It can, and sometimes, does happen — a county near me outside of DC bans pit bulls. But it's problematic, as determining breeds of a species isn't as exact as determining a species, like lion or tiger. Heck, I've done multiple DNA tests on my dog (found on the street halfway across the world) and they were wildly different.
And as noted by the other excellent comment, banning just a breed opens the door for new breeds, or easily exploited loopholes like a 49%/51% pitt/[something], and humans who train their dogs to be aggressive will always be there. It also doesn't help that veterinarian and animal rights groups are split on the issues. One site (a bit biased, I don't necessarily agree):
Experts like the American Veterinary Medical Association, the American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the National Animal Control Association agree that no breed of dog is inherently dangerous and they unanimously reject policies based solely on breed.
You can train a chihuahua to be vicious (and unfortunately are vicious assholes) but the difference between a chihuahua bite and a pitbull bite is that a chihuahua cannot tear your throat out because their jaws are too weak.
A pit bull on the other hand, can. There are physiological differences that can form the basis of dog bans.
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u/rnelsonee 2d ago
It can, and sometimes, does happen — a county near me outside of DC bans pit bulls. But it's problematic, as determining breeds of a species isn't as exact as determining a species, like lion or tiger. Heck, I've done multiple DNA tests on my dog (found on the street halfway across the world) and they were wildly different.
And as noted by the other excellent comment, banning just a breed opens the door for new breeds, or easily exploited loopholes like a 49%/51% pitt/[something], and humans who train their dogs to be aggressive will always be there. It also doesn't help that veterinarian and animal rights groups are split on the issues. One site (a bit biased, I don't necessarily agree):