4 months ago
(USATODAY) -- The Marine Corps has issued the first worldwide policy banning Pit Bulls, Rottweilers, Wolf hybrids and any dogs with "dominant traits of aggression" from all U.S. Marine Corps bases and housing facilities, according to Stars and Stripes.
Not everyone agrees with the ban, including the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. Marines with any of the banned dogs can get a waiver by Oct. 10 if their dog can pass a standard temperament test such as the American Kennel Club's Canine Good Citizen Test and the Delta Society's Delta Test. These tests includes items like being friendly with strangers, calmly submitting to petting and behaving well with other dogs. The ASPCS went to three bases in South Carolinda to do two days of assessments of dogs, according to this story.
Marines may prefer aggressive pets, according to the article., but the presence of children on bases often leads to aggressive pet dogs being abandoned. This ban could lead to more abandoned pets near bases.
The policy comes as more local governments and public housing facilities are instituting similar bans, said Daisy Okas, a spokeswoman for the American Kennel Club, told Stars and Stripes.
"We're seeing breed-specific bans pretty regularly," she said. "We're very against it. We look at how a dog behaves. It's a frustrating topic."
In order to keep a dog that flunks the test, families would need to move off the base.
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