Does Banned Breed Legislation Work?

In the early 1990s, a series of very unpleasant attacks on humans by dogs, some resulting in fatalities, attracted the attention of the media.

The government responded with what might be considered a knee-jerk reaction and breed-specific legislation, or BSL as it is commonly known, came into effect as part of the Dangerous Dogs Act.

Within this piece of legislation, four breeds of dogs are banned, including the Pitbull Terrier.

You might think that the action of banning these dogs considered dangerous breeds would result in reduced biting incidents and zero fatalities, but you would be wrong.