Keep certain high-risk breeds away from the wrong people, places and situations

There are four points of view about whether the efforts to deal with the dog bite epidemic should focus on breeds of dogs (for example, should there be breed specific laws that restrict or ban pit bulls). These points of view include: nothing needs to be done about breeds, communities should concentrate on educating the usual victims of attacks but should not pass breed specific laws of any kind, dangerous breeds should be restricted, and dangerous breeds should be banned.

The most rational and politically "do-able" approach would be to pass laws that would keep certain high-risk breeds away from the wrong people, places and situations. A comprehensive statute or group of laws would eliminate the "one bite rule" across the board, require insurance as a condition for ownership of certain types of dogs, toughen the dog control laws, criminalize the failure to stop a dog attack in progress, and keep dogs of certain breeds, size or weight away from the wrong people, places and situations.

This certainly should be the approach to the spate of violence recently inflicted by pit bulls. Pit bull owners often say that the dog is not dangerous, and most of the time they are correct. Pit bulls have not been proved to bite people more often than other dogs bite people. Nevertheless, the pregnant woman who recently was mauled to death by one of her own pit bulls belonged to a group which was campaigning to convince people that pit bulls are not dangerous. The name of that group was "Dog Lovers Responsible about Pit Bulls." Her dog bit her dozens of times in her body and face, killing her and her unborn child. (Read the article.)

The question we must ask ourselves is whether the risk of this being repeated is worth taking. When any other dog has a bad day, somebody can get hurt; when a pit bull has a bad day, somebody can get killed. Although the appalling lack of statistics cannot reliably tell us the number of victims from this breed of dog, the news reports as well as an important recent study confirm that attacks by pit bulls result in far greater injuries, hospitalizations and medical costs that attacks by other dogs. In recent years, most human fatalities, if caused by a dog, were inflicted by pit bulls. (Read the abstract.)

If this breed is not to be banned altogether, it certainly must be restricted in several important respects. These regulations, by the way, should be applied to similar breeds such as Presa Canario, Cane Corso and others:

• Ban certain people from owning a pit bull and any similar breed (i.e., minors, convicted drug dealers, convicted felons, convicted dog fighters, people convicted of violating the leash laws, people whose dogs have been adjudicated as being dangerous on a dog-by-dog basis, people whose dogs have bitten children)
• Require the muzzling of a pit bull and certain other breeds when in public, when around children, and when there are guests in the home.
• Require at least $100,000 in insurance for covering injuries inflicted by pit bulls and certain similar breeds (i.e., Ohio requires insurance at this time for owners of pit bulls).
• Ban pit bulls and certain similar breeds from certain places (i.e., day care centers, multi-family dwelling buildings, dense urban areas, dog parks, parks and beaches). The federal government allows restrictions or prohibitions of animals in public housing, based on the size and type of building. See 24 Code of Federal Regulations section 960.707 (Pet Ownership).
• Require the leashing of pit bulls and certain similar breeds at all times except when in the owner's home. It should only be permitted in public when it is on a 4 foot leash wearing a secure muzzle designed to prevent biting. At home, require that it be confined in a dog run with a floor, four sides, and a roof.

There are several additional measures that should be taken with regard to pit bulls and similar breeds:

• Increase civil damages if a pit bull or a dog of certain similar breeds injures a person (i.e., the victim will receive double or triple the usual amount of compensation if the dog is of a certain breed).
• Impose increased criminal penalties if the breaking of a law is accomplished with a pit bull or a dog of certain similar breeds.
• In a court of law it should be presumed that if a pit bull is running at large, a person who kills it was acting in self-defense.

If the mayhem continues, stronger measures certainly might be warranted. To prevent that from happening, dog fanciers and breeders should immediately commence the following strategy: pit bulls should be carefully bred for nonviolent tendencies, all violations of animal control laws should be immediately reported whether or not the involved dog is a pit bull, and pit bull owners should be educated as to the proper care, handling and confinement of their dogs.

For further discussion, see Breed Specific Laws, Regulations and Bans, which is another section of Dog Bite Law.

As a corollary of this point, communities should ban animals that are not domestic dogs at all. These include the wolf-hybrid and the dingo, both of which can be very dangerous when not properly socialized, trained and maintained. In 2006, a dingo that came to work with a construction worker brutally mauled and broke the skull of a 2-1/2 year old boy who was next door in a day care center (read article).