Missouri: Keep Dogs and Communities Safe Without Breed Bans

As someone who is concerned about animal welfare and breed discrimination, I was thrilled to learn that Missouri is considering legislation that will end breed discriminatory legislation (BDL).

Thankfully, more and more people are recognizing that any dog can bite and are taking a common sense approach to dealing with dangerous dogs and irresponsible owners equally. Utah recently became the 19th state to pass common sense legislation against BDL.

Missouri's bill, HB 1811, will simply amend current state codes and will give local governments the authority "to prohibit dogs from running at large or to further control or regulate dogs within its boundaries if the ordinance, order, policy, or regulation is not breed specific."

Numerous organizations have formally opposed BDL, including the American Bar Association, the National Animal Control Association, the Association of Pet Dog Trainers and the American Veterinary Medical Association, which were all recently joined by an official statement of opposition from the White House last year.

As was pointed out by a representative of the Senate General Laws Committee during previous consideration, the alleged problems this will cause shelters can be dealt with by dealing with breeds based on size and by addressing the needs of an individual dog and their temperament before placing them with adopters. Regardless of whether people are talking about pit bulls or any other breed, no two will be exactly the same. The argument that municipal shelters don't have the resources to properly screen adopters is an entirely separate issue that should be dealt with appropriately.

I sincerely hope that you will support this critical piece of legislation and become the next state to take a common sense approach to keeping dogs and communities safe by eliminating BDL, instead of targeting dogs based solely on their looks.