Breed-specific legislation (BSL) targets dog breeds believed to be dangerous to humans and other animals, which is based on flawed information, public fear, and governments’ desire to appease those fears.

A short history lesson…in the 1980s, BSL began to gain popularity because of media attention on “pit bull” attacks, spurring governments into action to quell public fears. Research into dog breeds and aggression was conducted based entirely on PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS and, viola, the “breed list” was born identifying dog breeds thought to be inherently aggressive or more prone to biting (e.g., pit bull mixes, Rottweilers, Dobermans and Boxers). It should be noted that “pit bull” is not an official breed but is rather a catch-all term that places MIXED BREED dogs with PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS of the pedigreed Bull/Staffordshire Terriers under the umbrella of “pit bull.” Research shows that even those very familiar with dog breeds, such as veterinarians and shelter staff, cannot accurately determine the breed of many dogs based on PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS. The only way to definitively determine a dog’s heritage is through genetic testing.

But never mind all that logic, cities, counties, and states around the country now had a way of banning what have been identified as “aggressive” and “dangerous” breeds…again, based entirely on PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS. Soon enough, landlords began discriminating against dogs on the “breed list”, thereby increasing the difficulty with which dog owners could find housing.

And guess what? YOUR dog could be targeted simply because it has the PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS of a banned breed. Colorado has been progressive in repealing BSL throughout the state and last year passed legislation preventing insurance companies from denying homeowners policies based on the breed of dog(s) in the home. However, the Colorado legislature failed to address breed discrimination in housing, which is a far bigger issue. Also, while the repeal of BSL in the City of Aurora, Colorado, has come under fire for the procedural way in which it was repealed, we are confident that the repeal will ultimately stand, and the ban will not be reinstated.

Check out the pictures in this post and see if you can identify the breeds, put your answers in the comments.