why bsl is bs.

Hey, hi, hello! Happy Friday to everyone. Thank you to all of those were so incredibly supportive of my last post. There was a flood of comments and messages welcoming me to my new lifestyles. Plus, so many wonderful tips and ways to stay on track. I so appreciate everyone’s support on this new journey of mine! Moving on, even though I gave it up, today’s topic is certainly meaty because I’m talking about breed specific legislation. You’ve probably been hearing about it lately so grab your favorite condiment and let’s get to it.

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What is BSL?

Breed Specific Legislation (BSL) is a law that either bans or restricts a certain breed based on their appearance. BSL began in the mid-1980s in response to media attention around dog attacks. The idea behind BSL is to limit the number of attacks on both people and other animals. While we can all agree limiting this types of incidents is ideal, this type of legislation has shown zero success since its inception.

In the US, there are currently 700 cities that have breed bans. As mentioned above, all the bans are based on mere appearances. Meaning if a city bans German Shepherds and your dog looks like a Shepherd (even a Shepherd mix), your options would be to surrender her to animal control or relocate her. Or you know, casually move out of said city.

Breed restrictions are different in that owners are allowed to keep their dogs but are required to obey certain rules. Among other things, these regulations include muzzling the dog in public, forbidding the dog to enter parks, purchasing liability insurance, and keeping a “vicious dog” sign in the window of their property.

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The problem with BSL

While I have many issues with BSL, the main problem is that it doesn’t work. And not only that, it’s having a negative impact on many people and their pets. Bans are forcing dogs out of their homes and into already crowded shelters. Those shelters can’t even adopt the dogs back out into their community which forces other shelters to step in and transport the dogs to municipalities where they are allowed.

Rescue organizations are already at their limit, and so are the animal control officers. These officers who should be spending time investigating and protecting animals in the city are now spending time tracking down dogs that aren’t allowed in their cities. The craziest part? It’s generally up to an animal control officer to decide if the dog in question looks like the banned breed. You’ll remember it’s nearly impossible to identify breeds based on appearance alone so this is such a garbage strategy.

Lastly, if you’re a taxpayer in one of these cities, your tax dollars are being spent on court and legal fees. Often times when animal control takes someone’s pet based on these laws, citizens go to court. I don’t blame them. But this process drains resources, time and money for all.

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The Solution

The solution to all of this? The CDC confirmed that there are many factors that contribute to a pup’s aggression level. These factors include heredity, socialization, reproductive status, training, and sex. Majority of organizations believe that since there’s no correlation between aggression and breed, many organizations suggest breed-neutral laws. Breed-neutral laws were enacted in 2012 and have been slowly replacing some BSLs. These laws include the following proposals:

• Stricter dog licensing laws
• Easily accessible low-cost spay/neuter clinics
• Graduated penalties for dogs deemed dangerous
• Dangerous dog laws that are specified to dogs and their owners, regardless of breed
• Holding owners financially, civilly, and criminally responsible for failure to adhere to welfare laws
• Enhanced enforcement of penalties for cruelty to animals

If you live in a community with BSL, I highly recommend this guide on how to go about repealing it. Call me naive but I really do believe that if we speak up, we can make some change happen.

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THE RESCUES:

Both of these brindle ladies are pit bull type mixes that would certainly be in trouble if they lived in cities with BSL. But as you’ve read, that’s quite ridiculous. I mean, look at them. I didn’t see any aggression in either of them, only requests for more kisses and more pets.

Both Roxie and Sanda have found their forever homes <3

THE STYLE:

I got this jacket from the BossBabe Popup Shop currently open in Old Orchard Mall. The shop is super cool in that it’s a combination of about 16 local women-owned businesses. The shop is open until January 31 so be sure to stop in before it moves. My jeans are from Kovet, shirt is from Sararose, and my shoes are Vans. Shop similar looks below!

xoxo,

Christine

 

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n through January 31 and I recommend checking it out. The jacket is from Inavie boutique and sadly sold out but I found a few similar items below. These jeans are from Kovet, the shirt from Sararose and the shoes are vans. Shop similar items below!

xoxo,

Christine

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