The
first point that needs to be addressed and improved is dog fighting and owners’
duties. Firstly, dog fighting and irresponsible owners are responsible for the
distorted images of and discriminations toward so-called “dangerous breeds”.
Such distorted images harm the interests of lovers of certain breeds. Secondly,
dog fighting and the practices of irresponsible owners directly harm the welfare
of dogs. Thirdly, practices of irresponsible owners generally make dogs feel
unsafe and uncomfortable, thus becoming more aggressive and prone-attack, which
causes public safety concerns. To improve this area, we need to further enforce
the legislation of dog fighting because underground dog fighting is still
active and the punishments for people involved in this activity are far from
enough. At the same time, we should enforce the legislation that regulates
owners’ behaviors and duties. Community-based dog training courses will also be
helpful. Finally, I think it will be helpful if national animal welfare/rights
organizations can help inspect dog fighting and owners’ duties, and organize/teach
dog training courses, since there is no such thing as perfect legislation. I
think such improvements help rectify the distorted images of certain breeds,
prevent harms to these breeds, and prevent dog attacks from happening as well.
Watch this video to know about a famous dog fighting
investigation—the investigation and rescue of Michael Vick’s dogs:
The
second point that needs to be addressed and improved is the breed ban type of Breed
Specific Legislation. Unlike laws like automatic labeling and mandatory
spay/neuter, which don’t directly hurt any dog, breed ban laws require seizing
and killing innocent pit bulls. This is a practice that punishes responsible
owners and innocent dogs without helping reduce dog attacks at all, which means
that it harms pit bull lovers and pit bulls without helping those who have
public safety concerns. Breed ban law is destructive in nature. I think more
researches should focus on the effectiveness of breed ban laws—though there are
some researches that confirm such laws’ ineffectiveness, researchers should
replicate them to make the evidence more convincing, particularly for BSL
supporters. At the same time, I think both parties should work together to seek
alternatives to BSL, particularly breed ban laws. They should open dialogues to
communicate with each other about their different concerns with this issue, and
seek a middle ground. Sometimes controversy does not come from direct
conflicts, but from the lack of information about the thoughts and interests of
the opposite side. I think such improvements prevent controversy from going
extreme, and address the needs of all three parties—supporters, opponents, and
the dogs.
Watch this video about the results of Denver's pit bull ban, and why breed ban laws are not effective at all:
The
third point that needs to be addressed and improved is the public’s awareness
of safe rules associated with dogs. Many victims are children not because dogs
like attacking children, but because children have little idea of how to
approach dogs safely and the right thing to do when dogs chase them. Communities
should take an active role in distributing brochures and fliers of information
about safety rules associated with dogs, as well as organizing activities to
teach about safety tips. Parents should also be responsible for educating
children about the right behaviors toward dogs, and the owners should be
responsible for telling anyone who want to approach/pet their dogs about whether
it is the right time to do so and also the right behaviors. I think such
improvements directly stop tragedies from happening, thus protect the interests
of dogs, BSL supporters and protestors.
See how to approach and great a new dog here!
Sources Used:
http://www.humanesociety.org/issues/dogfighting/facts/dogfighting_fact_sheet.html
http://www.americanhumane.org/animals/stop-animal-abuse/fact-sheets/dog-bites.html
http://www.dogsbite.org/legislating-dangerous-dogs-bsl-faq.php
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FmiH34VCJWE&list=PLoYwydRAp_R-N2fP0yZXDMpwR_NHNsCGJ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fUFarJ3TYgw
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2XG9Yen_cKg
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