Profiling Has Gone to the Dogs

In states such as Arizona, profiling is making a comeback: People can be asked to prove their citizenship. As the granddaughter of immigrants, profiling of this sort troubles me. Even though I’m an American, I often describe myself as half-Italian and half-Lithuanian — basically, a mutt.

Unfortunately, profiling — and the unfair discrimination that results from it — isn’t limited to humans. Dogs, including mutts, are victims of prejudice, too. Canine profiling is alive and well in the U. S. of A. Yes, in America, land of the free, our dogs (who are not just our pets, but often our best friends) can be seized and destroyed simply because of their appearance.

Ironically, the target, the dangerous dog du jour, is as American as apple pie: the American Pit Bull Terrier.

Any short-haired, muscular mutt is at risk if the government deems him part “pit bull.” Banning any breed is inherently wrong, because it's based on false generalizations about the breed, and these laws are applied in arbitrary ways. The civil servants charged with carrying out the bans typically have no training whatsoever in breed identification. And, usually, they don’t do DNA testing to make sure your pup is one of the blacklisted breeds before confiscating and killing your pet.

Twelve progressive states have rejected breed discrimination by passing laws that prohibit political subdivisions or municipalities from engaging in canine profiling. Those states are California, Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Maine, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Virginia. President Obama voted for the Illinois law to ban breed discrimination back when he was a state senator.

Only one state, Ohio, currently mandates that all “pit bulls” are “vicious.” This year, State Representative Barbara Sears introduced a bill in the Ohio Legislature (H.B. 79) to repeal that deadly stigma. Tragically for the pets of that state, H.B. 79 stalled in committee. However, there is hope on the horizon. Last week, the language repealing the designation of "pit bulls" as "vicious" was amended onto H.B. 55, a domestic violence bill.  It passed.  Now it's up to the Ohio Senate to to act.  (If you live in Ohio, now is the time to contact your state senators and politely ask them to support H.B. 55.)

State laws, like the one in Ohio, are only one aspect of the canine profiling problem. Far too many individual communities have passed, or are considering, breed-discriminatory laws. Throughout the U.S., canines are dying because of these fundamentally unfair bans.

Like people, dogs are individuals. They should be judged on their actions and behavior, not their heritage.

If your city or town is considering a breed discriminatory law, you need to speak out. Best Friends Animal Society has a resource page that will provide you with all the information you need to get involved. Politics is not a spectator sport.

This is America. We need to act to ensure that every state legislature outlaws the profiling of people and pups. 

Photo Credit: Steph Powell