If BSL — breed specific legislation — won’t reduce dog bites and dog attacks, what can your community do? Here are some alternatives to breed bans and other breed restrictions that can help keep everyone safe.
- Leash laws. Does your community have them? Animal control officers can’t catch loose dogs if your area doesn’t have leash laws. Many attacks in the news are committed by a loose dog running off his property. It isn’t usually the dog’s fault that he is loose — an owner is responsible for containing the dog.
- Higher penalties for owners who violate leash laws may help encourage people to contain their dogs.
- Increase funding for animal control agencies. This will provide money to hire more officers, which means loose dog calls can be responded to faster. Catching stray dogs is not always a priority for an overwhelmed staff — animal control officers also deal with dogfighting, animal abuse, and other more serious issues.
- Higher penalties for owners of dogs who bite or attack. Too often, an owner’s irresponsibility creates a situation where a dog can attack — like a refusal to use a leash or fence a yard. If the owner created the situation, shouldn’t the owner be responsible for what happens?
- Strengthen animal abuse laws.
- Strengthen chaining/tethering laws.
- Eliminate dogfighting, and the practices that go with it. Dogfighters try to breed or train bad traits into their animals — viciousness, mistrust of people, dog aggression, and more.
- Regulate breeders, so that dogfighters are not breeding new generations of fighters in their back yards. Some people breed for a profit, not caring about temperament or health of the puppies they sell.
- Fund spay/neuter efforts. Unneutered dogs are more likely to attack a person (or other animal) than neutered ones.
- Promote education about dog behavior and responsible dog ownership.
- Fund low-cost training classes for owners who cannot afford a regular obedience program.
- Establish a behavior help resource (like a hotline or a website) for dog owners who don’t know how to handle their dog’s issues.
Setting up stricter laws and penalties is only part of the solution. Education and outreach is just as important to teach people how to be responsible dog owners!