Breed-specific legislation (BSL) targets dogs of certain breeds or types. The evidence on its effectiveness is poor, and its welfare implications for targeted dogs are significant.
Breed-specific legislation fails on both effectiveness and welfare grounds. It does not reduce bites — because bite risk is determined by socialization, training, and individual history, not breed — and it causes massive, unnecessary welfare harm by removing and euthanizing dogs who have done nothing wrong. The welfare cost falls on individual dogs and their human families: bonded animals are destroyed, family members are traumatized, and resources are consumed without producing public safety benefits. Evidence-based dangerous dog laws that target individual behavior and hold owners accountable achieve better safety outcomes without the enormous welfare cost of breed discrimination.