Breed" being one of them. Not one Pit Bull deserves to suffer because of human stupidity or a panicked case of groupthink.

Let's all hope that good sense triumphs over blind fear, ignorance and narrow-mindedness.

Your favourite Pittie's life may depend on it.