“Luke” is part of the Iowa City R.E.A.D. Program, which encourages
children to read. Photo: Adina Hemley/The Daily Iowan
Therapy, medical assistance, search and rescue, and reading-assistance are only a few of the many services dogs such as Luke provide to the people of Iowa.
Unfortunately, as Luke and so many other dogs like him perform their valuable, life-enhancing functions, the media spotlight on a dog attack can create the false impression that dogs pose a significant threat to the community. This type of sensationalized publicity, combined with a lack of knowledge about the infrequency and causes of dog attacks, has resulted in reactive and uniformed policies directed against certain types of dogs.
More than 50 counties, cities and towns in Iowa, more communities than any other state, have banned or restricted at least eleven (11) different breeds/ types of dogs, in the profoundly mistaken belief that the appearance of a dog governs its behavior . . . or the behavior of its owner.
There have only been two fatal dog attacks in Iowa over the past 44 years. Clearly, no dogs of any breed or type have ever been a significant cause of mortality there.
Today, dogs contribute more to the welfare of individuals and society than perhaps any other time in the history of the human-dog bond. Additionally, over the past three decades, increased awareness humane care and control, the enactment and enforcement of leash laws, and dog bite prevention education, have all been instrumental in drastically lowering the number of reported dog-related injuries in Iowa and throughout the nation.
Unfortunately, many communities in Iowa have chosen to decide the value of dogs, and their fate, based solely on appearance, without regard to the significant contribution they make to our lives.
National Canine Research Council