Breed Specific Legislation (BSL)

This is my dog, his name is Douglas. He is scared of chihuahuas, bin bags and bubble wrap. He likes to sleep curled up under the duvet with me, and his favourite pastime is throwing an elastic band in the air and catching it in his paws. Douglas is the most sweet-natured and loving dog I’ve ever known. He wiggles with happiness every time he sees one of his people.

Douglas is a Staffordshire Bull Terrier, with some lab thrown in way back somewhere in his grand or great-grandparents. This makes him vulnerable to falling on the wrong side of Breed Specific Legislation (BSL).

Breed Specific Legislation was introduced in the UK in 1991. It bans ownership of four breeds of ‘dangerous dog’: the pit bull terrier, Japanese Toga, Dogo Argetino and the Fila Brasileiro. Specifically the pit bull terrier isn’t a recognised breed. These dogs are based solely on appearance - if they meet a certain set of measurements, they are deemed ‘pit bull type’, and they become a banned dog. If you own a suspected ‘dangerous dog’ there doesn’t even need to be a complaint against it before it is seized by the police. If it is confirmed as ‘pit bull type’ it will be kept in kennels, a lengthy court procedure will follow, and your dog will either be released to you under a certain set of conditions if it is deemed to not be aggressive, or destroyed. And they really use the word ‘destroyed’ in relation to your family pet.

Both the RSPCA and the Blue Cross have campaigns to end BSL. The Blue Cross website states that the legislation has been ineffective in decreasing injury from dog bites - in fact hospital admission from dog bites increased by 76% between 2005 and 2015.

PETA on the other hand take the opposite view - in 2018 they stated that they would like to see Staffordshire Bull Terriers added onto the dangerous dog list. And for some reasons you can see their point - pit bull type dogs and staffies are the most likely to be abandoned, abused and neglected and have a history of being bred for fighting and guard dogs, which is where their ‘scary’ reputation comes from. It sees the legislation more as protection than discrimination.

But as for my boy, Douglas. He has a good home. He is well exercised and well enriched. He’s never experienced cruelty and doesn’t have an aggressive nature (although you can never say never with any animal). Every other dog and human is a potential new friend. Yet every time I take him out I worry, what if this is the time? I don’t know if he meets the measurements for a ‘pit bull type’ dog, but his breed does make it likely. He isn’t aggressive; but he is strong, so in a scuffle with another dog, chances are he would come out on top. Then he would be taken away and destroyed. I’m a responsible owner. He is always walked on the lead, he is supervised when out in the garden. But accidents happen, I know. A delivery driver left the gate open (despite our sign saying to please keep it closed) and he bolted out for a play before I noticed. People who don’t know his breed are scared of him because his reputation precedes him. They often don’t know that Staffies are also known as ‘nanny dogs’, being very gentle and protective over children. Staffies are people dogs. They need to be in contact with their people as much as possible. They never get bored of cuddling and don’t like you to be out of their sight.

On the BSL-based Facebook groups I read stories of dogs from loving homes being taken, terrified, the owners distraught, unable to visit them while they’re being assessed in kennels. I’ve read stories of stressed dogs dying in kennels while owners wait for court dates.

Douglas suffers from anxiety, and we work hard to make him feel safe. If he was taken I have no doubt that he would be deemed aggressive and destroyed, because life in the kennels away from his set of ‘safe’ people and our other dog would make him so scared.

So I concentrate on giving him a good life, working on his behaviour and loving him the best I can, taking every precaution I can to keep him safe. Because not only do I look after him, but he looks after me and I’ve never had unconditional love like it.