To whom it may concern:

It has come to our attention that the UKC Breed Standard for the American Pit bull Terrier is being used for the identification and assessment purposes. Allow me to be clear is stating that this is a dangerous and erroneous practice. The Breed Standard is one tool in a rather large box chock full of years of experience, used by breeders and show dog judges. It is a description of the rather unobtainable ideal.

I have judged dog shows all over the world all my life and have never seen any dog meet the all the elements of any Breed Standard. I have been breeding English pointers, English Setters, and Beagles, all my life and even though l have attained more wins than most people dream of , l have never bred or owned a dog that has exactly fulfilled its Breed Standard.

The reason is simple, perfection in a living breathing living thing is impossible. It is also extremely subjective to determine. The reason the same dog doesn't win every show is a direct result of this subjectivity-each judge interprets the Breed Standards quite differently on a given day.!

The core of this concern goes beyond the obvious issues of fallacious interpretations of Breed Standards. The real problem, even if one could identify a Breed using a Standard (an impossible feat) is lumping one physiological group into a simple behavior group. Using the human equivalent , are all blondes dumb? Do all people of the same ethnicity act the same? Of course not. The same is true for the incredibility diverse canine gene pool, one that rangers so in scope that it includes both Chihuahua's and Great Danes.

If what we are reading is true, there are two issues of concern, both underscored by a misunderstanding of Genetics and basic dog breeding principles. The first is that attempting to identify a breed using a Breed Standard is impossible and useless. The second is that an individual dog should be held accountable for the individual actions. Breed Specific Legislation has never worked anywhere on the planet because of the impossibility of identifying a breed and assuming its behavior based on a written description . Additionally, it does not work because painting an entire group with one brush stroke based on physical similarities is a sure recipe for disaster. Punish the Deed not the Breed.

Sincerely