BSL lifted in Holland

[MKane]

---"The Netherlands: BSL, breed specific ban lifted!

June 12, 2008 : 5:10 PM

Ban against pit bulls found not to work!

By Sharon St. Joan. Best Friends Network

In a major blow to proponents of BSL policies, Holland has lifted its ban on
pit bulls!

On Monday, June 9, the Dutch Minister of Agriculture, Gerda Verburg,
announced to the parliament that the rule banning pit bulls in the
Netherlands would be lifted. After fifteen years, it has been found that the
ban has been ineffective.

This represents a major victory for European animal advocates who have been
opposing this breed specific legislation!

The lifting of the ban came on the advice of a committee that had been
formed to re-consider the policy.

The ban had been imposed in 1993, as a reaction to the killing of three
children by dogs. However, as Gerda Verburg, pointed out, there has been no
decrease in the number of biting incidents during the fifteen years in which
the ban has been in place.

So the ban seems not to have served the purpose for which it was designed.

How the ban worked--or rather didn't work!

In place of this policy, the emphasis will now be placed on making sure that
local leash laws are being enforced and on education programs. By year's
end, spokesperson Koen Geelink said, they plan to have a system for expert
testing of any dogs who may have shown aggressive tendencies.

The policy in place for fifteen years has been known as RAD, which stands
for "Arrangement for Aggressive Animals" in Dutch. It targets pit bulls and
has aimed to eliminate dogs of the "pit bull terrier type."

RAD exempted purebred dogs that were registered in Holland, such as the
American Staffordshire Terrier and the Staffordshire Bull Terrier. The
policy was applied to non-registered dogs on the basis of their appearance
as being of the "pit bull type". These characteristics included a powerful
build, a square head, a pointed tail and a short coat. Genuine pit bulls
(American Pit Bull Terriers) are not recognized as a real breed in Holland,
and therefore they could not be registered as purebred.

Homes having a "pit bull-type dog" prior to 1993, were allowed to keep their
dogs, provided that the dogs were on file with the police, spayed or
neutered, and muzzled and kept on a short leash on walks.

In December 2000, Rottweilers were added to the proscribed list. They will
be removed from the ban as well.

When a dog reached the age of six months, he or she could be examined by the
authorities. If a dog who met the appearance criteria for being a "pit
bull-type" (or other more recently proscribed type, like the Rottweiler)
lacked a tattoo or a chip to indicate that he or she was a registered
purebred, then the dog was confiscated and euthanized. The owner was fined a
minimum of 120 Euros, plus any costs incurred.

Getting rid of a failed policy

Apart from the killing of innocent dogs that resulted from this misguided
policy, one of the criticisms leveled at the regulation was that there was
no behavior assessment of aggressive tendencies. This meant that of two
siblings, a sweet, friendly pup who looked more like a "pit bull type" might
be euthanized, while the other pup who looked less like a pit bull might not
be. The only standard applied was the appearance of the dog.

This, of course, goes to the heart of the problem with BSL policies, which
is that they are based on superficial criteria--the appearance or the breed
of the dog. Secondly, the assumption that killing dogs who may be aggressive
is the only way to ensure public safety is mistaken. Behavior modification,
sanctuary, or both, are just a couple of options for humanely relating to
dogs with aggression issues. The Netherlands is to be commended for doing
away with a policy which wasn't working and which cost dogs their lives.

The Netherlands is one of the countries listed on the World Animal Net
website as having model animal protection laws and policies. Many Dutch
organizations and individuals do a monumental job of assisting struggling
animal organizations in Spain, Greece, Romania and other countries. Dutch
groups send support, arrange adoptions for dogs and run programs that send
trained volunteers to accompany the dogs from other countries on plane trips
to their new adoptive homes in Holland.

Congratulations to the Netherlands for lifting the ban on pit bulls, which
had tarnished their otherwise outstanding record of kindness to animals!"---

[MarleysMama]

Glad to hear they lifted the ban!! Now hopefully people can proudly and responsibly own their dogs and show just how great of a breed they can be :D

Thanks for sharing!