Author Topic: Pit ban in Denver, Miami, Cin - what do u think???  (Read 18012 times)

Offline Saljen

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Pit ban in Denver, Miami, Cin - what do u think???
« on: July 25, 2005, 05:17:02 pm »
here is a story that was on the front pg of our newspaper thursday. has anyone else seen this? sorry if the topic over these specific laws has already been discussed and i missed it, but i just think this is horrible. it actually goes kind of beyond horrible, to me its rather TERRIFYING. that officials can come to our homes and take our dogs away from us and destroy them based on nothing more than how they LOOK? at an average of THREE A DAY just in DENVER? what on earth is going on??? and more importantly, what can we do about this? and if you want to see a very sad pic of a beautiful but scared looking impounded pit that goes with the story, go to http://www.lawton-constitution.com/ftpage/072105.pdf

Dogs in hiding — critics
blast Denver pit bull ban

DENVER (AP) — A few weeks ago, two
police cars and two animal control vehicles
pulled up at the home of Stef’ny Steffan
looking for her beloved 4-year-old pit bull,
Xena. Seven officers hauled the animal off
to the city shelter, putting her on death row.
Xena became an outlaw after Denver won
a court fight and reinstated one of the
toughest pit-bull bans in the nation. Since
May, more than 380 dogs have been impounded
and at least 260 destroyed — an average
of more than three a day.
Dog owners are in a panic. Some are using
an underground railroad of sorts, sending
their pets to live elsewhere or hiding them
from authorities. City officials would not estimate
how many people might be violating
the ordinance.
Some owners, like Steffan, have won a reprieve
for their pets with help from a rescue
group. The group got Xena released by
signing an affidavit stating that the animal
would never return to Denver. The group
took the dog to Mariah’s Promise in Divide,
an animal sanctuary that has accepted more
than three dozen pit bulls from Denver.
For Steffan and her partner, Gina Black,
leaving Xena 60 miles from home was a
lousy option but the only one they had.
“It’s safer than animal control. Safer than
keeping her underground — at least she’ll
be able to play now,” Steffan said. “But
she’ll miss us. We’re her pack.”
Denver is one of three major metropolitan
areas, along with Miami and Cincinnati,
to ban pit bulls, according to Glen Bui, vice
president of the American Canine Foundation.
Pit bull typically describes three kinds of
dogs — the American Pit Bull Terrier,
American Staffordshire Terrier and the
Staffordshire Bull Terrier. But Denver’s
ban applies to any dog that looks like a pit
bull. The animal’s actual behavior does not
matter.
City Councilman Charlie Brown said that
in his judgment, “pit bulls are trained to attack.
They’re bred to do that.”
Critics of the ban use words like “annihilation”
and “genocide,” and the city shelter
has received e-mails likening animal control
officers to Nazis.
“Breed bans are just a knee-jerk reaction
to something that happened in the community,”
Bui said.
Denver banned pit bulls in 1989 after
dogs mauled a minister and killed a boy in
separate attacks. The Legislature passed a
law in 2004 that prohibited breed-specific
bans, but the city sued and a judge ruled in
April the law was an unconstitution al violation
of local control.
Critics of the ordinance say that a blanket
ban on an entire breed is misguided that the
law should instead target irresponsible
owners and all dangerous dogs.

Offline pndlake

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Re: Pit ban in Denver, Miami, Cin - what do u think???
« Reply #1 on: July 25, 2005, 11:42:45 pm »
Well, we stopped prohibition when people finally realized that it didn't work, how can we stop this?  I hate stupid people, stupid cities and stupid laws like this.

Peggy
Peggy

Offline Joji

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Re: Pit ban in Denver, Miami, Cin - what do u think???
« Reply #2 on: July 26, 2005, 08:15:14 am »
I think education is the key - education for everyone, not just the folks who don't have a dog or who think all dogs are dangerous (and yes, I've met grown professional men who believe *all* dogs, in all sizes, are dangerous). Great ambassador dogs, the good-will dogs who love to be petted, who have their canine good citizen merit or who are simply fabulous and well-behaved, can demonstrate to uninformed people that dogs can be gentle, law-abiding ;-) companions.

Education for the uninformed future dog owner about puppy mills, BYB and irresponsible ownership.

Education for our community leaders so they don't shift into panic response instead of considering the problem's multi-sources and how to effectively address those sources.

Education for dog owners ... all of us are responsible for training, managing and controlling our dogs. It's not about us making others love our dogs. Some folks will never love dogs and that's their right. But regardless, our dogs should always be well-behaved and under our control - in the home and out. I've seen dog lovers admire their undisciplined dogs who jump and lick and pounce and overwhelm strangers with affection. The owners think it's great that their dogs love people, but to me, even though these dogs are friendly, that unruly behavior is unacceptable.

Education for our dogs, so they can be happy, healthy and long-lived companions.

JMHO.
- Teresa
If you think dogs can't count, try putting three dog biscuits in your pocket and then giving Fido only two of them. -Phil Pastoret

Offline RedyreRottweilers

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Re: Pit ban in Denver, Miami, Cin - what do u think???
« Reply #3 on: July 26, 2005, 08:27:58 am »
Education is absolutely key.

Good leash laws properly enforced are important.

Please read "THANK GOD FOR FOOTBALL" to see exactly where we are with the BSL in this country.

IT's time to organize and take action.
Redyre Rottweilers
redyre@carolina.rr.com
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Offline Nina

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Re: Pit ban in Denver, Miami, Cin - what do u think???
« Reply #4 on: July 26, 2005, 08:43:16 am »
We ALL need to take action one this, All of North America does( I'm from Canada :)) It is happening everywhere and it need to stop!!! Why should the animals pay when it is man that has done them wrong to begin with?? Stupid owners made them agressive, made them fight ect. It's not fair and needs to stop.


Nina
Nina and Tim
Calgary, AB, Canada
Harley(Lab mix)
Dilbert(Pyr mix)At the bridge
Jolene (cat)

Offline RedyreRottweilers

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Re: Pit ban in Denver, Miami, Cin - what do u think???
« Reply #5 on: July 26, 2005, 08:47:13 am »
Redyre Rottweilers
redyre@carolina.rr.com
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Offline Nina

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Re: Pit ban in Denver, Miami, Cin - what do u think???
« Reply #6 on: July 26, 2005, 08:53:17 am »
I am so in  ;D Let's kick some banning butt!!


Nina
Nina and Tim
Calgary, AB, Canada
Harley(Lab mix)
Dilbert(Pyr mix)At the bridge
Jolene (cat)

Offline Kirsten

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Re: Pit ban in Denver, Miami, Cin - what do u think???
« Reply #7 on: July 26, 2005, 09:36:00 am »
is thtat yahoo group really about not banning pits? it seems that it is about defeating legeslation that has more to do with puppy mills and such.  Can you explain the connection better for those of us that aren't up on the latest legal issues. 
« Last Edit: July 26, 2005, 12:59:31 pm by Kirsten »

Offline Kirsten

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Re: Pit ban in Denver, Miami, Cin - what do u think???
« Reply #8 on: July 26, 2005, 02:00:48 pm »
does anyone know of groups doing work specifically on stopping, or getting rid of these bans?  The big policy issues like the yahoo group posted above are super important too, but i also like working on more specific actions. I know san francisco was thinking about enacting a ban last time i was up visiting my parents. anyone who lives up there heard anyting about that lately?

Offline Proliant

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Re: Pit ban in Denver, Miami, Cin - what do u think???
« Reply #9 on: July 26, 2005, 02:31:10 pm »
Hi, I have had a problem with this just within the past week. I have a 9 month old American Mastiff puppy (140 lbs) who was almost confiscated by the police (and certianly sent to die) in Miami. For background - I live in Fort Lauderdale - about 20 miles from Miami. I went to visit my friend who lives in Miami and took my puppy with me - like usual. He was sitting up looking out the window when a police officer pulled me over and started asking about my dog. This wouldn't normally bother me (I have had lots of people ask me about him) but I couldnt help notice that he had his hand on his gun the entire time. Then when I couldn't provide proof of breed he wanted to have him impounded until a positive ID could be made (who carries proof of breed...?). This is all regardless of the fact that he had his tags (Broward County) and there was nothing to reason that he might be a dangerous dog. Luckily... we spoke to the officers' sergent eventually - after telling him to get his sergent or arrest me - because I was NOT giving up my dog, and the sergent agreed that Goliath was definately NOT a pitbull.

The point is that it shows how fanatical all of this can get.........

How anyone could confuse my dog with a pitbull is beyond me. Even worse is the fact that they are killing pitbulls by the dozens and 99.9999% have never done anything wrong or shown any inclination toward agression. I am far more worried about bad owners then "bad dogs".

Offline Joji

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Re: Pit ban in Denver, Miami, Cin - what do u think???
« Reply #10 on: July 26, 2005, 02:39:49 pm »
I don't know of any groups, but you may want to check out the AKC page for their dog-related legislation alerts. I just subscribed to it, so I really can't say how great it is, but from what I saw on their site (they have an archive), it looks comprehensive. I'm hoping it will give me a starting point for voicing my opinion. ;-)

- Teresa
If you think dogs can't count, try putting three dog biscuits in your pocket and then giving Fido only two of them. -Phil Pastoret

Offline Kirsten

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Re: Pit ban in Denver, Miami, Cin - what do u think???
« Reply #11 on: July 26, 2005, 06:31:17 pm »
stories like this make me want to cry.  especially sinse my pup is an unknown mix of breeds, so i could never provide proof of breed!  How could people think it ok to kill perfectly nice dogs just because they look like they might be a breed of dog that has occasionally been trained to fight.  it seems like the burden of proof here is turned totally upside down!!  i have to prove my puppy isnt a pit? and even then shouldnt they have to prove he is mean, or at least give me a chance to prove he isnt?

grrrrrr.......


Offline Kirsten

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Re: Pit ban in Denver, Miami, Cin - what do u think???
« Reply #12 on: July 26, 2005, 06:39:44 pm »
oh, i forgot to put in this... one of my favorite rescues.

they have all sorts of info about this issue, as well as information specific to california for us west coasters!

http://www.badrap.org/rescue/

Offline rockettgirl68

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Re: Pit ban in Denver, Miami, Cin - what do u think???
« Reply #13 on: July 26, 2005, 07:49:06 pm »
sorry to say but it wont stop with the pit it will keep going in denver till we the people stand up for our constituianal (excuse my spelling please) rights and tell the goverment we have had enough they are slowly taking our rights away one at a time they think they are beyond who they work for as pet owners we are going to have to force them to hear us to be honest i am seriously think to do what the men did a few years ago an angry moms i think it needs to be done for our furbabies before they are all gone there are more pet owners in this country then not we need to march on to washington to be heard as well as keep sending petitions to congress an our states
http://p2.forumforfree.com/furbabies.html
a place to talk about all your pets regardless what they are

Offline Phillips

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Re: Pit ban in Denver, Miami, Cin - what do u think???
« Reply #14 on: July 26, 2005, 07:58:02 pm »
AT BPO HAVE A DREAM   WHERE ALL BREEDS ARE WELCOME AND SAFE FROM THE HARM OF CONGRESS AND IRRESPONSIBLE BREEDERS, AND DOG FIGHTERS.
March on march on lol
Boxer slobbers from Dixie and Brutis