This month we’ll look at another fault in BSL, and that is breed identification. I believe the issue of breed identification was what really convinced my freshman English professor to join the anti-BSL bandwagon. What good is a law that bans certain breeds of dogs if no one can recognize without a doubt those breeds when they see them? Or, just as importantly, if no one can recognize what breed of dog isn’t on the target list.
While the American public, in general, loves its pets, the vast majority of the population are not exactly dog experts. Sure, most people can probably pick out a black lab in a line up. However, if a Flat-Coated Retriever happened to cross the path of your average citizen, would the person believe it was just a black lab mix, or recognize it as the rare breed that it is?
So, what exactly does the difference between a black lab and a Flat-Coated Retriever have to do with the impracticality of BSL? Quite a lot actually.
Let’s say we have a town in which the ownership of, say for example, “pit bulls” has been banned completely. Yes, the police and animal control might actually be the ones to enforce the ban, but the general public would play a huge role, also. Most information of a possible “pit bull” in the area would come from citizen complaints. But can you rely on the general public to correctly identify a certain breed of dog, especially if it’s one they don’t see every day? I think not.
Areas with BSL on the books have reported getting calls of target breeds in the area, only to send out an officer and find that the complaint actually deals with a non-targeted breed. Often these dogs don’t even resemble a target breed. Perhaps the dog in question was really a Boxer. Perhaps it was just a stocky mixed breed, or a dog with a docked tail. And let’s not forget how many people out there still believe that Rottweilers are actually “pit bull”/ Doberman crosses. I found one website from the UK that lists a complaint received in which the dog in question was actually a Pomeranian (http://www.geocities.com/mdc_bs/bsl01.htm ).
Believe it or not, I have had people ask me if Dingo is a “pit bull” mix simply because he is brindle. OK, Basneji mix I can see. Smooth Fox Terrier mix, I can certainly fathom. I'll even give you GSD or even whippet mix if you insist. But could the skinny little mutt be a "pit bull" mix? Not quite!
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