Abstract:

Dog bites are considered as one of the most important public health issue around the world. People got bitten by either abandoned or owned dog may have zoonotic, traumatic and psychological affects which threaten the public peace and health. Negative news about dog-animal interaction has been reported in a sensational way through media. As a result of this type of news, a public reaction was raised which compel policy makers to make legal precautions. Various dog breeds are described as “dangerous dog breeds” and are placed in banned-dog breed list. The breed-specific legislations limits the ownership and breeding practices of dogs which are described as dangerous dog-breed. The breed-specific legislations varies in terms of either approach, banned breeds or application of the legislation in local scale. However, the effectiveness of the breed-specific legislations are discussed by various platforms due to the fact that number of dog bites cannot be limited by this legislations. The concept of dangerous dogs, dog-breeds that are considered as dangerous and legal precautions that can be applied are varied among countries. American Pitbull Terrier, American Staffordshire Terrier, Staffordshire Bull Terrier, Bull Terrier, Dogo Argentino, Fila Brasileiro, Presa Canario, Rottweiler, Doberman Pinscher, American Bulldog, Bull Mastiff, Czechoslovakian wolfdog, Ovcharka, Napolitan Mastiff and Akita are the most dog-breeds that are listed in breed specific legislations, and their possession and breeding practices are limited and/or restricted. In Turkey Pitbull Terrier, Japanese Tosa are banned by the Animal protection law no: 5199, Article 14. Through the following years Dogo Argentino and Fila Brasileiro are included in banned dogbreeds with the statement of “breeds similar to those” and banned-dog lists were extended. Currently, animal advocates, dog owners and academics declare that banning of dog-breeds by legislations in general cannot limit the dog bites and due to the breed-specific legislations various dogs with a good temperament are euthanized. Therefore it is recommended to determine the temperament of dogs individually and increase the legal responsibilities and penal sanctions of the owners in order to prevent public health.

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