Pit Bulls Banned Again In Denver

[Global Paw]

DENVER -- It is once again illegal to keep a pit bull in Denver.The animals were banned by city ordinance in 1989, but a state law passed in 2004 prohibited the singling out of certain breeds of dogs.
The city of Denver sued and In December 2004, Denver District Court Judge Martin F. Egelhoff issued a ruling that the state law violated Denver’s home rule authority under the Colorado state constitution. Egelhoff ruled that the state could not impose such limitations on Denver.Last month, 150 Denver residents were sent letters from Denver Animal Control, warning them that the city planned to resume its ban outlawing pit bulls within city limits on Monday. More than one dozen dogs were confiscated Monday by animal control officers.City officials estimated earlier that there were about 4,500 pit bulls kept illegally in Denver before enforcement of the ban ended last April.Denver's pit bull law prohibits any person from owning, possessing, keeping, exercising control over, maintaining, harboring, or selling a pit bull in the City and County of Denver. A pit bull is defined in the ordinance as any dog that is an American Pit Bull Terrier, an American Staffordshire Terrier, a Straffordshire Bull Terrier, or any dog displaying the majority of physical traits of any one or more of these breeds.

[Crossfire Bulldogs]

any dog displaying the majority of physical traits of any one or more of these breeds.

I cannot even begin to express how angry breed bans make me!

PLUS....

Exactly WHO will be the so called qualified expert to decide if a particular dog carries "the majority" of physical traits?

[staffiemad]

i hate the law, it has no justice

[Ritz459]

OMG. That is terrible .

any dog displaying the majority of physical traits of any one or more of these breeds

So in other words....Boxers, Bulldogs, French Bulldogs, Mastiffs, etc. are now also banned. And like Crossfire said, who is going to be determining what has these physical traits? A really really dumb person could say that Blackie or Rose has Pit in them because Blackie is a thick built dog and Rose is brindle!
What really, really, really, really irks me is that these stupid people think that just because a dog has a big head, or has cropped ears, has good muscle tone or whatever, it makes it a dangerous dog that deserves to be put down. What ever happend to far laws that don't judge on apperence or breed!?!? They don't let people do that to people ("Oh, he is black so he must be a Gangster", or "Oh, he is Spanish so he must sell drugs", or "Oh he is white so he must be a murderer or a rapist".) why in the friken heck are they doing it to dogs? Wouldn't our history have shown that it isn't a races (breeds) fault but just the few bad apples in the race? UGH.

[WingedFoal]

Ha!! Many (not dog-smart) people think Bostons are a type of Pit, so they would be banned too!

[flyndog]

I read about that on one my listservs. It's too bad. The APDT convention was in Denver last September and attendees traditionally brought their dogs. Those with pits were pretty upset they couldn't bring their dog. Even dogs used in demonstrations were not allowed. The APDT and other groups worked hard to get the ban lifted. Too bad it didn't "stick".

[Rip's Girl]

Dogs are being confiscated and euthanized based on their breed... That infuriates me.

Breed banning will not work. If they ban Pits everywhere, morons will find another breed to prey on and soon that one will be destroyed as well.

The regulation of owning and especially -breeding- dogs is the only way I can see the "dog problem" getting any better.

This is really sad to me as a dog owner, since I see this as just one step towards banning all dogs.

[bigdoglover]

Next thing ya know it will be the Herding Group, since they "nip" at heels and might pose a "danger to livestock".....then whats next? I don't understand people, give them a pinch of power and they go crazy....they wouldn't be passing these laws if they had a Pit of their own!!

[calgal]

Our rights seem to continually be whittled away bit by bit. If things keep going at the rate it is now, it wont be many more years before we are a communist country. I can see banning dog fights, as it's protecting the poor dogs, but banning dogs is abominable!

[elegy]

Denver to re-examine dangerous dog ordinance

DENVER (AP) - Officials are reviewing the city's vicious and dangerous dog ordinance in what could lead to a proposal to lift the ban on pit bulls.

Officials said they planned to research laws nationwide and study alternatives aimed at penalizing owners for a dog's misbehavior.

"We will certainly keep enforcing the law, but as time goes on we will be looking at alternatives to improve our dangerous and vicious dog ordinance and come up with a model we can recommend," said Doug Kelley, Denver director of animal control.

Options include requiring a license or permit with strict stipulations for owners on how a pit bull is to be kept; requiring owners to carry liability insurance; and stiff fines for owners whose dogs are caught roaming freely.

"I'm not in favor of repealing the ban without an effective alternative," Kelley said.

Last year, a new state law prohibited cities and counties from forbidding specific breeds of dogs, but Denver won a court challenge of the law and resumed enforcement of its pit bull ban last week.

Since May 9, animal control officers have confiscated about two dozen pit bulls from Denver homes. Earlier this month, the city sent more than 250 letters warning owners to get their pit bulls out of the city.

Denver banned the breed in 1989 after a minister was mauled by a pit bull. A 5-year-old was killed by a pit bull the year before.

The city has received hundreds of letters and e-mails demanding that Denver lift its ban. A group of pit bull owners plans to present a petition with more than 500 signatures to repeal the ban at a City Council meeting May 23.

"The money spent on litigation, as well as seizing and impounding pit bulls, could be better utilized to focus on irresponsible owners and dangerous dogs of all breeds," said Glen Bui, vice president of the Washington-based American Canine Foundation.

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