Yes, Officer. He's the One Who Did It!
—uh, the One with the Snout.

March 22, 2001 Lyons, New York, USA

Not just in Finger Lakes, but all over the world, lawmakers are scrambling to decide what to do with "vicious breeds".

This month alone, legislation will be reviewed in hundreds of municipalities seeking to ban certain trouble dogs.

Ha!  I caught you.  You were picturing a pit bull, weren't you?

Ok, as long as we're at it, can you tell me what a pit bull looks like?  The much-maligned breed has been making headlines for years, but the truth is that most of these infamous animals are not pit bulls at all.

Before we proceed, please play this fun game called Find the Pit Bull (designed by R.A. Armitage).

Well, how did you fare?

Myself, I did quite poorly. Let's just say that I won't be judging any pedigree shows in the near future.

But the point is clearly made (thanks for the suggestion, Roscoes Rescues): the public, the media and the authorities are quick to assign a label to a convenient scapegoat.  In actuality, isolated cases should not be used to define an entire breed (or species).

And by the way, if you were picturing a pit bull at the beginning of this article, you were absolutely right.  On April 17, the Lyons village board will vote to ban pit bulls (Dobermans and chows also) from the city.

Similar measures are being considered or have already been implemented in Lousiana, USA (HB 8 would make it illegal to own a pit bull in the state; violators subject to max. 6 months in prison); Germany has recently banned 4 trouble breeds; more from Europe.

Visit dogwatch.net for dog law worldwide.

Click here for links to pit bulls & other breeds.

Visit the Breed Education Site.

What is BSL (Breed-Specific Legislation)?
Visit
Humans4Anti-BSL
and
staffordmall.com

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