Pit bulls and other "banned breeds" in SAR

Konnie Hein · 11-17-2006, 07:14 PM

A teammate of mine and I were talking the other day about breed bans and how they relate to SAR dogs. The FEMA team canine coordinators and search team managers are aware that pit bulls and some other breeds are banned in various jurisdictions (particularly in hurricane-prone areas in Florida and along the Gulf coast). We've been told that a FEMA USAR certification will not allow us to circumvent any local breed bans. I have nothing against pit bulls (in fact I really like them a lot) but given the public attitude towards them and the breed bans, I'd never choose one for a USAR dog. It would be pretty darn disappointing to put a ton of time and effort into training a pitbull, only to be turned away during a deployment. Of course, in times of need, it seems to me any trained dog regardless of breed would be welcomed.

Anybody else have thoughts on this? For those of you doing wilderness SAR, have you run into similar issues?

11-17-2006, 07:14 PM	#1 (permalink)
Konnie Hein Bit the Handler View User's Photo Gallery Status: Senior Member Training: Search & Rescue Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Connecticut Posts: 907	Pit bulls and other "banned breeds" in SAR A teammate of mine and I were talking the other day about breed bans and how they relate to SAR dogs. The FEMA team canine coordinators and search team managers are aware that pit bulls and some other breeds are banned in various jurisdictions (particularly in hurricane-prone areas in Florida and along the Gulf coast). We've been told that a FEMA USAR certification will not allow us to circumvent any local breed bans. I have nothing against pit bulls (in fact I really like them a lot) but given the public attitude towards them and the breed bans, I'd never choose one for a USAR dog. It would be pretty darn disappointing to put a ton of time and effort into training a pitbull, only to be turned away during a deployment. Of course, in times of need, it seems to me any trained dog regardless of breed would be welcomed. Anybody else have thoughts on this? For those of you doing wilderness SAR, have you run into similar issues? __________________ www.youtube.com/focusedscenting

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