Thursday, April 5, 2012

Househunting and BSL

We're sort-of-househunting. That is, we're vaguely interested in owning a home (everyone tells us it's the time to buy), and I'm browsing the internet to get a feel for what's out there. There are a lot of things we want in a home, but there are only four things we need:

  • Affordable price (this is a no-brainer)
  • Safe neighborhood (another no-brainer)
  • Move-in ready (we're not the project type)
  • No BSL

Thing #5 - antlers


 The fourth one makes things difficult. Earlier this week, Malden, Massachusetts passed breed-specific legislation requiring "pitbulls" to be muzzled. Falling under the "pitbull" umbrella are American Staffordshire Terriers, American Pitbull Terriers, Staffordshire Bull Terriers, Bull Terriers, and mixes. The article didn't make it clear who gets to determine whether a dog, especially a mixed breed, is a pitbull, but in other nearby towns, the police officer or animal control worker decides based on physical appearance.

Good evening, officer. You're not here to take my donut, are you?


As if being first-time home buyers wasn't daunting enough, we now have to do additional research not only on which towns have BSL, but also on which towns are considering BSL. Ultimately, there's no way of knowing where BSL will strike in the 5 years, or even the next 5 months. Now, I know that life is full of surprises, some of them nasty, and no matter how hard I try to keep my family safe (this includes Badger and Mushroom), accidents can still happen. But it's absolutely terrible that things that are supposed to keep us safe (laws) and people who are supposed to keep us safe (police, lawmakers) are actively making things less safe for us (BSL). (Off topic: This is how I feel about racial profiling of people as well.)

When I learned that Lowell, Boston, and several other towns in Massachusetts had BSL, I thought to myself, "We just won't go into those towns." But today I realized that ignoring or running away from BSL is not going to make it go away. I've been reluctant to call my dogs "pitbull mixes" to my friends, coworkers, or even strangers that we meet on walks because I'm afraid of negative reactions. But in keeping my dogs "in the closet", I've also passed up opportunities to bust stereotypes and educate. So from now on, if someone stops me in the street to ask what Badger and Mushroom are, I'll say they're pitbull mixes. We might not change enough minds to stop the spread of BSL, but it's worth trying.

Is "hungry" a dog breed?

8 comments:

  1. We are looking to buy now also! I was also worried about BSL but I found out that as of right now it is illegal to ban any type of dog in Oklahoma. We've had a few cities try and fail. This state may be extremely backwards sometimes but this is something I'm extremely thankful for. Now we just have to watch out for Home Owners' Associations...

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    1. I recall that Texas also has laws that make breed bans illegal. Maybe it's related to the 2nd amendment in a way I'm not aware of.

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    2. Yeah the idea is kind of similar in that guns can be dangerous in the wrong hands like pits but they can also be owned responsibly.

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  2. It's wonderful news to hear that you want to become a home owner. Bad news is the BSL (I also like to call it dog racism). Here in our little town there are no BSL laws. But that doesn't mean that one day they would put one on us. It's also sad that they could say that any dog that looks Doberman, Rottie, GSD or Airedale (which apparently have an aggressive line? Idk it's the person not the breed.) Which would mean I would have to sell my home & move somewhere else because giving up my dog is NOT an option. I hope you find a town & wonderful home that will accept you and your family. I also applaud you for saying they are pit mixes! I know it's been hard for you to say that.

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    1. Thank you for the encouragement (though I haven't been asked what breed they are since writing this post). There is no BSL in our town, nor have it heard it being discussed, but the trend is still troubling.

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    2. About 10 years ago we found out that our insurance agency had only one company that offers homeowner coverage in MA if you have a dog that is on the "dangerous breed list." The coverage is more expensive too. (I'm kind of glad we don't know what Maggie & Duke are, though she does have the flying nun ears.) I hope that as people become more exposed to positive pitbull stories in the media in the last few years that BSL will start to be phased out.

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  3. I didn't realize we lived relatively nearby, Maisie and I are in West Newton!

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    1. I used to live in Waltham, but we moved to the northern suburbs to be close to my work. I can't decide whether I'd prefer to live closer to the city (more places within walking distance) or closer to work (shorter commute = more time at home).

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