From the time I was a little girl, I have loved animals.  What I have learned through the years is that badly behaved animals are often a by-product of badly behaved owners.  For those of you who are hard and fast “Restrict-the-Breeds” pet policy lovers, please bear with me and read along.  I have a legal reason for raising this subject.

We all know there was a time in our past when the multifamily industry didn’t allow larger dogs on the premises.  While yes, larger dogs do equal – ewww – larger doggie poo, too, I always found that the larger dogs weren’t nearly as neurotic or as needy onsite as some of the smaller breeds and weren’t damaging the interior of the apartments as much as the little guys.  So I, for one, was happy when pet policies for many communities relaxed and they started to welcome larger dogs.  In the day of bark parks, doggie bag dispensers and more responsible pet owners, it has been a relatively smooth transition in policy … with the exception of a few messy owners (I blame the owners, not the dogs, for any wayward doggie excrement left unbundled).

In place of the large dog restriction, we implemented breed restrictions, preventing breeds such as pit bulls and rottweilers from living at our communities.  This was always a bit funny to me, as the dogs of those breeds whom I have met personally have been some of the sweetest, most delightful dogs to be around.  I have always felt like perhaps they were being punished for being bred and trained for less than exemplary purposes.

Why do I bring this up now?  Because I read an article this morning that said six more states are now considering bills that would end laws that restrict dog ownership in certain areas due to breed (BSL, or Breed Specific Legislation), which typically target dogs such as pit bulls.  These six states would join seventeen other states that have passed laws that prevent localities from discriminating against certain breeds of dogs.  Who knew that essentially a type of animal fair housing would extend to man’s best friend?  Kind of cool, really, if they don’t deserve to be shunned.

For those of you in Maryland or with properties there, one of those anti-BSL bills also involves landlords, since many won’t rent to those residents who have pit pulls.  If HB 422 passes, they are not only trying to prevent localities from classifying “dangerous” breeds of dogs, but also trying to include landlords and condo associations in with the legislation.  If one state is going to try that, doesn’t it make sense that others may follow as well?  Food for pet policy thought. 

During a recent study conducted by the American Veterinary Medical Association, when examining the factors involved in fatal dog attacks they discovered that most involved a responsible person not being able to intervene and the dog having been abused by an owner.  Breed was not a significant determinant in most of the cases reviewed.  So have these breeds simply been getting a bad rap all along simply due to bad owners?  It certainly seems so. 

You can read the article I saw here and examine further for yourself, but I definitely thought it was worth a share for all of those restricted breed lovers out there.  As the photo I found for this article said, “Punish the deed, not the breed.”  It might help pet adoptions AND our leasing percentages!

FOR MORE INFORMATION and the ARTICLE I am referencing:  http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/02/07/breed-specific-legislation_n_4738583.html?&ncid=tweetlnkushpmg00000067

photo credit: Frozen Hell. via photopin cc