Expert Opinions and Research

  Who better to answer some of the most pressing questions facing dogs labeled as pit bulls today?

CDC and AVMA: "Our Research Does Not Support Breed Specific Legislation" Why debate what the experts have already concluded? There is no scientifically valid evidence and no reasonable argument to support breed specific legislation.

 

 

Breed Labeling Dogs of Unknown Origin by Amy Marder, VMD, CAAB and Bernice Clifford, CPDT It is impossible to breed label or predict the behavior of dogs of unknown history and genetics solely on the basis of their appearance.

A Comparison of Visual and DNA Identification of Breeds of Dogs by Victoria Voith PhD, DVM, DACVB " The discrepency between breed identifications based on opinion and DNA analysis, as well as concerns about reliability of data collected based on media reports, draws into question the validity and enforcement of public and private policies pertaining to dog breeds."

 

Breed Specific or Looks Specific by  Kristopher Irizarry, PhD "I am beginning to believe that breed specific legislation targets nothing more than a small subset of morphological characteristics of dogs and does not address behavior at all"

 

It's Not "Just Semantics": Words Do Matter by Pamela Reid, PhD Can we be reasonably confident that the way the dog behaves on a "test" reflects how the dog will behave in the future? "Behavior is considered to be an expression of temperament. But temperament is more than just behavior... We need to acknowledge the limitations of the behavior evaluation and take it for what it is."

Dog Breed Specific Legislation: The Cost to People, Pets and Veterinarians, and the Damage to the Human-Animal Bond by Jane Berkey Veterinarians, their clients, and their clients' pets in 300 cities and towns in the United States live with special burdens and added costs because of ordinances banning or restricting dogs of one or more breeds and breed mixes. These restrictions and bans compromise the human-animal bond...

Aggression and Dogs: "No significant difference found between breeds." by Esther Schalke PhD, DVM In July 2000, the government of Lower Saxony, Germany declared 14 breeds of dog were especially dangerous. This study tested 415 dogs of the targeted breeds on aggressive behavior and led to the repeal of BSL in Lower Saxony. "Dogs of the targeted breeds signal their intent just like other dogs. Dogs of the targeted breeds are no more likely to show inappropriate aggressive behavior..."

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