Lucey is alive thanks to Angie Cartwright, her loving owner who was willing to pay $168 for a Wisdom Panel MX mixed breed DNA analysis test. Animal control officers in Salina, Kansas were called out in response to a loose dog saw Lucey, "identified" her as a pit bull and took her in.
Salina has had a ban on owning unregistered pit bulls and mixed breeds that are predominantly pit bull since 2005.
This is why Breed Specific Legislation (
BSL) is faulty. Simply because Lucey appeared to be a pit bull, it was assumed that she was aggressive and deemed unacceptable to have in the city. She has no history of aggression and has never bit anyone and yet, animal control was very quick to turn her life upside down.
Her DNA was tested and it was found that she had a small amount of Staffordshire bull terrier-a little over 12% of the "offending" DNA. That's not enough for her to be considered a pit bull. There are a few breeds that are considered a pit bull, there is not an actual breed that is just called "pit bull".
“I was actually pretty desperate and I watch a lot of medical shows,” Cartwright said. “I said, ‘Do you guys do DNA testing on dogs?’ It was actually just a grasp (at a solution). We didn’t want her to go, we didn’t want her to be put to sleep. I was angry and upset, and I was just trying to find a different solution.”
I read an interesting article recently, showing that
BSL is failing globally. Many countries and communities are realizing that
BSL is not the answer and are beginning to hold the owners responsible for their pets behavior and lifting breed bans.
