Contested Meanings and Canine Bodies

Abstract

In the United Kingdom, the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 was a legislative response by a Conservative government to widespread public anxieties about risks posed by dogs. Breed specific legislation (BSL) was introduced as a measure to prohibit the breeding, sale and ownership of dogs bred for fighting and to impose restrictions in relation to other canines that were considered to be a significant danger to the public. The processes that led to this legislative intervention raised questions about the role of dogs in contemporary urban environments and the social identities of ‘dangerous dog’ owners. Much of the media coverage of dog attacks mobilized around concerns about a type of dog known as the ‘American pit bull terrier’, or ‘pit bull’, and dangerous dogs became intrinsically linked to debates about antisocial behaviour, social responsibility, the erosion of national identity and drug culture. In the years following the introduction of the Dangerous Dogs Act in the United Kingdom, criticisms from stakeholders on opposing sides of the debate have claimed that the legislation has been ineffective in addressing the problems of fighting dogs or in preventing dog attacks. Nonetheless, since 1991 the Act has provided a regulatory model that has been adopted in nine European countries, in Singapore and Ecuador, and in states across North America, Australia and Canada. While the detail of restrictions in each territory differs by degree, the spread of breed specific legislation suggests that the construction of dogs as risks remains meaningful across national and cultural boundaries.