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02/02/2012 8:51:00 PM
Now will be increase the comfort for animals and humans, because of his age. This is to accept some of the pit of balderdash and aggression, but underwhelmed generally due to the abolition of some owners training techniques, and can absolutely be avoided, if the dog is properly trained.
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Gbcubed 02/22/2011 7:43:00 PM
Years and years of doing rescue work and I have been bitten 4 times. A shepherd mix, a border collie, a small combination of 3 kinds of yip yip dogs and a Golden Retriever, the Golden being the worst as I needed 3 people to pull it off my arm and a hospital stay. Some of them scared, some of them just nasty.
Gimme a pit, even an abused one, any day!
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former Denverite 10/22/2010 8:17:00 AM
Hey, "DD Dog" (LeChien-your fake name fools no one)- how about some pictures of someone who's survived a mauling by a Labrador Retriever? You know, the lady whose ENTIRE FACE was torn off by her family pet in France a couple of years back, resulting in the world's first face transplant? Or how about one closer to home - myself? Yep, mauled by a DACHSUND that dug under the fence into my backyard and attacked me. When I tried to shoo it out, it FLEW onto me, knocking me down and immediately ripped into my face, ripped up the tendons in my right hand when I tried to pry it off my face, clawed down my forearms with its back legs, tore into my throat with its teeth; all the while snarling as loudly and ferociously as a bear. You'd better believe I was terrified, and in pain, and have suffered physically and financially - the owners refused to pay the medical bills and didn't have insurance, as they were just renting - and I am scarred on my face, neck and arms for life, AND I've lost partial use of my right hand. A DACHSUND, Ms. "DD DeChien" NOT a pit bull. I assure you, my photos are pretty grim; I don't have money for plastic surgery. Oh, and by the way, Ms. "DeChien," I have no doubt I would be DEAD if not for my own dog that came running and threw itself between me and this horrible little terror. However, if I'd lived in Denver, my dog would be dead . . . he's a Staffordshire Terrier. He didn't kill the rotten weenie, or even injure it (the attacker was still in my yard when the cops got there and even turned on them) but he kept it off of me long enough for me to struggle to the porch to my phone and call 911. Thankfully, the cops immediately knew who the aggressive dog was by the way it rushed them when they entered the yard, and by the hole it had dug under the fence, and MY blood all over the Dachsund's mouth and claws and fur, as well as the bite and claw marks all over my dog's side shoulder and belly where he had used himself as a shield to protect me rather than fight this vicious little weasel - so much for "prognate" jaws, lady - this rat of a dog had a pretty wicked bite without muscles, or size. Viciousness comes in all kinds of packages - wonder what you look like. Oh, and BTW - I also wonder: just what's your stake in this? Oh, I forgot, you're a FICTITIOUS character, writing most likely for political/propaganda reasons. My bad.
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Verjean Lunenschloss 09/15/2010 6:35:00 PM
http://www.pitbullsontheweb.com/petbull/findpit.html
Maybe taking a test here a few times, will help. This test, more than any other I have found, shows JUST how difficult it is to identify a "pit" breed. Since Pit/Bully breeds share so many characteristics of the "mastiff" line of dogs...just about everything that is broad-headed, and square-bodied, solid, with a wide chest, is accused of being Pit. Boxers and Shar-pei are FREQUENTLY misidentified, especially if they are mixes. But anything with the massive body and head of the Mastiff, especially if bred down to a smaller type of dog, is automatically considered a Pit. Many of us who have been around these breeds for our entire lives have incredible difficulty identifying these breeds, especially when they carry "mixed" pedigrees or blood. How to identify one as being 50% or more??? Impossible. FOR EXPERTS! And you're assuming it "mostly" a kind of breed based on look. The dog may "LOOK" like a breed, but carry some other type of genetic code, especially in a mix. So because a dog "looks" like pit...if it's mixed with other breeds, genetically it's very possible that it is mostly something else. And genetic testing is neither practical financially, nor is it 100% accurate either. So, I invite you to take the test, and find out just how many NON-pittie and bully breeds YOU would kill mistakenly. And then let's rethink what we're doing. To see a mountain of dead dogs, that are dead for NO other reason than what they look like, is evil personified. And now we have admission, that even the "people responsible for the identification process" don't know what they are doing. This will remain a black eye for Denver for generations, even if it stopped now. The conversation must go back to dangerous "DOGS"....and not racial profiling of animals. I know of toy dogs, for example, a Pomeranian which killed a small, unattended, infant. Shall we outlaw ALL Pomerians, label them dangerous and baby-killers, and go door-to-door collecting them all? And euthanizing them immediately? Or shall we hold that one dog and the caretaker responsible? Common sense has completely left the building. At the turn of the 19th century in this country, by far, the majority of animals on farms and in the country, were either terriers or bully-type breeds, including the pit bull. A well-rounded, INTELLIGENT, friendly, athletic animal capable of performing ANY task on the farm, from pulling wagons, hunting vermin, herding cattle or sheep, protection of everything on the farm from large predators, and at the end of the day...a babysitter for the children. So what did WE do to such a "perfect" breed, which virtually everyone owned, and with which farms could not operate nearly as efficiently, and in less than 100 years...completely change it's image to nothing short of a terror from hell? The dog, the breed, hasn't changed. Humanity, and what it asks it to be, HAS. But, at the same time, there are many examples of these fine dogs, which have not been poisoned by humanity's baseness. So the breed is to be repaid by being killed en masse, for nothing but what it looks like. Regardless of what it IS!
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dmympls 09/15/2010 4:46:00 AM
Denver, you disgust me. I once called your city home but no one could pay me a dime to set foot in a place that slaughters innocent animals purely for the way they look. I refuse to go to a business meeting in your pathetic town. I refuse to attend a convention in your city.
You are sick, sad pathetic Nazi's. Educate yourself.
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Rod Kirkbride 07/29/2010 6:42:00 PM
Excellent articles regarding the pit bull 'dilemma'. Well done. If only the reporting in the UK were so unbiased.
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mk13 01/17/2010 7:00:00 AM
There have been cases where purebred dogs with papers were called pit bulls in places where there were bans. One case in the news invovled a purebred, registered, papered female LABRADOR RETREIVER.
Pit bulls are banned in that area. So the neighbor called in the dog as a pit bull because she and the dog's owners were having a dispute over cutting a hedge!!! Talk about dumb! If you're so stupid as to do something evil like that, you're worse than any dog!!!
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mk13 01/17/2010 6:46:00 AM
Anyone who thinks pit bull type dogs are bad CLEARLY doesn't have any brains what so ever.
And to the person who said that 'if if it looks like a pit bull that should be suffcient to have it labeled a pit bull'-YOU CLEARLY KNOW NOTHING about dogs. A Boston terrier looks like a Pit Bull and I seen CHIHUHUAS that look like Pits.
People like you are THE reason the world has gone to pot. Do anything, but don't admit YOU caused the problem! If you willing to blame a animal (aka a dog) when it does NOTHING, you are willing to blame person for no reason. You're the kind of person who would say so-and-so did such-and-such thing because you would think it's funny, even those they didn't do anything. I hope you disapear off the face of the earth. A*****!!!
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Kathleen N. 10/28/2009 10:39:00 PM
My family and I recently moved to Texas from Colorado. I volunteered for 4 years at Denver Municipal Animal Shelter where illegal pit bulls are held. They are wonderful dogs and I never met one that was "vicious". They were family pets that were scared and confused and couldn't understand why they were at DMAS. It was heart breaking.
While I do not like Texas it's very nice to go to the dog park and see pit bulls run free and play with other dogs. People are shocked and sickened when I tell them about the BSL in Denver. It seems to me that most people with half a brain realize that you need to punish the deed not the breed. Therefore, it goes to show that Denver's city council, Corey Nelson and other government officials do not even have half a brain. This is a witch hunt and Mr. Nelson wanted his 15 minutes of fame. Shame on all of them for being responsible for the deaths of all those innocent dogs.
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John 10/25/2009 2:57:00 PM
Denver repeal your ban, it doesen't work, it will never work and it has only led to the death of many innocent dogs, we've had BSL in England and Northern Ireland for 18 years now and dog attacks have gone up!
You've had it 2 years longer than us, its time to see sense and bin the ban!
Set an example for the rest of the world and let pit bulls be free from discrimination and a needless death!
Thank you!
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sherry moore 10/23/2009 8:26:00 PM
Thank you for writing this excellent article, it is by far some of the most well balanced journalism I've read about the disgrace that continues for Banned dog breeds in Denver.
This is not a DOG problem that we are faced with, it is a PEOPLE problem. It is WHAT is done to these dogs by humans that is the real issue here, and I think that's where Denver decision makers fail us all, but most especially, they fail the dogs who are being targeted.This is happening because they don't have any quick fix answers in how to deal with the "PEOPLE" who continue to latch onto these dogs and do horrible and cruel things to them to turn them into fighters and mean dogs. HOW do we stop that from happening Denver? If you ask me, that will happen by who we vote in as city council.
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Renee Dzamko 10/23/2009 8:04:00 PM
There are far too many breeds that have the same characteristics of the so-called "Pit Bull" type dogs. How can anyone be an expert since the three breeds of "Pit Bull" type dogs have been so watered down by backyard breeders? It's not your UKC or AKC show dogs that are being targeted.It's people's pets that have come from mostly backyard breeders that are being unfairly executed by cities stupid enough to believe that this will solve their problems.How can such college educated people be so ignorant as to the comments and laws they enact in cities such as Denver?Anyone from Denver city council is welcome to visit my rescue and meet my Bully dogs.I promise each and everyone of them,they willl not be killed or maimed by the dogs I rescue.On the other hand, they will be licked and jumped on just for some human affection.Cities like Denver,Aurora and Castle Rock need to eradicate the ignorant and racist people in their city council.And most importantly they all need to educate themselves about "Pit Bull" type dogs and dispel the myths.Ignorance breeds fear.These dogs are not to be feared,but cherished as the loving and loyal companions they are.
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NTCHBL 10/23/2009 7:06:00 PM
The ban needs to go. There is no such thing as a bad dog, only horrible owners.
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Jeramie Dreyfuss 10/23/2009 2:48:00 AM
thank you so much for covering this tragedy that continues in Denver no matter what anyone does. Thank God Dexter is alive and I think his owner should get his money back at the very least. I am the proud owner of a beautiful pit bull mix that was kicked out of Denver when the family moved there not knowing the family dog would be killed. This is the nicest dog I have ever known and Denver's loss is my gain. To think that Brandy would be dead but my other 4 rescue dogs who are beagles, labrador and German Shorthair would all be safe. One of those dogs is very difficult and it is not the pit bull. Thank you for trying to educate Denver and keeping this in their face. My transporter who brought Brandy to me from Yoder, Colorado had to go way out of his way to avoid Denver. He had a hard time believing that a city would take a dog out of a car and kill it. Shame on Denver. This is not Nazi Germany. Judge all dogs by their behavior and that of their owners.
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Alison Trainer 10/22/2009 11:52:00 PM
New York is packed with adopted pit bulls, and I've never met one who wasn't sweeter and more gentle than my Jack Russell Terrier. It's true that there is less of a margin for error when you are dealing with pits, or any other breed with very strong jaws, of which there are many. But the breed is not even remotely at fault here. Law enforcement could do a whole lot more to prevent dog fighting rings, I see the evidence of them in Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Queens neighborhoods and no one is doing much to stop them. These humans that breed and train pits to fight are the only criminals, and they should be nailed, plain and simple. If you are breeding pits you should be arrested, period. Also - it should be illegal to have an un-spayed or un-neutered dog unless you are a certified breeder, period. But again, let's prosecute the PEOPLE, not the dogs. Only a pit who has been terrorized will turn around and bite, and even after being terrorized, most of them remain sweet and gentle, in spite of the horror that some of them have been put through.
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Deborah 10/22/2009 6:28:00 PM
These anti pit bull laws are STUPID and INHUMANE. What ever happened to freedom including freedom to choose what kind of dog you want to own? We need to bring back freedom. Our laws should require owners to be responsible for their choice of dog. All dogs can be dangerous. More people are bitten by golden retrievers. We treat criminals better than Denver treats pit bulls.
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Sherry Vervaecke 10/22/2009 4:54:00 AM
Cities need to listen to the public and re think breed bans. Better to focus on "dangerous dogs" and their owners as individuals than to focus on entire breeds and mixes. Judge each case on it's own merit. Should an individual dog be an issue - deal with it and the owner of such an animal. Just as there is good and bad in humans the same can be said of our canine counterparts, which only makes sense to deal with the individual issues. Blanket bans do more harm than good. Too many innocent lives lost due to a poorly planned and executed policy. Expert "trained" evaluators who can't give a description of the breeds they are evaluating tells me that too many innocent animals have died. Shame on you
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Dolly 10/22/2009 1:37:00 AM
About fucking time!! This is the primary reason I left Denver after 30 years as a responsible home and pet owner. Rock on, Carla.
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Jade Dance 10/21/2009 11:05:00 PM
Having a breed-specific ban instead of strong, well-written dangerous dog legislation is nothing more than instructing animal abusers to pick non-banned breeds to abuse and ruin. It's not the dog, it's the OWNER!
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Diane Duffy 10/21/2009 6:13:00 PM
Even if Dexter did have more 'pitbull' traits, he should only be punished if he did something wrong. Euthanasia because of breed is totally wrong, morally! There are American Pit Bull Terriers working in Search & Rescue, there are APBT's in therapy work. Solve the dog bite/attack problems by making owners responsible for the actions of thier dogs!
Thank you.
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j caldwell 10/21/2009 6:09:00 PM
While many North American Cities are putting "pit bull " laws in place, many countries around the world are repealling such laws as they have proved to be in effective.
In far too many instances AC officers have proved to be completely incompitant in determing what breed a dog is.
j caldwell
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Sue 10/21/2009 5:56:00 PM
If the ban has been in place for TWENTY!! years and the city is still killing dogs, it looks like a totally ineffective but costly ban - a waste of money and a waste of good dogs dying for no reason!!!
Instead of killing dogs because of their appearance, the responsibility for bad dogs OF ALL BREEDS should be with the OWNER. Make the consequences high FOR THE OWNERS not the dogs.
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L Hill 10/21/2009 5:20:00 PM
Why do government officials keep trying to implement models like breed specific legislation that do NOT work?
Calgary, Alberta Canada targets dangerous dogs and has the lowest level of incidents in 25 years despite a rise in population from 600,000 to 1.1 million. The licensing compliance rate in Calgary is ~ 95% and the revenue from the licensing becomes Animal Services operating budget. More information on the Calgary Model can be found at: http://www.defendingdog.com/id38.html (this site includes links to the City of Calgary and sources articles)
I strongly encourage Denver to adopt the Calgary model rather than senselessy destroying the lives of dogs who are or resemble pit bulls.
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Britt 10/21/2009 5:19:00 PM
I have two wonderful friendly pit bulls; who are currently grand fathered after Aurora passed their pit bull ban. I just can't help but think these images look like some sort of doggy holocaust. I can not believe that cities have gotten away with murdering innocent dogs in such mass quantities for such a long time. In today�s society we are so politically correct when it comes to almost every aspect of our lives, yet we let this poor specific breed fall by the wayside and be killed with no recourse or consequences for the actions of the people involved. I own my home in Aurora and would love to be able to sale and move else where, but with housing prices where they are it would be to financially challenging. So I am forced to continue to pay to register my dogs. In essence I am financially supporting the destruction of a breed I have come to love and cherish. I will continue to rescue pit bulls as long as I can. They are a beautiful breed and the most loving kind dogs I have ever owned. Shame on all the people involved in such closed minded decisions based on fear and ignorance. I hope some day they will view this issue with as much compassion and reason as most of us see the rest of our lives.
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Coleen 10/21/2009 4:09:00 PM
DENVER: "Urban sophistication meets outdoor adventure in the Mile High City. 300 days of sunshine, a walkable downtown, thriving art, cultural scenes, and the Rockies as a backdrop, Denver offers the world's most spectacular playground. Come experience award-winning restaurants and one-of-a-kind neighborhood boutiques."
Hmmm....when I think "DENVER", I just automatically think, "oh, the place where they slaughter innocent family pets".
It is hard to reconcile the above quote from your tourism site with the photo of dead dogs I have just seen.
BSL does not work. Your AC officers are not even remotely qualified to enforce it. This unjust law is costing your city a great deal of money, but even more in lost reputation and good will.
Really, if you live in Denver, it is time to demand that this atrocity ends!
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linda barker 10/21/2009 3:31:00 AM
After owning Staffordshire Bull Terriers for over 30 years and having been involved in breed rescue in LA, CA and here in Knoxville, TN, I seriously doubt if I could tell you what percentage of breeding a mixed-breed dog is. To expect AC officer to do so is a joke!!! Even vets won't try and do that, and they're trained to treat dogs for all sorts of problems.
I would hazard a guess that most AC officers could even identify an American Pit Bull Terrier in a room full of dogs of any/all breeds or mixed breeds of dogs with any accuracy. To expect them to do so puts innocent dogs at risk and should create all sorts of mental conflicts for the officers involved, if they have any humanity in them at all.
L. Barker
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Jayne 10/21/2009 2:55:00 AM
REPEAL BSL...
There is no such thing as a "pit bull", so how can you identify it.
Time to go after the other end of the leash-the human.
BSL has been proven NOT to be successful anywhere, dog bites do not go down.
Denver has spent millions of dollars to kill thousands of innocent dogs, what a waste of taxpayer's $'s.
Get rid of Killer Kory Nelson.
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Erin 10/21/2009 2:34:00 AM
I think there are alot of dangerous politicians in Denver, nevermind the dogs.
Its time the people of Denver exercise their voting rights and boot these dangerous people out of office. Get fair, non-discriminatory politicians on board and let people enjoy whatever breed of dog they choose, provided they do so responsibly.
If the government thinks that we don't notice the slow errosion of our rights and freedoms, they are dearly wrong.
I was offered positions nursing in Denver and flat out told recruiters that I would never move there b/c of the breed ban, and I don't even own a "pittbull". Why would I want to live nad give my tax dollars to a draconian society?
Kory Nelson needs a swift kick straight out of Denver, to perhaps a deserted Island where he can't harm anyone.
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Angela 10/21/2009 2:20:00 AM
It's amazing to me that discrimination based on appearance still happens and is in fact the law in Denver. Judging by appearance instead of actions is just wrong, and since there is no scientific evidence or data to support this breed ban, it really is pure discrimination based on appearance. Thousands of dogs killed, not for doing anything wrong, just for the way they look. It needs to stop.
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Dirk Emde 10/21/2009 2:19:00 AM
These evaluations are all smoke and mirrors as it's not possible to tell what is in a mixed breed dog. These "tests" are done solely to allow Korey Nelson to say that not every dog confiscated as a pit bull is killed.
What is missed here is the fact that the whole exercise is completely senseless, as the breed of a dog is irrelevant. What needs evaluating is it's behaviour.
Mr. Nelson doesn't have a clue when it comes to dogs and this case proves it.
Shame on you Denver. You stink figuratively as well as actually. Will never come your way again. Dirk Emde
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Myra 10/21/2009 2:07:00 AM
I do not know what is wrong with the people in Denver. How blood thirsty and ruthless you must all be to put innocent dogs to death. It is sick and disgusting and your "experts" are inexperienced idiots!! It is unfair and unConstitutional.
I wouldn't move any where near Denver to live with a bunch of humans that think that dead dog piles are considered humane. Oh, I couldn't move to Denver anyway. I own a "dangerous" dog. A "dangerous" dog that is not only a therapy dog, but a service dog. Without this dog, I could not function and the "good" lol people of Denver would murder him. Outrageous!!!!!
Why don't you worry about people crimes? I know, why don't you find the group of humans that commits the most crimes and lock up that group of people. I don't care if they've commited a crime or not. Lock up the innocent ones too for they, later, may commit a crime or their offspring may commit a crime. Now, isn't that a ridiculous argument? Of course it is, so stop doing it to animals that love their family and would protect them from intruders, alert them to fires and make sure that everyday their family is loved.
How dare you people! Don't you have anything else to do?
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Karin 10/21/2009 1:36:00 AM
What an expensive joke this ban has been for Denver. How are they still able to find and kill "pit bulls" after such a long ban. Where is the evidence that it has accomplished anything except kill thousands of innocent pets based on the way they look. There should be a class action suit by owners not just one man with the testes to challenge the system!
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John Kincaid 10/21/2009 1:17:00 AM
Breed specific legislation does nothing to prevent dog bites. and as the article points out Denver's reliance on their so called experts makes there law very suspect
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Terri 10/21/2009 1:11:00 AM
whenever I read about someone hating something because of what it looks like it makes me think that we really have not learned from our past at all. The majority of dogs are amazing, that includes pit bulls. Years ago I was like some of you writing here, I wondered why anyone would want one. and then I fell for my first staffordshire bull terrier, included in this cities terrible ban. and what a dog.
I was looking for a friend for my three children, 8, 10 and 12 at the time. She was amazing, went on boy scout and girl guide outings (my husband and I were both leaders). She went to school as show and tell, do not remember how many times. she spread joy and love, but in your city she would be dead. Killed because she was muscular, short coated, broad head, short muzzled.
But that is just the outside, the dog inside is a dog, no matter what the breed.
My husband is a professional, I work in a government job and the three children are all grown and hard working members of their communities. The older two are avid skiers and snowboarders, but we will never visit your city, any of us. we will never spend a cent of our money in your city as long as this ban is in place.
Anyone that thinks looks are a sign of future behaviour is so wrong, have we not learned anything. This is the 21st century, and some of you are still thinking like they did in the dark ages, and that includes the fools running this city.
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Questioning 10/21/2009 1:08:00 AM
DD Le Chien? You dogsbite people really do have a sick sense of humour. Do YOU not THINK that SOMEONE would pick up that you are using the french word for dog? You SAY are from Denver? Yeah right! If you weren't lieing and calling for the death of innocent dogs one MIGHT think it funny. I am confident YOU do.
I would suggest the people of Denver LOOK very carefully at the bigots they have placed in office. Make a NOTE of their names and GET RID OF THEM.
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Tyson 10/21/2009 12:58:00 AM
It is sad to know that in today's day and age we are still discriminating based on appearance. Have we learned nothing? Every dog should be evaluated based on temperament and not the size of their head or the muscles in their body.
We cannot fairly say that killing animals based on appearance will make people safer when no measures are being taken to evaluate or control any other breed of dog.
People may feel better thinking Korey Nelson has helped Denver by encouraging the mass slaughter of dogs that are thought to look like "pitbulls" but all I see is a pile of dead dogs who never had a chance and it makes me feel terrible.
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10/20/2009 7:43:00 PM
This ban is horrific, unjustified and inhumane!
They are taking innocent animals from loving homes & destroying them based solely on what they LOOK Like! How do they not understand that this does NOTHING to protect anyone! This Ban is a HUGE smear on all of Colorado! I know personally thousands of individuals (Pit Owners & Non Dog Owners) who will NOT spend any time or money in Denver because of this exact reason. Its barbaric disgraceful and a waste of fiscal money & resources that could be better spent on a wide variety of avenues that would do so much to improve Denver, not dishonor it!
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Beverly 10/20/2009 6:37:00 PM
The breed ban(s) have gotten totally out of control, to include south of Denver at the Fort Carson military base in Colorado Springs. This discrimination, abuse, and death caused by �pet policies� is also being enforced on military bases across the United States.
Although I am not connected to the military, except to work in customer service serving them, I am aware first hand of the horrific seizures and killing of beloved family pets from our military families. I have heard from both the victims, and the military police enforcing the bases policies.
At the Fort Carson Army base the MP�s have gone to the living quarters of military families and taken their dogs (in the same brutality manner as the Gestapo) from the crying and wailing mother and children who�s father is serving our country in Iraq and Afghanistan. Even grandparents caring for their military grandchildren have experienced this disgraceful conduct by our government. All this occurs simply because of the breed of the dog. This discrimination is unacceptable and disgraceful and must be stopped immediately.
And please, let�s not forget, the patriotic soldier who comes home and his best friend has been seized and killed for no reason by his employer, the United States of America. Is this how we thank our soldiers? Besides "man�s best friend" is the best therapy in the world, and can not be substituted, for these warriors.
These abused families and military personal can not even relocate from military base to base with a long term family member dog, as is required by their job regularly, without having their dog confiscated and euthanized immediately. Even if the dog fell under the grandfather clause of one military base, as soon as the family moves to another base there are no longer under the grandfather clause (if there is one there) because they are now new residents to the new base.
It is common knowledge to those in the military and those connected to them that military individuals & their families do not have rights, even though they fight and sacrifice to give US the rights they themselves can not enjoy. It�s time to restore the military family to a whole unit with the rights and dignity to keep their pet dog companions - making their families complete again under these shameful living circumstances.
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Fayclis 10/20/2009 6:30:00 PM
Discrimination based on LOOKS is just NOT right, has never been right and WILL never be right be it placed on humans or canines.
What is important is training, proper socialization and temperament. Why are responsible dog owners being taken to task because of a dogs LOOKS?
I used to THINK that people with tattoo's were a little "off the wall". I have since changed my mind after meeting SO many wonderful people who "happened" to have tattoo's.
I used to believe the media hype about pit bull type dogs until I met a number of them also. I have since owned 3 and have learned to love and respect these dogs. My kids and now my grandchildren also love these dogs.
If WE look back in history woman who had black cats were burnt at the stake and declared witches. We thought all Germans were Nazi's. They were not and some took great risk to harbour Jews during that ugly time in history.
ALL people of colour were considered sub human in the early to late eighteen hundreds and suffered from ignorance right up until the late 50's early 60's. NOW we have a black president and one must ask HOW this happened. It is because SOME people stood up against bigotry, discrimination and profiling based on LOOKS when it was not the "in" thing to do.
BSL is America's WITCH HUNT of the 20th Century. Denver's dog bites have INCREASED since the ban. The golden retriever is NOW the number one biter.
Put the blame where it belongs. MAKE owners accountable and there will be LESS dog bites. It is NOT brain surgery.
The people of Denver that allow this should be ashamed of themselves.
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Jan Keith 10/20/2009 5:34:00 PM
Dexter's plight is only one of THOUSANDS that take place every year in Denver. The difference in this case, is the owner would not give up and exhaustedly fought to save his dog against the arbitrary, ridiculous application of a badly conceived law. Dexter was lucky, but thousands of perfectly safe, well-behaved FAMILY PETS have died because of this insanity. Denver is NO SAFER than it was before the pit bull holocaust. I know so many people who have given up visiting Denver, vacationing and doing business in the area because of this breed ban.
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Sherry 10/20/2009 5:18:00 PM
While living in Denver, my dog had a close encounter with the "evaluators" from Animal Control. My defense of my dog was based on the fact that none of the evaluators used no scientific measurements to prove that my dog was indeed a PitBull. Each evaluator came up with entirely different weights for his actual weight and size. I'm sad to report that Mr. Lopez was one of evaluators in my case. All three "expert" evaluators came to the conclusion that my dog was indeed a PitBull, even though he was much bigger than a Pit, had a longer nose and was much thinner in the chest.
After reading these articles, I am so glad that these facts are finally coming to light. Perhaps the Animal Control's "Reign of Terror" will finally end and our dogs can be vindicated!
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Paula Terifaj, DVM 10/20/2009 5:08:00 PM
Best Friends hired a company in NY to do research on the annual costs to enforce BSL based on the size of a city, it's population and estimated number of dogs. This information is available on their website by entering the State and City. Click on the link below and find that Denver spends an estimated $800,000 per year to enforce their breed ban!
How's that for fiscal responsibility when Denver is facing a historical budget crisis revealed in a letter sent to city employees by Mayor Hickenlooper last week?
http://www.guerrillaeconomics.biz/bestfriends/
Oh...and the cost of the dogs they have murdered � those innocent lives are priceless!
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howard 10/20/2009 5:01:00 PM
Thanks again Jared for continuing an honest report!
Please read here (http://cyanbsl.blogspot.com/) how we repealed the Denver ban back in 2004, where the judge declared that Animal Control had no 'Experts' to enforce a ludicrous ban! Not sure if you can dig up the court case, but basically we fought, won, and Denver found a loophole and brought the ban back. Sad that even after Judges and Law Makers agree its wrong that somehow it still exists! :(
Feel free to reprint my story and please contact the other groups fighting such as the pitbull band (thepitbullband@gmail.com) and www.denverkillsdogs.com to help our cause.
cheers!
Howard Margolius
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selwyn marock 10/20/2009 3:35:00 PM
I am amazed that the "self proclaimed war hero" K.Nelson,is he not the legal whiz kid that places this nonsensical law on Denver's law-books,was he not in court?
Sue the Denver Council for everything they have,they are nothing but Genocidal Maniacs.Evilness personified.
smarock10@yahoo.com
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cristina 10/17/2009 1:39:00 AM
my family will NEVER move to the city of Denver because of this ban. it is absolutely ridiculous! owners need to be responsible for their pets. ANY breed of dog is capable of being dangerous if the owner is neglectful or abusive.
as a former dog groomer (of all breeds), i have been in contact with numerous ill tempered dogs, and have been bitten numerous times... NONE of those bites were from a pit bull!
i remember a time when it was dobermans, rottweilers, akitas, or chow chows that were "dangerous." now it's pit bulls getting the bad rap because of the heinous acts of people. pit bulls are chosen by ignorant people to fight because they are a strong and muscular breed. this makes the fight longer and "better" for the spectators. the spectators and the people who run these events need to be prosecuted,facing fines as well as jail time. animal abuse and neglect rarely is the only crime these people commit. their crimes branch out to harming people as well.
don't punish the owners who are responsible and caring, prosecute the bad owners!!! where do we draw the line? what breed will be next to be banned? will it be your pet?
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Canuck 10/16/2009 11:04:00 PM
"....how about a picture of someone (a child maybe), who's survived a mauling by pit bulls?"
Hey D.D.
How about caring about anyone who is injured by ANY dog regardless of Breed/type/look?
Why the obsession with the Breeds called 'Pit Bulls' or dogs perceived to be 'pit bulls' by the Public?
Pick out the APBT
http://www.understand-a-bull.com/Findthebull/findpitbull_v4.swf
and the 'Pit Bull" mixes D.D.
http://nationalcanineresearchcouncil.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/find-a-bull1.pdf
Careful your bias is showing.
After all we want to be fair and balanced.
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Tracy Daly-Gutierrez 10/16/2009 9:43:00 PM
Congrats to Kevin O�Connell and his buddy Dexter. It�s a very good thing that he was able to pay the bail and then for a Lawyer. Do the authorities understand the emotional attachment people have with their animals?
BSL is so primitive! Are the authorities kill-happy? What is wrong with these "educated" decision-makers. You think they could have come up with License requirements to own specific breed dogs.
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Becca 10/16/2009 8:17:00 PM
Thank goodness Fort Collins is smart enough to know that BSL doesn't work. I sincerely hope that Denver gets wise to the fact that they are being worse than Michael Vick was. If his pit bulls can be rehabilitated, which they have, that proves that they are trainable dogs, not malicious killers - therefore, the owners are responsible for the dog's actions. REPEAL THE BSL!!! It does nothing but drive people out of Denver who love dogs and make the rest of the country look down on and even boycott the city.
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DD LeChien 10/16/2009 8:07:00 AM
Dear Editor,
I guess I'll be in the minority of your readers, or at least in the minority of those who wrote to say that they approve the ban on pit bulls and other dangerous breeds of dogs in big cities, including Denver. I read the articles and found them to be so one-sided, it was a chore to finish, starting with the eye-catching cover photo of the pit-bull puppy with the black eye and noose around its neck. It made for a cute picture, and summed up the tone of the article. Now for the other side of the story (you know, for some balanced journalism): how about a picture of someone (a child maybe), who's survived a mauling by pit bulls? How about a picture of one of those dogs hanging from a tree branch by the strength of its jaws to illustrate what those dubious status symbol dogs can do when they stop being cute, loving and cuddly and wrap their prognate mouths around your neck? And if you're going to pull at the heart strings with dead dog pictures, how about pictures of fatalities of maulings?
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Louie Sing 10/16/2009 4:33:00 AM
If the animal looks like a pit bull that should be sufficient. Pit bull terriers are mix breeds anyway. If people choose to keep a dog that appears to be a pit bull than that's just tough. I fully support pit bull bans due to widespread dog fighting and gang activities-they don't go into DNA analysis either. To sove this problem simply make an amendment if the dog is a pit bull terrier OR APPEARS to be one. Problem solved.
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Fayclis 10/15/2009 10:41:00 PM
IF the so called Denver "experts" got it wrong (and I would imagine that thousands of good dogs have been killed for NO reason other then looks) WHY does the Victim of discrimination have to pay?
Thank goodness THIS man had enough resources to STAND UP but upon WINNING the case, against discrimination and profiling, WHY MUST HE PAY?
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Seattle 10/14/2009 10:00:00 PM
The ban causes unnecessary fears which lead to this. This is also how Hitler got the people to believe Jewish people where "different" and turned neighbor against neighbor.
Witnesses said a La Marque police officer was driving along 5th Avenue near Walnut Street at about 7:15 p.m. Wednesday, after she helped a person around the corner.
The officer heard people playing and screaming, witnesses said. A 23-year-old woman and her friend were playing with a pit bull named Sugar.
Witnesses said the officer got out of the car and fired several shots toward the dog.
"The young lady started hollering and just at that time a police officer was coming down and thought the dog was attacking the lady," witness Dennis Wallace said. "I can't say that I would do anything different. The (officer) drew down and started shooting. I couldn't say I wouldn't have done that."
The woman's parents said one of the bullets hit the ground and fragments ricocheted, wounding her in the upper body. She was taken by helicopter to Memorial Hermann Hospital, treated and released.
Sugar was also wounded. The dog's owner took Sugar to a vet and it is expected to recover.
La Marque police declined to comment about the shooting, but said the 30-year-old officer has been with the department for about a year and a half.
The Galveston County District Attorney's Office and the Galveston County Sheriff's Office are investigating.
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Seatt;e 10/14/2009 9:48:00 PM
Studies of pre and post breed ban dog-bite-rates in the United Kingdom and Spain concluded that their pit bull breed ban had no effect whatsoever on reducing dog bites.
Italy recently revoked it's breed ban stating the ban had no scientific justification.
Germany has put so many of the dogs to sleep that it is often referred to as a "breed holocaust" in the media.
In fact, the army�s most decorated dog of all time, Sgt. Stubby, was a pit bull and is honored as a WWI hero to this day. In 1903, when the first car crossed the United States, a pit bull was in the passenger seat. And in 1999, when feds seized 3,075 pounds of cocaine in Texas in the largest border drug bust ever, it was a pit bull that sniffed out the contraband.
