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.