Featured in the news on bing.com is the sensational story of a mother who bit off the ear of a pit bull that was savagely attacking her 2-year-old daughter. Article headline: "The mother acted on pure instinct when she punched the dog in the mouth and bit its ear when it attacked her little girl... both mother and daughter are recovering and the brutal beast is been suppressed" (nydailynews.com) . This “wild beast” is the criminal and the mother is undoubtedly a heroine. There is no mother out there who would have done the same thing, however, the way this article explains the story is sensationalistic, the author clearly intended to demonize this dog. Stories like this have cast a shadow over the humble pit bull breed and have caused entire communities to take up pitchforks and push for legislation to outlaw the existence of the pit bull. Breed-specific legislation (BSL) is a quick fix to the public frenzy created after a dog attack reported in the media. However, the BSL is rapidly proving ineffective. Counties are finding that BSL is too expensive, provides the public with a false sense of security, and does not address the problem of animal abuse, even unintentional abuse by loving owners. Breed-specific legislation and dangerous dog laws are two ways states and counties address dog bite-related attacks. Dangerous dog laws regulate or prohibit ownership of a dog that has already shown signs of aggression or violence. According to Hussain (2006) “dangerous dog laws tend to be more effective, efficient, and address the dog bite epidemic by objectively examining a dog's previous conduct rather than making subjective assessments of viciousness based solely on breed” ( page 2). Breed-specific laws strictly regulate or prohibit ownership of a d...... middle of paper ......4, 2014, from http://www.americanhumane.org/animals/stop-animal -abuse/ fact-sheets/breed-specific-legislation.htmlDog bite-related deaths. (n.d.). National Canine Research Council. Retrieved April 26, 2014, from http://nationalcanineresearchcouncil.com/dogbites/dog-bite-parent-fatalities/Fact Sheet: Prince George's County Breed Ban. (n.d.). marylanddogfederation.com. Retrieved April 26, 2014, from http://www.marylanddogfederation.com/uploads/1/6/6/0/16605940/pg_fact_sheet_cost.pdfHuemer, A. (2000). Scapegoats and losers: the pit bull dilemma. The Animal Agenda, 20(4), 31-38.Hussain, S. G. (2006). Attacking the dog bite epidemic: Why breed-specific legislation won't solve the dangerous dog dilemma. Fordham Law Review, 74(5), 2847-2888.Medlin, J. (2007). Pit Bull Bans and Human Factors Influencing Canine Behavior. Depaul Law Review, 56(4), 1285-1320.