No dog is born bad, and any vicious or aggressive dog is a product of their environment. Aside from illness or injury, the only reason a dog becomes aggressive toward humans is if they are trained to be so by their guardians. Typically, once the seemingly aggressive animals are removed from the care of these guardians, they soon revert back to their true nature and become loving and gentle creatures once again. However, despite this, specific dog breeds (typically large, strong breeds like Pit Bulls, Huskies, Dobermans, Rottweilers, Akitas, etc.), are discriminated against and banned by housing authorities and governing bodies.

Many studies have proven that dog aggression is not at all linked to specific breeds, but is rather the direct result of the dogs’ upbringings and environments. In 2013, the White House made this statement in regards to dog breed discrimination: “We don’t Support breed-specific legislation — research shows that bans on certain types of dogs are largely ineffective and often a waste of public resources…In 2000, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention looked at twenty years of data about dog bites and human fatalities in the United States. They found that fatal attacks represent a very small proportion of dog bite injuries to people and that it’s virtually impossible to calculate bite rates for specific breeds.”

A petition on Care2 states that, as of June 2017, 21 states have already instated varied degrees of regulations against breed discrimination, including New York. However, New York still allows breed discrimination in rental properties and public housing. The petition is aimed at ending this prejudice against dogs and their families, and it wants to make it clear that aggressive dogs are the result of people, not certain breeds.

If you agree that there needs to be an end to dog breed discrimination, please take a moment to sign the petition. And please share this with your friends and family to increase Support for this important cause!

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