Breed-specific legislation (BSL) targeting dog breeds creates welfare harms for affected dogs through seizure, long-term kenneling, and euthanasia without evidence of improved public safety.
BSL causes direct welfare harm to individual dogs through seizure from loving homes, extended kennel confinement, and often euthanasia - not for any aggressive act but for their appearance. Dogs confined in kennels for months or years while legal proceedings continue show behavioral deterioration, increased anxiety, and reduced adoptability. The welfare harm falls disproportionately on dogs owned by people without resources to mount legal challenges. Beyond individual cases, the policy fails the welfare goal of reducing dog bites, meaning the welfare harm imposed on individual dogs produces no safety benefit that would justify it. Behavior-based approaches protect both public safety and dog welfare more effectively.