Our lawsuit to stop the Pit Bull Ban in Denver was just filed in federal court last week. Lead attorney for our court case is David Lane, one of the top constitutional lawyers in the region. The suit that has been filed has just three plaintiffs illustrating some of the constitutional violations, but more are going to be added. Our expert witnesses are all at the top of their fields ( the best canine geneticist in the country, experienced veterinarians and well-known animal behaviorists) with more to be added before the case is heard in front of the judge.
What you can do to best support our efforts is to send donations. As you can imagine, all of these witnesses and legal fees cost A LOT! More funding is needed to ensure we can afford to bring in every expert witness we need for the trial. The more factual evidence we provide, the stronger our case becomes!
If you can donate to strengthen our efforts, please send checks to the below address or use the paypal option located on our website:
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When we lived in Colorado, not a week went by w/o a pit bull attack on the news -- no exaggeration. There are so many pit bulls kept as family pets/attack animals out there, emphasis on the "attack" part. When we walked through our neighborhood, every house we passed with a barking dog, the dog was a pit or obvious pit mix. When a Dane owner moved in on the corner, we were stunned to see another non-pit in the neighborhood.
You can't train-out what's bred-in and what's more is that the pit owners we encountered were proud and happy to have a pit b/c it kept people away from their houses. They were encouraging a pit to be a pit, which is fine when those dogs are kept properly. The attacks on the news ranged family members being attacked to pit jumping six foot fences and attacking people and livestock, roaming around city neighborhoods as well as rural areas. If I can't walk my child down the street w/o being afraid of your dog, yeah. I'm going to support the ban. Sorry Colorado pit bull owners. You're on your own.
Posted by: Eden at April 19, 2007 07:53 AM (BDCWt)
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Eden,
I understand your feelings behind keeping pit bulls out of family homes, however, I feel it's a real injustice to kill well over 1000 dogs in Denver who
might possibly be a threat due to the actions of a few. Banning pit bulls does nothing but kill dogs and move the problems to other areas. It certainly doesn't address the real problem.
Pit bulls were never bred to be people killers. Their close relation, the Staffordshire terror, is called the "nanny dog" because of its excellent reputation with children. Plenty of dogs over the years have been labeled "vicious" or "aggressive" for a period of time, only to be considered great dogs in other years (see my
previous post for source). Pit bulls are just the latest breed to be added to that list.
Pit bull attacks tend to be disproportionately over-reported by the media (
Centers for Disease Control), while other types of dog bites go under-reported. These are the only reports used to compile statistics, and they are skewed. Canadian reports show that where Pit bulls have been banned (Winnipeg and Ontario) other dog breed bites actually
INCREASED (maybe it wasn't all Pit bulls doing the biting after all). According to the
Dog Bite Law Foundation, "Contrary to stereotype, retrievers, poodles, and other popular breeds are much more likely to bite people than Pit bulls or Rottweilers. They also, as a rule, do less damage."
Sending an a breed of dog to slaughter is not a long-term solution. But it's what would happen if every neighborhood started banning "aggressive breeds". You stated that bad owners are the problem - so lets deal with that issue and strengthen animal abuse and dangerous dog laws, instead of wiping out an entire breed due to hysteria.
Posted by: ensie at April 19, 2007 12:11 PM (6We+3)
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I don't think they're going to kill the dogs. I think they're saying "give them up or move out of the city." That was the discussion when I was there so unless it's changed...
Honestly, it wasn't a few well-intentioned, responsible dog owners who happened to have pits or Staffordshire terriers. It was a *lot* of people using the dogs as status symbols, gang symbols (if you're one of us, you will have a pit) etc. I don't think city council is attacking the real problem and I think it's a knee jerk reaction on all sides.
BTW: I had tried to make this comment on your next entry but I got errors. I do always get errors when I try to comment here but I usually get taken to an alternate screen.
Posted by: Eden at April 19, 2007 12:50 PM (BDCWt)
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Sorry about the error message, I was commenting myself and that may have thrown it off. There is a bug somewhere that causes the usual error - I keep meaning to get that fixed...
While no one is saying that all the dogs must be killed, that's what will happen if every city were to ban Pit bulls. The Denver law (and BSL in other cities) either aims to destroy the breed within city limits, or is moving the "aggressive dogs" to other cities, supposedly endangering other lives. All of which is pointless and does nothing to fix the dog owner problem.
I live in Tacoma, and I see a lot of dogs that are mishandled by people who shouldn't be allowed to keep the dogs that they do. Far too many people keep unaltered Pit bulls for questionable reasons. It's a significant problem. Fortunately, the city is working on better legislation to address spaying and neutering, corralling loose animals, and creating stricter licensing laws. These are the things that will make a real difference.
Posted by: ensie at April 19, 2007 03:12 PM (6We+3)
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I 100% agree with every word eden has wrote in her comment
Posted by: traci at September 29, 2007 07:43 PM (7e4lf)
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Im sorry I dont agree with eden i agree with ensie. Im sorry i got the names mixed up
Posted by: Traci at September 29, 2007 07:46 PM (7e4lf)
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Sometime during the nineteenth century, dog fanciers in England, Ireland, and Scotland began to experiment with crosses between Bulldogs and Terriers, looking for a dog that combined the gameness of the terrier with the strength and athleticism of the Bulldog. The result was a dog that embodied all of the virtues attributed to great warriors: strength, indomitable courage, and gentleness with loved ones. Immigrants brought these bull and terrier crosses to the United States. The American Pit Bull Terrier's many talents did not go unnoticed by farmers and ranchers who used their APBTs for protection, as catch dogs for semi-wild cattle and hogs, to hunt, to drive livestock, and as family companions. Today, the American Pit Bull Terrier continues to demonstrate its versatility, competing successfully in Obedience, Tracking, Agility, Protection, and Weight Pulls, as well as Conformation.
Posted by: Traci at September 29, 2007 07:53 PM (7e4lf)
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What is the status of the lawsuit today?
Posted by: nappy at October 10, 2007 04:06 PM (LK4/L)
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Hi nappy, I haven't been able to find any further information beyond the request in April that this become a class action lawsuit. If I do see anything else, I'll be sure to post it.
Posted by: ensie at October 10, 2007 08:16 PM (6We+3)
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Breed bans targeting ANY breed of dog do not work and only punish wonderful owners of the targeted dogs. How is this fair? Irresponsible dog owners who are the problem will either hide their dogs OR get another breed. When will officials and ignorant members of the public realize that it is not the breed that is the problem, but people.
Great website! Keep up the good work.
Well, find a site in support of pit bulls (or opposes breed bans) and you will find scoffers. I find it amusing when people who believe the media rants about pit bulls (or whatever dog they term to be the breed ban fad) speak as though news reports are factual. Journalist are looking for a story that will sell. This is why you never read about the lab attacking a neighbors dog and/or child. It is not that these events do not take place, but reporters do not think this events are news worthy.
Don't be deceived - all dogs in the hands of bad owners will - and do - bite.
Posted by: Faith at July 18, 2008 01:30 PM (4/HhQ)
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