What do you know about B.S.L? Trivia Quiz

Answer: Breed Specific Legislation

Breed Specific Legislation is a bit of a mouthful so it is more commonly referred to as B.S.L. A lot of people get this confused with British Sign Language, which also has the abbreviation B.S.L.

Answer: To ban or restrict ownership of what are seen as dangerous breeds of dog.

Banning a breed means destroying every single dog of that breed despite how aggressive the individual dog is, how responsible the owner is, the environment the dog was brought up in and whether the dog has been a cause for concern before. Restricting the breed means that it is legal to own the breed but with conditions.

For example, the owner must obtain a court order, must muzzle the dog in public, must get it neutered, must get it tattooed, must get it micro-chipped and/or must get liability insurance.

Answer: There are very large numbers of the breed in animal shelters.

While you will find that many dogs targeted by B.S.L. do end up in shelters, this is not why they are considered dangerous. Shelter dogs (whether targeted by B.S.L. or not) are not in the situation they are in through any fault of their own. The majority were given up because their owner bought them impulsively and later on realised they could not cope with their demands or due to family problems sue as marriage break-ups or the death of the owner.

Answer: Pug

The Dobermann and the Staffordshire Bull Terrier are both physically strong, have powerful jaws and were bred to exhibit aggression (the Dobermann was bred to be a personal protection dog and the Staffordshire Terrier was bred for dog-fighting and bull-baiting). The Siberian Husky, whilst bred originally for sledding, is a very dominant breed that is notoriously hard to train. So many people buy Siberian Huskies for their wolf-like beauty with little or no regard to the dominant traits underneath. Such dogs end up badly trained and/or frustrated and, understandably, it is these dogs that can exhibit aggression.

The Pug is a comparatively small and typically friendly breed that was bred for companionship. It is therefore very unlikely breed to be targeted by B.S.L.

Answer: Owners and/or breeders

BOTH the owners and the breeders are to blame for dog attacks. The owners may be an obvious choice as how a dog is raised and trained surely influences its behaviour.

But why the breeders? How a dog is bred is just as important as how a dog is "brought up". Because the majority of breeds affected by B.S.L. tend to be very popular, quality goes out of the window, just like anything else that has a high demand. The result of this is irresponsible breeders jumping on the bandwagon and producing dogs solely for profit. These people think only about money and have little or nor regard to whether the dogs they are breeding are passing on faulty genes to their offspring. Faulty genes can manifest itself in many ways and one of these ways is behavioural issues. A very high proportion of dogs bites come from unsound dogs who were very badly bred. Responsible breeders of ANY breed will avoid the problem of genetically unhealthy dogs by proving their dogs in working events or the show ring and only breeding dogs that have been deemed dazzling examples of their breed by an impartial and experienced judge.

To blame the dog itself for dog attacks is like blaming a gun for shooting somebody instead of the user/manufacturer. Dogs are a product of their owners/breeders and do not think rationally. To think they are capable of acting in any way other than instinctively is quite ridiculous.

Answer: Highly-publicised media reports on dog attacks.

The Dangerous Dog Act 1991 makes it illegal to own, breed, buy, sell or exchange four breeds: the Japanese Tosa, the Dogo Argentino, the Fila Brasileiro and the Pit Bull Terrier. The last one is very confusing because, in the context of UK law, the "Pit Bull Terrier" (as a breed) does not actually exist. The government never recognised it so they just banned all dogs that share a physical resemblance with them, completely disregarding genetics. Yes, they tried to ban a look!

If you are found to own one of these breeds, the dog will be seized and kenneled. In order for you to get the dog back, you must prove in court it is not dangerous. It will then be registered on the Exempt List which was created in 1997. Dogs on the Exempt List but be muzzled and kept on a lead in public, neutered, micro-chipped, tattooed and insured.

Answer: A female American Pit Bull Terrier who was ordered to be euthanized after her muzzle was removed in public to allow her to vomit.

Dempsey was a Pit Bull Terrier that lived in the United Kingdom. She was required to be muzzled in public. One spring day in 1992, whilst being walked, she began acting as though she was going to vomit and her muzzle was removed to allow her to more easily. Two police officers saw what happened and Dempsey was ordered to be euthanized, despite the fact she had shown no aggression to anyone. Dempsey's case saw the first challenge to the Dangerous Dog Act and its flaws. Due to a legal technicality, the case was dropped and Dempsey lived to a ripe of age of 17, dying in 2003.

Answer: There is no law that targets cats and they can also be dangerous.

According to some critics, B.S.L. fails to look at the real problem behind dangerous dogs: the owners and the breeders. They feel that if you take away irresponsible owners and breeders, you would only be left with stable dogs with good temperaments that are properly trained.

Some critics also argue that because there is no reliable DNA test, it is impossible to tell whether a dog is an illegal breed or not. Dogs are assessed on physical conformation and whether a dog fits to the breed's standard (which means whether the dog is within the correct height range, weight range, etc., for the said breed) but, like people, dogs may sometimes deviate from the norm, making it impossible to tell whether a dog is illegal or just abnormally heavy, for example. It is also possible for a dog to be a mix of different, non-illegal breeds, the result of which is a dog that just looks illegal. Genes are funny things.

The final reason why B.S.L. has been criticised is simply because it has not done what it has said it would do (decrease dog attacks). The problem with banning a breed is that the irresponsible owners it targets will just move onto another, legal breed and use that to intimidate the public and train to be aggressive. Many critics believe that B.S.L just pushes the problem of dog aggression under the carpet.

Answer: Only buy a puppy with legitimate registration documents from a breeder that breeds to standard

Common sense applies here. If you are buying a Chihuahua or Labrador puppy, your dog will not likely be targeted by B.S.L.

If you are buying a dog that could be mistaken for an illegal breed (for example, the Staffordshire Bull Terrier could be mistaken for an American Pit Bull Terrier), there are two things you need to do to ensure your dog's safety:

1) Make sure that the breeder is only producing puppies that meet the breed standard as closely as possible (a breed standard is a description of the breed which details its ideal physical traits). This is because parentage mean very little and if your puppy grows up to not resemble its legal breed, it may be mistaken for an illegal breed which looks similar. There have been instances where dogs which have a proven parentage are still deemed illegal purely because of how they look. Genetics are irrelevant. In theory, if a Poodle, for example, with a proven parentage, fitted the physical criteria for an illegal breed, it would also be illegal.

The only breeders who will be breeding dogs with the aim of producing animals that fit their breed standard are those that show their dogs in conformation shows.

2) Ensure the breeder provides you with valid registration papers from a legitimate registry. In the UK, it would be the UK Kennel Club. Remember, both parents must be registered with the SAME registry for their puppies to be registered. Even though parentage is not relevant, official documents are very likely to deter uneducated people from reporting your dog as illegal, which will save you a lot of heartache.

Answer: Contact a professional for an expert opinion and keep your dog under control in public.

The best thing to do if you think your dog might be at risk, however good its temperament may be, is to contact a professional and see what they think. A professional may include a qualified vet, an experienced dog trainer or an expert from a local/national breed parent club. If they do think your dog is illegal, then, whether you choose to go to the police yourself or not, you must understand that at some point it is possible that somebody will report you. Keeping your dog under control in public at all time is the best way to avoid being reported.

Bragging about it would be the easiest way to get yourself reported.

There is no need to get rid of your dog until you know the facts. Even if you do find out your dog is illegal, there is no reason it could not be returned to you if you can prove in court that your dog is not dangerous.

Ignoring your suspicions could result in a nasty shock in the future. It is always best to stay aware of and educated about the law.