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In many cases, breed-specific laws force animal control officers to become experts in breed identification to determine if a particular dog is on the regulated breeds list.
Some communities have tried to define a dangerous dog as any dog ​​that exhibits certain specific physical characteristics.
Both approaches ultimately focus on appearance over behavior – and unsurprisingly, both often result in vague or imprecise identification.
In November 2020, Denver residents voted to lift their city’s 30-year-old race ban. Previously, it was estimated that animal control officers were doing up to six breed identification assessments per week – time that could have been spent focusing on real animal control issues.
Breed-specific laws also add increased costs to the community when owners drop pets at local animal shelters because they are no longer allowed to own them or cannot comply with the stringent new regulations.
In many cases, the owner is forced to choose between moving to another city or not having a pet.
As a result, many dogs end up in urban animal shelters, where they must be housed and / or euthanized at taxpayers’ expense, rather than staying in loving homes. Denver’s breed-specific laws are costing the city $ 6 million a year to implement.
