There are a number of reasons why BSL fails to reduce the number of biting incidents. The main reason is the basic premise is fatally flawed. It is a dog's upbringing that determines his actions, not his breed. So, when one breed is banned or restricted, the responsible owners of that breed suffer the consequences and abide by the new restrictions, even though they've done nothing wrong. Whereas the irresponsible owners of those breeds will simply continue operating outside the law or move on to an unrestricted breed. Statistics show this is the case.

It is a people problem, not a problem with dogs. It is the kinds of people who encourage aggressive behaviors in their dogs who must be stopped. Some people raising and breeding dogs have no knowledge of ethical breeding practices, nor any experience training dogs.

A fatal dog attack is always the culmination of past and present events that include the following: inherited and learned behaviors, genetics, breeding, socialization, function of the dog, physical condition and size of the dog, reproductive status of dog, popularity of the breed, individual temperament, environmental stresses, owner responsibility, victim behavior, victim size and physical condition, timing and misfortune.

While many circumstances may contribute to a fatal dog attack, the following three factors appear to play a critical role in the display of canine aggression towards humans:

• Function of the dog – This includes dogs acquired for fighting, guarding/protection or image enhancement.
• Owner responsibility – This includes dogs allowed to roam loose, chained dogs, dogs and/or children left unsupervised, dogs permitted or encouraged to behave aggressively, and animal neglect and/or abuse.
• Reproductive status of the dog – This includes unaltered males dogs, bitches with puppies, and children coming between male dog and female dog in estrus.

Previous about Understanding Breed-Specific Legislation.