Opinions of veterinarians in Turkey on aggression levels of various dog breeds and breed-specific legislation

Abstract

To reduce dog aggression against people, breed-specific legislation has been enacted in many countries that prohibit the raising of certain breeds or impose certain rules for dogs of these breeds. The aim of the study was to reveal the opinions of veterinarians on the aggression levels of dogs of various breeds against people and breed-specific legislation. A questionnaire targeting small animal veterinarians was applied via online or printed forms. Multinomial logistic regression analysis was applied to examine the relationship between the opinions of veterinarians about the prohibition/restriction of dog breeds and their opinions on the level of aggression of these breeds. While 29.23% of veterinarians approved the prohibition of dangerous dog breeds, 45.64% of veterinarians stated that dogs of these breeds should be restricted. However, 25.13% of the participants did not approve of breed-specific legislation for whatever reason. The Pitbull Terrier was the dog breed most approved to be banned (approximately 25% of the participants). It was followed by Dogo Argentino (15.17%), Bull Terrier (14.20%), Rottweiler (10.44%), American Staffordshire Terrier (7.74%), Japanese Tosa (7.69%), and Fila Brasileiro (7.63%), respectively. Perceptions of veterinarians about the severe aggression levels of Bull Terrier, Doberman Pinscher, Dogo Argentino, Fila Brasileiro, Japanese Tosa, Pitbull Terriers, and Rottweiler breeds are effective in adopting the “should be banned” opinion for these breeds instead of “should be free” (P < 0.05). As a result, veterinarians were of the opinion that individuals of dog breeds that can frequently exhibit aggression resulting in severe injury or death to the victim should be restricted instead of banning them. Furthermore, alternative methods focused on increasing the legal responsibilities of animal owners and educating society can be considered instead of breed-specific legislation.