There was standing room only at the Douglasville city council meeting and the crowd also filled the hallway outside the meeting room on the evening of September 20.  Concerned citizens had come out in droves because of the proposed ban on ‘pit bulls’.  While a couple of people spoke in favor of the ban, including a victim of a ‘pit bull’ attack, the vast majority of those in attendance were opposed to breed-specific legislation for a variety of reasons.  These reasons ranged from the unconstitutional nature of breed-specific legislation, to the good nature of well-cared-for ‘pit bulls’ to the difficulties of visual breed identification, and more.  One speaker described how his ‘pit bull’ had saved his life when he passed out due to undiagnosed diabetes and the dog alerted a neighbor.

This proposed legislation comes at a time when the tide of media hysteria may be beginning to turn, and in no small part because of the rescue and rehabilitation of Michael Vick’s former fighting dogs.  Almost all of the dogs seized from Bad Newz Kennels  turned out to be savable, to the surprise of many, and several have even gone on to meet the very stringent requirements to become working therapy dogs.  A book, The Lost Dogs, detailing the story of these dogs has just been released, causing many to reconsider their misconceptions about the breed.  Years ago, ‘pit bulls’ were not feared, but were known as ‘nanny dogs’—highly desirable family pets—and were portrayed in a positive light.  Remember Petey from Our Gang?  He was a ‘pit bull’.

Breed specific legislation is unconstitutional, costly, arbitrary, and fails to protect the public safety because it targets dogs based on breed, punishing good and bad dogs and responsible and irresponsible owners alike.  Because it is so problematic, some municipalities are repealing it.  Breed-neutral legislation which targets dangerous or potentially dangerous dogs and their irresponsible owners has been shown to actually reduce dog bites, unlike breed-specific legislation.  It turns out that fear and hatred are not good bases for legislation.

One shouldn’t rely solely on legislation for one’s safety, however.  Dog owners and non-dog owners alike should be able to recognize the warning signs of canine aggression, and should know how to act around dogs.

The Douglasville city council voted to table the proposed breed-specific legislation until a legislative work session on September 30 and a vote on October 4.

Douglasville residents should contact council members and respectfully ask that they pass breed-neutral legislation modeled after successful legislation directed at actual aggressive dogs and their owners, and should plan to attend future meetings.

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