“Don’t bully my breed” was a 2019 advocacy campaign against laws that classify dogs by breed instead of evaluating what an individual dog has actually done. Best Friends Animal Society and the International Municipal Lawyers Association (IMLA) promoted a breed-neutral, behavior-based model dangerous-dog law and asked residents to help persuade their local officials to consider it.
The campaign update recorded early engagement in Kansas City, Missouri, and Prince George’s County, Maryland. It did not establish that either community ultimately changed its ordinance, and it cannot be used as evidence of the current law in either place.
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What “Don’t bully my breed” meant
The phrase was the headline and organizing message of a Best Friends Animal Society campaign update published on August 26, 2019, by Ledy Vankavage. In that context, “bullying” referred to treating a dog as dangerous because of a breed label rather than considering the animal’s behavior and the circumstances of an incident.
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1Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems2Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute3Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsThe campaign’s policy position was straightforward: dangerous-dog rules should be breed-neutral and behavior-based. That means the legal question should focus on conduct—such as what an individual dog did, whether a person was injured, and the circumstances surrounding the event—rather than assuming that every dog assigned to a particular breed category presents the same risk. The 2019 update presented this as an advocacy argument, not as a finding that every community had already adopted the approach or that every existing law had been invalidated.
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Best Friends partnered with IMLA, an organization representing municipal lawyers, to develop model language for a dangerous-dog ordinance. They then sent a joint letter and the model language to nearly every community in the United States that had a breed-specific discriminatory law, urging those communities to consider the alternative.
For readers, the key distinction is between a policy framework and a legal result. The model ordinance was a proposed tool for local lawmakers. Sending it to a city or county did not itself amend a code, repeal a restriction, or change how animal-control officers enforced a law.
Breed-specific rules versus behavior-based rules
The campaign framed the issue as a choice between two ways of writing dangerous-dog policy. The comparison below describes that framing; it is not a survey of every ordinance in the country.
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| Policy question | Breed-specific approach | Behavior-based, breed-neutral model |
|---|---|---|
| What triggers official attention? | A dog’s assigned or presumed breed category can be a central legal factor. | The focus is the individual dog’s conduct and the circumstances of the alleged incident. |
| How is risk described? | Risk is discussed through a category applied to dogs that share a breed label. | Risk is assessed case by case, using behavior rather than a category alone. |
| What did the 2019 campaign seek? | Communities with discriminatory breed provisions were encouraged to reconsider them. | Communities were asked to use the Best Friends/IMLA model language as a starting point for breed-neutral rules. |
| What does the model language prove? | It does not prove that a particular local ordinance contained any specific provision. | It shows what the campaign partners proposed, not what every community enacted. |
This distinction matters because a model law has no automatic force. A city council, county council, or other authorized local body would have to review the proposal, follow its own legislative process, and adopt language before the model could become part of local law. The 2019 update did not report that final step in either of its examples.
Why the campaign used a model ordinance
Advocates often face a practical problem when asking a local government to change a law: identifying a concern is easier than supplying workable replacement language. The Best Friends–IMLA effort attempted to address that problem by pairing an advocacy request with a draft legal framework.
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The partnership also combined two different kinds of credibility in the campaign’s presentation. Best Friends brought its animal-welfare advocacy role, while IMLA was described as a respected and prominent municipal-law partner. Their joint letter gave local officials a specific document to review rather than a general request to “do something” about breed discrimination.
That strategy did not guarantee a vote or a change in enforcement. It created an entry point for discussion: officials could compare their existing provisions with the model language, identify differences, and decide whether revisions were appropriate for their jurisdiction. The campaign update’s examples show officials engaging with the materials, but they remain examples of reception rather than proof of enactment.
Kansas City, Missouri: early signs of engagement
In the Kansas City example, the 2019 update said an advocate was told that city officials had received the Best Friends/IMLA letter and model ordinance. The same account said many provisions were expected to be included in a proposed ordinance.
That wording describes a stage in the process, not a completed legal change. Officials receiving a model and considering provisions is different from a council introducing a bill, approving it, putting it into effect, or enforcing it. The update itself said work remained in Kansas City.
For anyone reading this example today, the responsible conclusion is limited: the campaign reached Kansas City, and the materials reportedly influenced discussion of a proposal at that time. To know what Kansas City law says now, a reader would need to consult current municipal code and official legislative records rather than rely on the 2019 account.
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Prince George’s County, Maryland: questions raised by council members
The Prince George’s County example followed a different path. The update said council members mentioned receiving the model ordinance and letter, then asked why the county’s local law did not reflect the IMLA language.
Those questions show that the model gave elected officials a concrete reference point for examining their own code. They do not show that the county adopted the model, repealed a breed-specific provision, or changed enforcement. The source explicitly characterized the work as unfinished there as well.
That distinction is important when campaign updates are shared on social media or cited in later debates. A question from a council member is evidence of attention, not a final policy outcome. The 2019 post should therefore be read as a snapshot of advocacy activity and local conversations.
What residents can do when a local law is under debate
The campaign’s direct request to readers was civic participation: “sign up to lend your voice for our pets.” The following steps translate that request into practical, nonpartisan participation without assuming that a particular locality still has the same proposal or law.
- Confirm the current issue. Find the latest ordinance text, hearing notice, council agenda, or animal-control policy for your city or county. A 2019 campaign update cannot establish the rule in force in 2026.
- Identify the decision-maker. Determine whether the proposal is handled by a city council, county council, board, or another local authority. Use that body’s official contact and public-comment procedures.
- Read the actual language. Look for how the proposal defines a dangerous dog, what evidence triggers a case, how owners are notified, and what review or appeal process is available. Do not rely only on a headline or a summary.
- Ask whether breed is doing the legal work. Request a clear explanation of any provision that imposes a restriction because of a breed label rather than an individual dog’s documented behavior.
- Request behavior-based alternatives. If officials are considering revisions, ask whether they reviewed the Best Friends/IMLA model language or another breed-neutral framework. Treat the model as a discussion document, not as a substitute for local legal review.
- Submit specific, respectful comments. Explain the policy change you support, cite the section of the proposed ordinance you are addressing, and ask for a response on the record. Personal attacks on officials or dog owners make constructive debate harder.
- Track the outcome. Save the agenda, amendment, vote, and final code section. A proposal can be amended, postponed, or rejected after an initial announcement.
These steps are useful whether you support or oppose a particular proposal because they separate the text of a law from assumptions about what it does. They also help residents avoid presenting a historical campaign update as proof of a current local rule.
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Questions to ask when evaluating a dangerous-dog proposal
Does the proposal evaluate the individual dog?
A behavior-based framework should make the animal’s conduct and the facts of the incident central to the decision. Ask what evidence officials must consider and whether the process distinguishes between different circumstances rather than applying one category automatically.
Is there a clear process for the owner?
Review how notice is delivered, when a hearing occurs, and whether an owner can challenge a finding. The campaign update does not prescribe a universal procedure, so local text must be read carefully instead of assuming that every model or ordinance uses identical safeguards.
What happens after a finding?
Look for the specific consequences written into the proposal and the conditions for lifting them. A policy can be described as behavior-based while still containing details that matter greatly to families, shelters, and animal-control agencies.
Who is responsible for enforcement?
Identify the agency or official who investigates complaints and applies the ordinance. Ask how staff are trained to determine breed, document behavior, and follow the required process. These operational questions can reveal differences between the stated policy and its practical administration.
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The update establishes that Best Friends and IMLA collaborated on a breed-neutral, behavior-based model dangerous-dog law; that they sent a joint letter and model language to nearly every community in the country with a breed-specific discriminatory law; and that advocates reported engagement in Kansas City and Prince George’s County.
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It does not provide a national count of breed-specific ordinances, a statistical comparison of bite rates, or a measurement of whether behavior-based laws produce better outcomes. It does not document the final legal status of the Kansas City or Prince George’s County proposals. It also does not establish present-day campaign activity or current law in any jurisdiction.
The post referred to Best Friends’ goal of becoming a “no-kill nation by 2025.” That was a historical campaign target expressed in 2019, not a current statistic and not evidence that the goal was achieved. Keeping that date attached to the statement prevents an old aspiration from being mistaken for a present result.
The campaign’s own warning about timing
Ledy Vankavage described the challenge of turning a strong model and a respected partnership into local legal change: “We knew the model was a great product and we definitely knew that IMLA is a respected and prominent partner, but sometimes these things can take a while to bear fruit, and our laser focus on becoming a no-kill nation by 2025 didn’t afford us the luxury of being patient.”
The quotation captures the update’s tone. It was encouraging readers to participate while acknowledging that municipal lawmaking is slow and uncertain. That is why the Kansas City and Prince George’s County references should be understood as moments in an ongoing process, not as completed victories.
How to use the “Don’t bully my breed” message responsibly
The slogan remains useful as a concise way to ask whether a policy judges a dog by a label or by documented conduct. Used responsibly, it can open a conversation about the design of dangerous-dog laws and the importance of individual circumstances.
It should not be used to claim that every dog of a particular breed behaves the same way, that every breed-specific law has the same wording, or that a 2019 outreach effort changed local law nationwide. Pair the message with the current ordinance, the relevant hearing record, and a precise description of the change being requested.
For advocates, the practical lesson is to combine a clear principle with usable legal language and sustained local participation. For readers checking an old campaign post, the lesson is equally important: distinguish an organization’s proposal, an official’s reported interest, and an enacted law. Those are three different points on the path to policy change.
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