Читать книгу Pit Bulls For Dummies - D. Caroline Coile - Страница 26

Pit Bulls are the only breed of dog to have their own lobby, Best Friends Animal Society (www.bestfriends.org), which works to fight BSL and promote Pit Bulls as family pets. Best Friends is funded by private donations and by the Animal Farm Foundation (www.animalfarmfoundation.org) to the tune of more than $100 million a year. The Animal Farm Foundation also funds the National Canine Research Council to conduct pro–Pit Bull research.

Opponents of BSL point to the toll on innocent Pit Bulls. Although in most cases, currently owned Pit Bulls are grandfathered in when BSL is adopted, many people ignore the laws and adopt Pit Bulls or move to a town with the Pit Bulls they already own. Opponents also point to the difficulty of labeling Pit Bulls. They further contend that BSL is difficult and expensive to uphold, and that a better solution would be to enforce laws regarding dangerous dogs that are already on the books.

Proponents of BSL contend that laws regarding dangerous dogs only address dogs after they’ve maimed or killed a person. They consider BSL proactive and laws regarding dangerous dogs reactive. They further point to lower dog fatality and serious mauling numbers after BSL is implemented in various communities.

BSL almost certainly saves lives. But it does so by casting a large net that also ensnares innocent dogs because of their breed or appearance.