Denver to re-examine dangerous dog ordinance (and they should)!
http://www.9news.com/acm_news.aspx?O...7-c589c01ca7bf
Denver to re-examine dangerous dog ordinance
DENVER (AP) - Officials are reviewing the city's vicious and dangerous dog ordinance in what could lead to a proposal to lift the ban on pit bulls.
Officials said they planned to research laws nationwide and study alternatives aimed at penalizing owners for a dog's misbehavior.
"We will certainly keep enforcing the law, but as time goes on we will be looking at alternatives to improve our dangerous and vicious dog ordinance and come up with a model we can recommend," said Doug Kelley, Denver director of animal control.
Options include requiring a license or permit with strict stipulations for owners on how a pit bull is to be kept; requiring owners to carry liability insurance; and stiff fines for owners whose dogs are caught roaming freely.
"I'm not in favor of repealing the ban without an effective alternative," Kelley said.
Last year, a new state law prohibited cities and counties from forbidding specific breeds of dogs, but Denver won a court challenge of the law and resumed enforcement of its pit bull ban last week.
Since May 9, animal control officers have confiscated about two dozen pit bulls from Denver homes. Earlier this month, the city sent more than 250 letters warning owners to get their pit bulls out of the city.
Denver banned the breed in 1989 after a minister was mauled by a pit bull. A 5-year-old was killed by a pit bull the year before.
The city has received hundreds of letters and e-mails demanding that Denver lift its ban. A group of pit bull owners plans to present a petition with more than 500 signatures to repeal the ban at a City Council meeting May 23.
"The money spent on litigation, as well as seizing and impounding pit bulls, could be better utilized to focus on irresponsible owners and dangerous dogs of all breeds," said Glen Bui, vice president of the Washington-based American Canine Foundation.
