A group called Families Against Breed Bans is taking on an organization calling itself Families and Dogs Against Fighting Breeds (FDAFB), which plans to sponsor a citizen's initiative that would basically ban pit bull type dogs and possibly other breeds in Seattle.

According to FDAFB, the initiative will be on the ballot in the November, 2008 elections.

The language of the ban will reportedly be modeled after the UK's 1991 Dangerous Dogs Act. Click here for a look at that law.

Let's stop this. Click here to join Families Against Breed Bans.

Also, email this group, FDAFB, and provide them with information to dissuade them from this effort: info@fdafb.org Be polite.

Here is what you might consider emailing to FDAFB:

Breed bans don't work

Breed bans are ineffective because they are over-inclusive - that is, the bans target every single dog of a particular breed, whether or not they present a danger. The chances, for instance, of a person being attacked and killed by a pit-bull-type dog are approximately one in 145 million, according to the American Pit Bull Registry. By including dogs that pose no danger to anyone, these bans actually punish rather than encourage responsible owners. 

Breed bans are also under-inclusive: They don't target all dogs that bite or attack. In one city considering a pit-bull ban, pit bulls were responsible for 8% of the bites. A pit-bull ban would not protect people from the dogs that caused 92% of the bites.

A study in the United Kingdom showed that there were as many dog bites in a period of two years after breed-specific legislation was enacted as there had been before the legislation was passed. A recent study of the UK law showed the ban on pit bull type dogs and others is not  reducing numbers of dog bites; dog bites are on the increase despite the 17 year old ban.

There is no evidence that people are safer because of pit-bull bans. Officials in Denver, Colorado, tout the fact that the city hasn't had a dog-bite death since its ban on pit bulls became effective, but Portland, Oregon, and Dallas, Texas, each had a dog-bite death in 1986, and there have been no more such deaths in either city, though neither city passed breed-specific legislation.

Also, it has been demonstrated repeatedly that it is very difficult to identify many dogs as
pit bulls or pit-bull mixes or other banned dog breeds. In many instances, dogs have been misidentified as pit bulls. More than 20 different breeds have been mistaken for pit bulls.

Breed bans also don't work because banning one breed simply leads to the rise of another as the preferred "bad" dog. Pit bulls and Rottweilers took over from Dobermans, who in turn took over from German shepherds, and so on.

Finally, breed bans are not only ineffective, they are expensive. Animal control departments are generally underfunded, and when breed bans are enacted, that funding must be increased to cover the cost of enforcement, sheltering and care of the dogs, not to mention the cost of euthanasia. In Prince George's County, Maryland, the cost to enforce a pit-bull ban from 2001 to 2002 was at least $560,000. Animal control reported that 720 of the 900 pit bulls euthanized were nice, friendly pets.

Breed bans are also subject to legal challenges that are costly for cities and counties. Denver's pit-bull ban has been in litigation since it was passed in 1989. Another lawsuit challenging its constitutionality was filed this past year. 

How to make communities safe

Dogs don't bite because of their breed and communities are not safer unless responsible leaders address the real reasons dogs bite:

• 1. Pass an effective potentially dangerous dog ordinance:

Assign dogs a level of potential danger,
with restrictions and penalties for each level.

Require spay/neuter, education and training to encourage owners to take responsibility before a serious injury or death occurs.

Dogs and owners can earn lower levels
and dogs can even be declared no longer potentially dangerous. 

2. Encourage spay/neuter and support funding for free or low cost spay/neuter.

90% of fatal dog attacks are by dogs that have not been spayed/neutered: There is not a single  case of a fatal dog attack by a spayed/neutered pit bull type dog (National Canine Research Council);     

81% of dogs involved in bite incidents were not spayed/neutered (Texas 2002 Severe Animal Attack and Bite Surveillance Summary)

Research cited in a 2000 Journal of American Veterinary Medical Association study indicated unsterilized dogs are 2.6 times more likely to bite.

   3. Mandate spay/neuter for:

Dogs adopted from shelters or rescues or sold by pet stores or online

Dogs impounded more than once after being found at-large or off-leash

Dogs declared potentially dangerous or dangerous

Dogs owned by felons

   4. Ban tethering or chaining dogs (also a popular technique by dog fighters to make the dogs more aggressive; the CDC has found tethered or chained dogs are 2.8 times more likely to bite)

Lawrence County, Kansas, adopted an anti-tethering ordinance. From 2005 to 2006, the number of calls concerning cruelty and dog fighting dropped from 800 to 260. Officials attribute the decline in large part to the anti-tethering law.  

The USDA and even the AVMA has said tethering dogs is inhumane.

    5. Pass and enforce strong at large or leash laws or enforce such laws and encourage micro chipping

82% of dog bites occur as a result of dogs that are running loose (JAVMA, September 15, 2000)

After passing a leash law, the city of Portsmouth, New Hampshire, reported a 35% drop in dog bites.

    6. Address through strong laws and education the problem of animal cruelty

Well over half (61%) of fatal dog attacks are by dogs who were not humanely controlled, or who had in some way been abused or neglected (Delise, Fatal Dog Attacks: The Stories Behind the Statistics))

   7. Offer free or low cost training and education about the importance of socializing dogs early and making them part of the family.

81% of dogs involved in fatal dog attacks were isolated and not part of the family (Delise, Fatal Dog Attacks: The Stories Behind the Statistics))

   8. Pass and enforce strong dog fighting laws that make all aspects of dog fighting illegal and include bonding and forfeiture provisions; organize a dog fighting task force

   9. Require dog breeders to register or obtain licenses, limit breeding by age and numbers, ban breeding for aggression and fighting, ban the sale of dogs in pet stores and along roadsides, street corners or sidewalks; require inspections of breeders' facilities and track sales of dogs by breeders.

  10. Stop the cultural glorification of violence especially involving pit bull type dogs.