Kota and China:
Massachusetts, recognizing the value of dogs, in 1979 named the Boston Terrier the official state dog. The Boston Terrier is one of the few breeds created in the United States. It originated in Massachusetts.
Above and beyond their place as family companions and in traditional service occupations, dogs in Massachusetts serve in an ever-widening spectrum of therapeutic roles. The physical and emotional benefits to humans that come from relationships with dogs are now recognized and utilized by psychiatric facilities, assisted living centers, hospitals, schools and even prisons.
While serious attacks by dogs are very rare, the intense media coverage that may accompany such an incident can mislead the public and/or lawmakers into imagining that dogs pose a significant threat to the community. Sensationalized publicity, combined with a lack of understanding of the infrequency of dog attacks, and of their causes, has resulted in reactive and uniformed policies directed against certain types of dogs.
In Massachusetts, at least seven communities or cities (including Boston) have enacted breed specific regulations, in the profoundly mistaken belief that the appearance of a dog governs its behavior…or the the behavior of its owner.
The only dogs restricted in Boston and other areas of Massachusetts are those identified as ”pit bulls.” However, there is no documented case of a fatal attack by a pit bull or pit bull type dog in the state of Massachusetts over the past 44 years (since at least 1965).
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 of the importance of humane care and control of dogs, the enactment and enforcement of leash laws, and dog bite prevention education, have all been instrumental in lowering the number of reported dog-related injuries nationwide.
National Canine Research Council