Denver Pit Bull Ban
The Christian Science Monitor, which is usually full of crap, has a fairly well-balanced piece on Denver’s pit bull ban:
Even supporters of the ban, such as Councilwoman Boigon, say that the problem does not include all pit bulls. But they note that generations of breeding the animals to be fighters have imbued the dogs with unpredictable violent tendencies.
“This is a strategy we have for managing a breed that is being encouraged to be aggressive,” she says.
The Humane Society of the United States opposes breed-specific bans such as Denver’s because the organization says many factors, including how the dogs are treated, determines violence.
“Breed is one part of what can go into whether a dog will bite,” says spokeswoman Stephanie Shain, “but pulling out that one piece of five or six things just does not make sense.”
Statements by some city officials that indicate pit bulls are favored by drug dealers and gang members have also stirred debate that the ban unfairly targets minority pet owners.
“We hear that a lot,” Kelley said of the racism charge. “We get pit bulls from all over the city. Nobody is targeted. The majority of pit bulls we pick up are a result of people calling us.”
They also note that more than 150 dogs have been put down. These dogs were, in some cases, taken by force from their owners. And Denver also has a Doggie Underground Railroad to get dogs out of the city:
They have passed out flyers and made phone calls to inform dogowners of the rescue network and potential safe houses until dogs can be relocated. If an animal control officer comes to the door before that, owners are urged to ask for a search warrant.
Volunteers estimate they have driven or referred about 20 pit bulls to the Mariah’s Promise Animal Sanctuary, including Zena and Dias’s own pet, Gryffindor.
