Florida House and Senate Vote to Rescind Miami Dade County Pit Bull Ban

The tide has turned against breed bans, which almost always includes dogs referred to as pit bulls.

On April 20, a bill that would strip away the last remaining municipal and public housing restrictions against dogs deemed pit bulls in Florida, Miami Dade County will soon head to Gov. Ron DeSantis’ desk. House lawmakers swapped out the bill (HB 941) Republican Rep. Demi Busatta Cabrera of Miami introduced, substituting in the Senate version (SB 942). And House approval was overwhelmingly bipartisan the bill to remove the longstanding breed ban.

Gov. DeSantis can be a wild card – so it’s suggested that Florida residents reach out to his office to encourage signature on the bill.

Is this a pit bull? Who knows and the answer should be WHO CARES

Of course, today we know when the genetic testing is done on nearly of these blocky head dogs referred to as pit bulls, they are in reality merely mixed breed dogs. The bans are randomly profiling based on looks instead of what dogs really are. Besides, no dog breed is born inherently dangerous.

In November, 2020 Denver CO rescinded their ban on dogs referred to as pit bulls.

Today, breed bans are rarely enacted and more often rescinded. In great part this is because the bans really don’t minimize dog bites, which is why they were enacted in the first place. However, bans do increase the number of dogs wrongly euthanized because of what they happen to look like. When municipal shelters euthanize, there is a cost which taxpayers subsidize.

The Miami Coalition Against Breed Specific Legislation, has been working on this change for 19 years.

The city of Sunrise’s ordinance in Florida would not be allowed, either. Those rules, passed in 1989, define “pit bull dogs” as any dog that has characteristics as described by theAmerican Kennel Club orUnited Kennel Club for American Staffordshire terriers or Staffordshire bull terriers. And those dogs, according to Sunrise’s rules, must be securely locked in a pen or muzzled. The proposed bill, however, does not prevent cities or public housing entities from putting restrictions on dogs that have bitten or attacked people or domestic animals.

In Ohio, any dog called a pit bull (often by non-dog experts and without genetic testing) was automatically deemed dangerous, and that archaic law that was rescinded in 2012. Today, the reverse is true as 21 U.S. states now have bans against breed specific bans. While Miami Dade is the last major metro area to rescind its breed ban (assuming the Governor signs the bill), many smaller U.S. cities still have these unfortunate laws which don’t enhance public safety but play into unfortunate stereotypes.

While according to the American Kennel Club registration numbers, the French Bulldog is today’s most popular dog breed, in reality there are likely more dogs referred to as pit bulls, which means these dogs with this general look are America’s top dog, like it or not.