Why BSL fails our dogs

My husband John hates that our dogs, Emmett and Lucas, sleep in our bedroom. Emmett curls up next to my side, Lucas dozes at the foot. Throughout the night, they lick their lips, whimper, twitch, and keep John awake. Me? I can sleep through anything, so they don’t bother me at all.

For a while, we encouraged them to sleep in their dog beds in another room, but at some point in the middle of the night, every night, they wandered into our room and curled up in their usual spots. Because, really, all Emmett and Lucas want out of their lives is to be with us. All the time, no matter what, they want our company.

It’s humbling to think just how much our dogs want to be in our presence. It’s easy to forget, though, because it’s easy to ignore them, to put them outside, to get caught up in work, errands, kids, life. But they wait for us, no matter what.

So we owe it to them to protect them, to take care of their basic needs, their psychological and physical needs, and – most importantly – to help them succeed in our oh-so-human society. If we fail to do those things, then we fail our dogs.

The reality is that a dog doesn’t know not to potty in the house until you teach him. A dog doesn’t know that dinner is served at 5:30 or that this row of bushes indicates our yard versus our dog-hating neighbor’s yard. How can he know or understand these human constructs unless we teach him? They’re dogs, after all. Not people.

While dogs happen to be really, really good at catching on to our rules and reading our emotions, not all dogs are afforded the chance to learn how to interact with other people or dogs. Some languish on chains in their backyards. Some are abused, some neglected. Others are left to their own devises, free to roam the neighborhood looking for food or a mate or a fight. Yet we expect each of these dogs to act within the bounds of human society.

How is that fair? If we haven’t helped the dog along, taught him our rules, how can we be surprised if he bites someone who wanders just a little too close to his chain? Or attacks a neighbor’s puppy when he breaks out from his solitary backyard existence?

Dog bites are inexcusable. They’re sad and unfortunate and can have devastating consequences. They’re also preventable. But if we don’t take the time to teach a dog how to behave appropriately, how to greet strangers, how to meet another leashed dog, we can’t expect a dog to just know how to behave in our human world.

Breed-specific legislation does just that: It places all the responsibility squarely on the dogs’ shoulders instead of on the people who let the dog down. Why should we hold a dog responsible for not following society’s rules when no one ever taught the dog what those rules are?

Instead of counting on dogs to behave – and euthanizing them when they don’t – we should hold owners responsible for their dogs’ behavior. And at the most fundamental level, this isn’t a breed thing. It’s a people thing. It’s a people-failing-their-dogs thing.

Regardless of what type of dog a person has, that person needs to be responsible for teaching their dog appropriate behavior. If the person fails to do so, then the person needs to face the consequences. By legislating against a specific breed, bad owners get off the hook. They can get another breed – but they’re still bad owners.

We as a society need to put an end to breed-specific legislation because we – especially dog owners – must hold people responsible for neglectful, abusive behavior. We need to focus less on the breed of a dog and more on how that dog is being trained and treated. We need to educate and help people become good dog owners, whether they have a Pekingese, a Staffie, a Poodle, or a German shepherd.

The fact that Emmett and Lucas want nothing more than to hang out with me makes me want to be a better person for them, which is why I’ve decided to fight BSL. My dogs choose to spend their days lying around my desk, waiting for me to finish work. When I finish, I owe it to them to take care of their needs, regardless of the fact that Emmett is a “pit-bull-type” dog and Lucas is a shepherd. It’s why John lets them sleep in our room; night after night he gives up a sound sleep to let the boys be exactly where they want to be – with us.

Comments

[Runtzka]

Hi Maggie. I just found your blog through a google alert on "dog bites". You have lots of good information here and I will add your link when I finish setting up a "resources" tab on my "dogs who love posties" page.

I used to work for Canada Post (the Canadian postal service) and that’s when I learned about how dog attacks can lead to serious injury for letter carriers and consequences for the dog itself.

I now understand that children and the elderly are even more likely to be victims. As your post says, responsible dog ownership is key.

I’ve recently started a Facebook page called “dogs who love posties” to show support for responsible dog ownership and help make people aware of how serious an issue dog bites and attacks are. It’s at http://www.facebook.com/dogswholoveposties

It includes links to tips and resources some might find useful and is open to everyone, of course.

PS: "posties" is a friendly term we use for postal workers in Canada.

Regards,
Karen Runtz

[Peggy]

Hi! I live in a city where there are some aggressive dogs that run loose. I agree, that is the owner's fault (both the aggressiveness and the running loose), and the owners need to be dealt with.

p.s. Our dog loves to sleep in our bedroom too.

[Sharon Castellanos]

I'm so fortunate to have Maggie as a guest writer today! BSL is an important issue for dog owners and the pet community to learn about.

We expect Cleo to be a solid part of the pack, holding up her end but at the same time, it is our equal responsibility to be active & involved pack leaders to this sweet but large Husky/German Shepherd here in San Francisco.

[Kim Clune]

Terrific writing, as always, Maggie! Of course, writing is always good when it effectively speaks the truth. Thank you for always sharing more than the facts... Thank you for sharing your heart!

[Maggie]

Thank you so, so much for letting me write a guest blog, and I sincerely appreciate all the comment. This should be such an important issue to any dog lover because it's all about responsible dog ownership - which affects all of us!

[Melf]

Amen! I think you perfectly make the point why BSL doesn''t work.

The truth is that if BSL gets rid of the "problem" dogs or breeds they "think" are the problem; people will just buy other breeds, be the bad owners they were with the ones listed under BSL, and end up giving more dogs a bad rap. What next? Labrador Retrievers?

The truth about BSL is that it doesn't treat the problem (bad owners). It attempts to wipe it under the rug. Don't fool yourselves legislators and city leaders. Bad owners will just find a new breed of dog to give a bad name.

[Sharon]

Having grown up with obedience trained Doberman Pinchers I couldn't tell you how many strangers, afraid of this breed, became respectful after seeing what our gorgeous dogs could do. Any dog that knows they are part of loving & well run pack is a happy dog eager to do his/her part.

BSL is wrong and solves nothing.