Animal Humane Society position on breed specific bans

Animal Humane Society opposes regulation based solely on breed and/or legislation banning specific breeds. While breed is one factor that contributes to a dog’s temperament, in many instances there are inherent problems in determining a dog’s breed. Restrictions placed on a specific breed fail to address the larger problems of abuse, aggression and lack of training.

Breed alone cannot be used to predict whether a dog may pose a danger to the community and is not an adequate indicator of a dog’s propensity to bite. Rather, a dog’s tendency to bite is a product of several factors, including but not limited to:

  • Lack of socialization to people
  • Lack of sound obedience training
  • Training for fighting or increased aggression
  • Genetic makeup, including breed strains within a breed
  • Quality of care and behavior reinforcement by the caregiver.

Animal Humane Society is committed to helping people and their pets and is a resource for the community through its’ training and behavior programs, online library, behavior helpline, advocacy efforts and education programs.

For caring, compassionate advice and resources to address all your animal concerns.

Contact the Pet Helpline