Cornelissen, J.M.R., & Hopster, H. (2010).

Dog bite in the Netherlands: a study of victims,

injuries, circumstances and aggressors to support evaluation of breed specific legislation.
The Veterinary Journal, 186, 292-298. Retrieved from
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1090023309003888

In this study, researchers worked to find correlations between dog bite incidents in order
to judge the effectiveness of breed specific legislation. The study emphasized that all dogs are
capable of biting and therefore the focus should not be on removing specific dog breeds, but
rather educating the public on dog body language. Additionally, their study found that eight of
the ten most popular dog breeds are the most common biters, so attempting to curb ownership
based on statistics would remove the most common pets. The article also places blame on both
dog owners and people in the public- dog owners for not being aware of their dogs abilities, and
people in the public for being ignorant of dog body language. This article is helpful because it
demonstrates the possible unintended side effects of breed specific legislation. First and
foremost, the data supports banning the most popular dog breeds which is impractical. Second, it
offers an alternative to breed banning, in educational programs from dog owners and non-owners
alike.