How would you feel if your devoted dog was discriminated against just based on his appearance? Dog breed discrimination is a real problem in today's society in the United States. There is always a huge amount of publicity hype when you hear about a dog attack. The first thing people want to know is what type of dog was involved in the attack. That dog breed is then labeled “dangerous,” silently forcing people to change their opinion of a certain breed based on the action of just a couple of dogs. Dogs are bred and born to praise their owners. It's in their blood. Based solely on their potential to cause serious injury to a person, the five most dangerous dog breeds are the Caucasian Ovcharka, Pitbull, German Shepherd, Rottweiler, and Alaskan Malamute (Josef, 2013). All these breeds have ancestors. For centuries, dogs have been bred for many reasons. Although it depends on the type of breed, many breeds were bred to handle livestock and keep them in good order. For a dog to handle livestock, it must be resilient in handling much larger animals. These instincts have been passed down from generation to generation until the dogs that many people own today. When forming your opinion on a breed, there are many factors to consider such as breed-specific legislation, the individual dog's background and media influence. Breed-specific legislation, otherwise known as BSL, is legislation that targets certain breeds of dog. Breed-specific legislation typically targets “dangerous” breeds. In the 1980s BSL came to the fore (Weiss, 2001). The number of injuries and deaths was increased and brought into public view. The race considered most dangerous at that time was... middle of paper... d. Dogs are programmed like any other mammal. As humans, whenever we feel threatened we tense up. We will fight for what we love and if someone or something hurts us we will physically fight to protect ourselves. The same scenario applies to canines. If a dog feels threatened, it will protect itself in the only way it can by biting, attacking or biting whatever is threatening it. Racial discrimination against dogs is a huge problem and many factors drive it. Such factors include breed-specific legislation, the background of that individual dog and the impact of the media. Canids are just mammals and can attack when they feel something threatens them. They are no angels, but with the right training and love, a discriminated breed has the potential to be a great dog and a loving piece that belongs in one's family.