A group called Families Against Breed Bans that works to block Breed Specific Legislation (BSL) in the Seattle area and elsewhere. There has been talk of creating a breed ban in Seattle for pit bulls or “fighting breeds” and I know that this is *not* the answer.
[click here for another Breed Ban article, written Sept 10, 2008, with suggestions for what to do to reduce dog bites in Seattle].
First off, it doesn’t solve anything and second of all, it’s going to kill a lot of dogs in the process. Banning a breed doesn’t make does just disappear. Someone has to kill them.
I designed a shirt for FABB with the slogan, “Will Your Breed Be Next?” I didn’t really realize, at the time, just how accurate that was, given that there are so many banned/restricted dog breeds.
There’s a fascinating list of 75 Banned or Restricted Breeds in the US & Canada that I thought I’d share the highlights of. Here goes:
- Airedale Terrier
- Akbash
- Akita
- Alaskan Malamute (often what’s really used for Husky Mascots)
- American Bulldog
- American Husky (yup, Huskies, too)
- American Pit Bull Terrier
- American Staffordshire Terrier
- Australian Cattle Dog
- Australian Shepherd (yes, even Aussies)
- Belgian Malinois
- Belgian Sheepdog
- Belgian Turvuren
- Boerboel
- Borzoi
- Boston Terrier (can you believe it?)
- Bouviet Des Flandres
- Boxer
- Bulldog
- Bull Terrier
- Bull Mastiff
- Chinese Shar Pei
- Chow-Chow
- Doberman Pinscher
- English Mastiff
- English Springer Spaniel
- Eskimo Dog (I think that’s American Eskimo Dog)
- Fox Terrier
- French Bulldog (you know they’re like 18 pounds, right?)
- German Shepherd Dog
- Golden Retriever (wow, them too?)
- Great Dane
- Great Pyrenees
- Keeshond
- Komondor
- Labrador Retriever
- Leonberger
- Neopolitan Mastiff
- Newfoundland
- Pug
- Rottweiler
- Saint Bernard
- Samoyed
- Staffordshire Bull Terrier
You can join a vigil against Breed Bans on Sunday, August 24th, 2008. The address is 3000 Rockefeller Ave in Everett, at the NE corner of the courthouse campus, kitty-corner from the Events Center. I don’t think you bring dogs, but I’m not certain. Info on the vigils in general (but not this, one, as far as I can tell) is at http://www.lightacandlesavealife.com/.
Photo Credit: Alyssa Rose Photography