HOUSING

PIT FRIENDLY INSURANCE COMPANIES– for home owners, renters, and rescues
Friendly home owner insurance (Farmer's, State Farm)

*California only

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Breed Identification and Preventing Breed Discrimination in Your Community

 RESOURCES

Get the facts: Read about the historical trends of so-called “dangerous dogs” and find out how myths, the media, and politics have played a part in breed discrimination matters. – Download a copy of The Pit Bull Placebo,  by Karen Delise of National Canine Research Council

Determining the cost of breed discriminatory laws in your area - Fiscal Impact Calculator(the source and explanation of the methodology behind the calculator)

Surprising results of a research project developed to compare the best guess visual identification of dogs versus the actual DNA breed make up. - Shelter Medicine: A Comparison of Visual and DNA Identification of Breeds of Dogs by Victoria L. Voith DVM, PhD, DACVB College of Veterinary Medicine (The full version article of Dr. Voith's study on breed identification -Comparison of Adoption Agency Breed Identification and DNA Breed Identification of Dgos)

A look at how breed discriminatory laws hurt more than just the dogs. – Dog Breed Specific Legislation: The Cost to People, Pets and Veterinarians, and the Damage to the Human-Animal Bond, by Jane Berkey, President of Animal Farm Foundation, Inc.

Many homeowners’ insurance companies make underwriting and rate-setting decisions by
discriminating against breeds rather than relying on fact and rationality. Read about why this is wrong
and why legislatures have the right and duty to correct this unfair practice. – The Case against Dog Breed Discrimination by Homeowners' Insurance Companies, by Larry Cunningham, Esq.

POSTERS - TEST YOUR SKILLS

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Organizational Positions Regarding Breed Restrictions

The ASPCA weighs in on breed discrimination – Position on Breed Discrimination

The Platte Institute for Economic Research discusses why breed discrimination is a waste of money – Breed Discrimination is a Waste of Taxpayer Dollars, by Jessica Strutzel

The National Animal Control Association (NACA) expresses guidelines for defining dangerous dogs –
Dangerous/Vicious Animal Guidelines

The Department of Justice rules against breed discrimination for service animals –Final Ruling on "Nondiscrimination on the Basis of Disability in State and Local Government Services"

American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) addresses breed discrimination

The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) provides their position – Dangerous Dogs and Breed-Specific Legislation 

American Veterinary Medical Association presents a possible solution – AVMA policy  

The Dept of Justice Rules on Service Dogs prompting communites to repeal or amend breed specific laws --

American Bar Association Resolution dated February 14, 2011

Literature Reviews Tackle Breed Discriminatory Legislation

Ledy VanKavage, Esq. of Best Friends Animal Society addresses the faults behind breed discriminatory legislation – All Bark and Fiscal Bite: Are Breed-Discriminatory Laws Effective? 

A look into the history of breed discriminatory legislation practices – Pit Bull Bans: The State of Breed-Specific Legislation by Dana M. Campbell

A discussion on how DNA impacts breed discriminatory legislation – The Fiscal Impact of Breed Discriminatory Laws at the Dawn of Doggy DNA, by Katie Barnett. Ledy VanKavage, Esq. and Lauren Gallagher

Is there a difference among breeds and aggression levels that could be a valid rationale for concern? - Aggression and Dogs 

A professional study that reveals the idea that breed discriminatory legislation is based upon fear – Exploring the Bond: User of a Number-Needed-to-Ban Calculation to Illustrate Limitations of Breed-Specific Legislation in Decreasing the Risk of Dog Bite-Related Injury 

An offering of the reasons why breed regulations do not help to make safer communities – Attacking the Dog-Bite Epidemic: Why Breed-Specific Legislation Won't Solve the Dangerous Dog Dilemma by Safia
Hussain

A thesis on whether breed discriminatory legislation is warranted – An Exploratory Analysis of the Emergence and Implication of Breed Specific Legislation: Knee Jerk Reaction of Warranted Response by Niki Huitson 2005

Is there a disproportionate amount of blame being put towards dogs in the case of human safety? –
America's Blame Game Goes To the Dogs by Karen Delise of National Canine Research Council

Breed discrimination and canine profiling is on the rise. Pit bulls and other targeted dogs need our
compassion and dedication to challenge such practices, demand justice for the real victims, and make pet
owners responsible, rather than the dogs. - Justice for the Victims by Ledy VanKavage, Esq.

On the path to safer communities… ensuring dog-fighting is a felony taken seriously by the law and standing
up for the victims. - Dog-fighting Free Zones for All 50 States, by Ledy VanKavage, Esq.

A study of pet dogs in Spain published in The Journal Veterinary Behavior offers new insight. The study found that the so called dangerous breeds simply do not behave in differently than dogs in general.

The Dept of Justice looks at The Problem of Dog Related Incidents and Encounters.

Honoring Rebecca Huss (the attorney who worked on behalf of the Vick dogs) with The Excellence in Animal Law Award

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Alternative Legislation to Breed Bans

Additional Resources

Pit Bull Rescue Groups

 HB 997

Humane Education Programs and Organizations

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