Usually defining pit bulls as American Staffordshire terriers, Staffordshire bull terriers and American pit bull terriers, most of the proposed laws also include any dog exhibiting the characteristics of these breeds. Proposed measures range from prohibitions or restrictions on breeding to total breed bans.

The “dramatic rise” in breed-specific legislation is taking place at both state and local levels, said the AKC. Some states, such as Oklahoma, are considering measures that would repeal state laws prohibiting breed-specific legislation. State laws prohibiting breed-specific legislation also have been successfully challenged by cities with home rule, as in Denver. (In February, a proposal to repeal Colorado’s ban on breed-specific legislation was tabled indefinitely by its sponsor.)

Now the Chicago City Council may outlaw breeds that have been involved in several vicious attacks, despite a 2003 amendment to the state Animal Control Act that bans breed-specific controls.

Furthermore, owners whose dogs kill or injure people are facing stiffer penalties. In a landmark case for the state of Virginia, a dog owner in December was convicted of involuntary manslaughter for allowing her pit bulls to roam free and maul to death an 82-year-old woman, according to an article by the Associated Press.

On the heels of that decision, a Virginia legislator introduced a bill to make fatal dog attacks a felony. The Dorothy Sullivan Memorial Bill also would upgrade certain dog attacks that result in serious injury to felonies, instead of misdemeanors. The bill passed the Senate in January and resided in the House Committee for Courts of Justice at press time. [April 2006 PET AGE]

BSL ON THE TABLE Here’s a small sampling of activity on breed-specific proposals in just the first two months of the year: Illinois. House Bill 4367 would allow cities and counties to regulate ownership by breed. Los Angeles. The County Board of Supervisors in January approved a motion to draft a breed-specific ordinance that would impose breeding restrictions and mandatory spay/neuter of “pit bulls’ and Rottweilers. Missouri. House Bill 1686 would limit the number of pit bulls owners may have to two, and require all pit bull owners to obtain a state permit for each animal. The bill also would require owners to prove that the dog has been sterilized and to leash and muzzle the dog whenever off the owner’s property. New Jersey. For the third consecutive legislative session, the Responsible Pit Bull Ownership Licensing Act was introduced to require a special license for all pit bulls. It also requires anyone who owns a dog to prove that it isn’t a pit bull. [April 2006 PET AGE]