“Princess,” rescued from a fighting ring in Dane County, is now a certified therapy dog.
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Above and beyond their place as family companions and in traditional service occupations, dogs in Wisconsin 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 . . . even prisons.
Wisconsin acknowledged the value of dogs in the lives of its citizens when, in 1985, it designated the American Water Spaniel as the official state dog.
While most people in Wisconsin understand the nature and value of dogs, the media spotlight on a dog attack can create the false impression that dogs pose a significant threat to the community. Sensationalized publicity, combined with a lack of knowledge about the infrequency and causes of dog attacks, has resulted in reactive and uninformed policies directed against certain types of dogs. At least ten counties, cities and towns in Wisconsin have banned or restricted certain types of dogs, most frequently pit bulls or pit bull-looking dogs, in the profoundly mistaken belief that the appearance of a dog governs its behavior . . . or the behavior of its owner.
There have been 14 fatal dog attacks in Wisconsin over the past 44 years, none of which were inflicted by a pit bull or pit bull-type dog. Attacks (severe and fatal) involving other breeds of dogs are ignored at the same time a community claims a need to restrict pit bulls.
Milwaukee’s breed specific legislation is one example of how an attack by a dog identified as a pit bull, and even an incident that does not involve an injury, can be chosen from among other canine-related incidents and offered as ”evidence” of a breed-specific problem.
While some local legislatures have enacted reactive, discriminatory breed specific regulations, the Wisconsin justice system has acknowledged the negligence of owners as the critical factor in severe and fatal attacks. Authorities in Wisconsin have successfully prosecuted negligent owners since 1996, beginning with the Calumet County man, a paroled double murderer, who was convicted of “negligent control of vicious animals” after his two non-pit bull dogs severely injured a 14-year-old riding a bicycle.
Today, dogs contribute more to the welfare of individuals and society than perhaps at 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, 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 nationwide.
Unfortunately, some communities in Wisconsin have chosen to value dogs based solely on their appearance, without regard to the significant contribution they make to our lives.
National Canine Research Council