I am outraged. Apparently Denver has just passed a law that makes owning a “pit bull” illegal. This law gives the city the right to seize and kill dogs based, not on bad acts or behavior, but purely on their appearance. I found this story through the blog A Stitch in Haste.
From the AP news story:
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…
The reason I find this incredibly arrogant and stupid is that no dogs are born mean. It is generally the fault of the owner if an animal, whether it is a pit bull or a chihuahua, is vicious or dangerous. Many dogs of the American Pit Bull Terrier, American Staffordshire Terrier and the Staffordshire Bull Terrier breeds, which are generally called “pit bulls” are gentle and sweet dogs. The other breed that often makes the news for being dangerous are Rottweilers. My friend has a Rottie and she is one of the sweetest dogs I’ve ever met.
Why should innocent dogs be seized and killed with no right to due process. Most of the dogs seized have not shown themselves to be vicious or dangerous. Why should innocent animals be blamed for the bad actions of their owners. While I agree that any animal that has proven itself to be a danger should be put down, but that is not what the Denver law states. It bases the ban purely on the appearance of the animal—Canine Racial Profiling if you will.
Politicians are often guilty of stupid and short-sighted knee-jerk reactions. This is one of the most blatant examples of it I have seen. I hope that the law is found unconstitutional and is overturned, and that the city of Denver is sued for compensation by all of the owners of the animals they have essentially murdered.
In the United States, there is a long tradition of innocent until proven guilty. If the same actions Denver is taking with regards to “pit bulls” was directed at people, the outcry would be enormous. Dogs have long proven their worth as both protectors and companions to their owners. That so many innocent dogs should be killed, for the sake of a politician’s need to be doing something, is tragic.
The real problem is the small percentage of owners, who either mistreat their dogs or intentionally train them to be vicious. These people are the problem, and this law really does nothing to deal with them. A breed-specific ban doesn’t prevent them from going out and getting another breed of dog, whether it is a Rottweiler, a German Shepard, an Akita or some other large breed, and turning it into a vicious animal. Will Denver eventually outlaw all the large breeds? This is political stupidity run rampant.
I partly agree with you here. It’s sad that dogs have to be taken away from their owners, even if they were never showing signs of aggressiveness, and be put away. However, the pit bull is a very specific case. While the Rotweiller is usually a peaceful dog and only becomes dangerous if trained to be so, Pit Bulls have a high degree of instability. The sweet little dog, even if not trained to be dangerous, can turn aggressive suddenly and attack a person, even his/her owner. Too many of these cases have happened already…
The Pit Bull was a race created for the sole purpose of having a violent dog, it shouldn’t have happened in the first place… To be sincere, I agree with the law, but I also agree that it’s a bit too much to snatch dogs from their owners and kill them…
The real reason I object to the law is that any dog—regardless of actual breed/pedigree—can be taken and killed if it appears to be a “pit bull” . The law does not require any proof of the dog’s actual heritage. It also does not consider the actual behavior and nature of the animal when being applied. There is no actual breed called a “pit bull” as I state in the article, but there are three breeds that are commonly referred to as “pit bulls.”