Challenging Denver's Pit Bull Ban
Posted by Megan A. Senatori, ALDF Volunteer Attorney on June 10th, 2009
The United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit recently released an important decision allowing a case challenging the City of Denver, Colorado’s pit bull breed ban to move forward. The Animal Legal Defense Fund was part of the successful effort.
The history of the Denver pit bull breed ban is long and complicated. The ban was originally enacted by the City of Denver in 1989. Shortly after its enactment, a group of dog owners and humane associations challenged the constitutionality of the ban. The case ultimately was heard by the Colorado Supreme Court, which rejected the challenges and upheld the ban. Colorado Dog Fanciers, Inc. v. City & County of Denver, 820 P.2d 644 (Colo. 1991). Since then, numerous other legal challenges to the ban have been mounted. However, to date, those challenges have been unsuccessful.
In Dias v. The City & County of Denver, three plaintiffs sued the City of Denver, the County of Denver, and certain officials in the District Court of Colorado under 42 U.S.C. § 1983 challenging the pit bull ban. In the lawsuit, the plaintiffs, all of whose companion dogs had been targeted by the City of Denver, alleged that the breed ban was vague on its face and deprived them of procedural due process, substantive due process, and equal protection of the law. The plaintiffs contended that since May 9, 2005, Denver has impounded and killed at least 1,100 dogs pursuant to the breed ban. The plaintiffs sought to invalidate the ban and recover damages for the expenses they incurred in moving out of the city to comply with the ban. Early in the case, Denver moved to dismiss the action. Without allowing any oral argument, the United States District Court for the District of Colorado dismissed the case. The plaintiffs appealed to the Tenth Circuit.
Before the Tenth Circuit, ALDF filed an amicus curiae (“friend of the court”) brief in support of the plaintiffs, highlighting for the Court the close bond between humans and their dogs. The goal of the amicus curiae brief was to stress to the Court the significant and important stakes the case presented for consideration. Under the breed ban, companion dog owners in Denver have been deprived of the companionship of their dogs for no other reason than the fact that their dog either was a pit bull or was perceived to be a pit bull. The Denver ordinance requires no showing that the dog presents a danger or risk to human safety in any respect. Rather, the ban is solely based upon the breed, or perceived breed, of the dog. ALDF does not support breed bans.
Last month, the Tenth Circuit issued its opinion which, among other things, reversed the District Court for dismissing the plaintiffs’ substantive due process claim at such an early stage of the litigation. The Tenth Circuit noted that the plaintiffs’ legal challenge to the statute was not controlled by the numerous other decisions rejecting challenges to pit bull bans. This is because the plaintiffs contended that although pit bull bans may have been justified 20 years ago by the then-existing body of knowledge, the state of science in 2009 no longer supports continuation of the ban. The Tenth Circuit noted that the plaintiffs’ claim found some support in the American Kennel Club and United Kennel Club standards themselves, which describe the American Pit Bull Terrier as an “extremely friendly” breed and “excellent family companions.” Therefore, while not ruling on the merits of the plaintiffs’ legal challenge to the ban, the Tenth Circuit reversed the District Court’s dismissal of the case and remanded the case for further proceedings.
Given the Tenth Circuit’s ruling, the case will now proceed in the District Court, where the plaintiffs will be able to present their case that the Denver breed ban is not rationally related to a legitimate government interest. In other words, the plaintiffs will be arguing that while protecting the public from dangerous dogs is an important goal, the Denver breed ban is an irrational way to serve that goal and, therefore, should be unlawful.
RSS
As the owner of pitbull, I can atest to their friendlines, their intelligence and their need for affection and close human companionship. Pit bull bans are ignorant, pointless and cruel.
Will someone please tell me all of the cities and counties in Colorado that have banned pit bulls? I have a relative who is going to move to Colorado and we need to know the areas that do not allow them. I used to think pit bulls were mean dogs but I found out that there are good and bad in all. This pit bull is THE SWEETEST dog ever!!
Does anyone know when the courts will be voting on this and if the public can have any say?
I am a pit-bull mix owner of five years and my dog is loving and wonderful. I am applying for jobs across the country and have some prospects in Denver. I wonder how this would hold up (Constitutionally we have the right to move from State to State without undue burden) if I were to move to Denver for a job? I don't think I can risk having her 'destroyed' to prove a point though.
There are no bad and dangerous dogs, only bad, mean, dangerous and criminal humans! If Denver bans pit bulls perceiving them as dangerous, why not ban drunks for killing people, gun owners, lunatics (particularly politicians), etc., etc., etc.
"Daddy" the pit bull is the balanced mentor dog used by The Dog Whisperer, Cesar Millan, when he works on cases of dog behavior issues. The breed is not the problem. The problem is how the so-called caretakers are taking care of the dog. Come-on Colorado politicians! Don't be so ignorant about this! Undo the mistake of banning the breed.
Pitbulls may be loving to their owners, but that doesn't mean they're not vicious to strangers or other dogs. Here in the Bay Area, where pitbulls are allowed, we see people and other animals attacked all the time -- sometimes mauled -- by pit bulls they're adoring owners refused to take responsibility for. As someone who's been chased and threatened by pitbulls when walking down my street or in my park (where I had to give up walking), I don't care if pitbulls are loving to their families. That's the problem with kennel clubs and dog owners -- the rest of the world doesn't exist when it comes to their animals. I'm sure many of these vicious pitbulls were very sweet -- to their owners. Pitbull owners blame the victims -- their denial is disgusting and outrageous. Allowing such people to have pitbulls is like giving mentally disturbed people assault weapons.
To Pit-bullied: I have to say that I don't think it is fair that you can say that you've had to give up walking in the park because you feel threatened by the pit bulls in your neighborhood. I am the owner of 2 pit bulls, and my dogs are not only friendly to my family, but also to people they don't know, who we encounter on our evening walks. And as a matter of making a point about the problem with the owners vs. the problem with the breed I will tell you that I have been attacked by 3 dogs in my lifetime, and none of them have been pit bulls. My brother lost part of his right hand protecting me from an attack by a german shephard, and those are what are used as police K-9 officers! Now I'll be the first one to admit that I never leave my pit bulls alone with my children, but that should go without saying for any breed. ANY BREED AT ANY TIME CAN TURN ON IT'S MASTER. The problem here is that pit bulls are targeted because they have the capability for more damage, even though they are far from the top of the list of aggressive breeds. I wonder if anyone stopped to think about the fact that Chihuahuas are more aggressive, before they decided to start sticking them in their purses?!? I consider myself to be a responsible pit bull owner. Both my male and female are fixed, so we won't run the risk of people getting our puppies for fighting purposes, I keep up on all their shots including rabies, and I keep them inside until it's time for a potty break in which case they are always on a leash anyway. As I have said before, I NEVER leave them unattended with my children, even though they are in their teens. All of these precautions I take, and my bulls are still targeted. And no one even realizes that my 3rd dog (a miniature greyhound) is actually way more aggressive.
Oh, and by the way, more than likely, the park is a public park and not YOUR park...
To pitbullied: I totally disagree with your contention that pitbulls are not to be trusted. Unlike their human counterparts, i.e. Michael Vick et al. Dogs are not untrustworthy. Virtually all the pitties that were horribly abused by this sociopath have been rehabilitated and have new homes. To exclude a whole breed, which by the way, is an ancient breed, because you are afraid means perhaps you should get some help from a good therapist to deal with your irrational fears. It is fact that most dog bites in the U.S. are not from pits. Rather, from a variety of dogs who have mostly been harassed by the two-legged vAriety. You see, people such as yourself spread fear and hatred like a wildfire out of control and then others pick up on it and pretty soon, erroneous beliefs become true and a breed, or people of color or religion etc. are not welcome. Not because of them, but because of you.
Pit-bullied - You clearly illustrate your ignorance just like that of much of the general public when it comes to dog breeds. In an ever-increasing number of alleged pitbull attacks, investigation has shown the the dogs involved were not pitbulls or pitbull mixes, but in fact completely unrelated breeds. Pitbulls, bull terriers, staffordshire bull terriers, and other similar breeds of dogs are not naturally human-aggressive like protection breeds such as German Shepards, Akitas, Rotts, Dobbies, etc. Additionally, the breeds most likely to bite humans are Chihuahuas and Yorkies not pitbulls. The problem with dangerous dogs are bad, irresponsible owners not any particular breed! There are good and bad representatives of every dog breed. I urge you to go visit a responsible pitbull breeder or owner. You will see how loving and sweet pitbulls are to all humans. Breed bans are useless! Punish the deed, not the breed!
In an ever-increasing number of incidents of alleged pitbull attacks, investigation has shown that the doggie culprits were not pitbulls or pitbull mixes, but other unrelated breeds. Pitbulls and related breeds are NOT naturally human-aggressive as are protection breeds such as German Shepherds. The breeds most likely to bite humans are Chihuahuas and Yorkshire Terriers. The problem with dangerous dogs are bad, irresponsible owners not particular breeds. There are good and bad representatives of every breed. Punish the deed, not the breed!
It's not a 'my dog does this' type of thing. THIS is a problem of the lack of owner responsibility, the apathetic council members, and their zealot city attorney (and the fact that he lends himself to 'other cities' to teach them to ban). There IS truth backing the fact that breed bans do not work. There IS truth that any dog can be responsibly managed. People need to be held responsible for the actions of their 'charges' be it a child or a pet. It doesn't matter what type of pet. Owners should be held strictly accountable and be slapped with brutal, drop them to their knees, fines should their pet be found uncontained or unleashed or out of voice control. Voice control, incidentally, is calling your pet and, regardless of what or where they are, they spin around and come flying back to their owner no matter what. MOST (I'd guess over 90%) pet owners have NOT got this much of a relationship with their pet. Most pet owners do not do the work involved in having off leash reliable animals. This wouldn't be a big deal if they'd keep their pets leashed. This is where fines come into play. It applies to all owners of whatever type of pet it is. YOU are responsible for what your dog does. YOU. Not the situation, not the dog. The right track for Kory Nelson and his lazy crew would have been to enact swift, financially staggering policy that would hold accountable the owners. They didn't. They banned a breed and it did NOT cut down on the # of dog bites in the city. It's lazy, it's bias. It's expensive. It's unfair policy. Most organizations, including the CDC, the AVMA, the AKC, UKC and the ADBA along with the AHA, and the ASPCA are against the idea of banning or restricting pet ownership based on breed. Indeed, the STATE of Colorado does not support the idea of a breed ban. Just so you know: Kory Nelson did not defend the city's right to BAN, he successfully defended the city's right to home rule so the ban Denver enacted was upheld. To you Kory and Council: Unless you can sit in a shelter room and watch dog after dog after dog be put to death for nothing more than having a square head, you should NOT have the ability to make such a decision. You are gutless and you lack soul. Karma WILL catch up with you. Thank you ALDF and keep at it! Kirstan Sanders (and, of course, the pit bulls).
d - I know it's a little late to respond to your post, but here is a link with the cities that have banned certain breeds in Colorado. http://www.understand-a-bull.com/BSL/Locations/colorado.htm I hope that justice is served one day and that the owners are held accountable, not the breed. My pit has been attacked 3 times by mini pinchers. All 3 times he shook his head and they flew off, meanwhile their owners got mad at me. Another instance at a dog park fight; my pit came back and sat by me while all the other owners struggled to get their dogs out of the fight. At the conclusion of the dispute, many owners came over to me in disbelief because they had feared for their dogs life (because they knew my dog would destroy them). Before we left they wanted to know why he behaved so well. TRAINING! Thank you to all the folks working to protect my kid. My grandma's nursing home thanks you as well.
To Pit-bullied: I challenge you to own a pit bull yourself to truely understand their sweet nature. "You don't know until you try". Watch the Dog Whisperer on National Geographic channel, Its Me or the Dog on Animal Planet, read breed specific books, spend some time with pit bulls to get a clearer picture. Please educate yourself before you make a sweeping generalization for the entire breed based on your experience in a park. You are entitled to your opinion, but make sure that its an educated one.
Well, I guess it's my time to speak about this a little. I am a dog man. Have always been one. I have game dogs, house dogs, horses, cats, birds, fish, and even turtles. They all live together. My game dogs go hunting with me (boar) and they are old world blood (fighting stock). This means, that they come from some of the best blood in the world, (colby, jeep, snooty, alligator). Now if I was a man who fought his dogs, I would say I have some of the best dogs for it. However, I don't. I live with my family in Calabasas (in Los Angeles county). I use them for boar hunting which one of my monthly activities. These dogs are left alone with my children, sleep in my bedroom (and the kids rooms), protect my house, love my family, and are just as much a family member as anyone else. All of my animals get along and love each other because we created that environment from the very point they entered my property. Aggressive behavior is discouraged. Tranquility in the house is rewarded. It's just that simple. So, bottom line, treat your animals as such and all will be well. Encourage agressive behavior and your result will be an aggressive dog. If you are a young teen or an adult who is insecure and needs a tough looking and acting dog to feel powerful, then you should be euthanized for your incompetence in the human race. To people in states that their dogs are taken away or have been taken from them: I sympathize with you greatly. If someone were to come to my door to take away any animal I own, you would have to do it taking my life, because you would be met with an arsenal. I would fight to the death before you would claim any one of my dogs, as it would be like taking a child of mine. From one dogman to another. Lord B
I know it's late to add to this post. But as a first time pit bull owner I have two of them. My two pits have never harmed me or anyone that I know in any way. My oldest pit Ceaser is almost two and he's wonderful with childern and he's never left unattended with them. Ceaser isn't dog aggressive towards other dogs either, nor is he aggressive towards his brother Bronx which he's only 8 weeks old. As a responiable pit bull owner, I socialize my puppies as earlier as four to six weeks of age, with people, childern, and other dogs and even cats and ect. So my point is, it's how you raise any dog, not just the pit bull breed.
I think that pitbulls are very friendly dogs. Ignorant people like Michael Vick are to blame. Ignorant people need to be punished NOT the dogs. I have 6 pitbulls and I can take them anywhere and I have no problems with them. They come into my house and play with my cat and they show no aggression. I am angry for what Denver, Colorado is doing to pitbulls and it needs to be stopped. We as pitbull owners need to stand up for the right of the dogs and fight against those who no longer want them living. Think about it if someone hit you and beat you everyday would you attack others or love others. Same goes for the dogs . If you hit a dog everyday any dogs they are not going to be nice. That goes for any breed of dog. Please as animal lovers help stop the punishment of the dogs and stand up for there rights.
To Missy Hamilton: Yes, any breed can turn on its owner. But there are few breeds that have the strength a pit bull does if it does decide to snap. On a more general note: While I totally agree that it has more to do with pit bull owners than the pit bulls (many of which I have seen on the news after maulings seem to be the type that can't seem to accept any responsibility), until we have some sort of system to completely remove irresponsible owners from the mix, I am not against the ban. They can be dangerous dogs in the right hands, let alone the wrong ones. Let me know when that happens, and then maybe I'll change my opinion.
Andrea, by that logic we should also ban cars, knives, guns, and over the counter medications as any irresponsible idiot can use these to harm other people. Would you give up your car because some people are irresponsible with them?
That logic is absurd, Andrea. ........I am the owner of a pit bull mix and i live in Denver. I moved here not knowing about the ban until it was too late to back out. I have to HIDE my best friend and drive an hour away to let him off his leash to run around!! This ban is rediculous. My dog gets along great with all dogs, children. He doesn't need a leash and is very well trained. I can't walk him down the same street I was walking down the night that my neighbor's chow bit ME!!!
I grew up in Denver for almost my entire life. During that time I worked at the Denver Humane Society and watched as they put every pit-bull they found in a cage a euthanized them only an hour later. No behavior tests were performed on the dog, no aggression screening. I was indifferent to pit bulls at that point in my life- no bias but I never thought I would want one. I then moved to Durango, Co where I reside now. The most beautiful boy I have ever seen entered my life on June 26th of 2009. He is full blood pit and we lovingly named him Cassisus. He is the light of my dark days and I can't imagine him being out of my life. Because of economic downturn, there are no jobs to be had in Durango, so myself, my fiancé and Cassius will have to move back to Denver. There is no way I will ever give him up and I am very angry that I cannot return to a city I was born and raised in with the dog I have the Constitutional right to have. This is not equal protection of the laws as Denver is flatly discriminating against pit bulls based solely on biased formed by legislature, I hope this case is ruled and the law reversed so I can enjoy my hometown with my best friend.
to anyone who has said they have been chased or bullied by pitbulls, take a look at this website to see if you can identify the pitbull, then you can re-evaluate whether you are qualified to identify the dogs that are "bullying" you. http://www.pitbullsontheweb.com/petbull/findpit.html also, as the owner of an extremely friendly lab dog, i can attest that we sometimes walk by people who start yelling and freaking out as we walk by, even if my dog is completely ignoring them or wagging her tail. people are ignorant.
Ignorance is bliss!!! First off, let me explain I am a victim of a dog bite, in fact I was 8 years old and attacked in my own living room by my loving Lab. Who was abused by my mothers boyfriend with an axe handle. I then since grew up with pit bulls other labs etc. I currently am the proud owner of a boxer, a rat terrier mix, a cocker spaniel and a pit bull/rottie mix. The fact is my cocker spaniel who is an ex show dog and won best of breed many years in a row is more aggressive at 15 years of age than my pit bull. My 12 week old rat terrier is more aggressive than my pit bull/rottie mix is.. in fact he is common for running and crying because the rat terrier hurt him. I have seen and rescued pit bulls that have been so abused one that had battery acid poured down its back and she thinks she is a lap dog. I have seen pit bulls roll over submissive to a new born baby being brought home. Any terrier breed including pit bulls needs to be properly socialized within the first six months of life. It should meet over 100 different people, be exposed to many sounds, placed etc. To be a well rounded animal. Proper health, training an home is what makes a good dog. I have been around wolf hybrids and many dogs all my life. I have been more scared of house cats than I will ever be of a pit bull. Common sense and approach to any dog you dont know is proper. It frustrates me with anyone who allows their child to walk up to my dogs without asking my permission. They do not know my dog. And for the person who posted they they have been chased by a pit bull .. i would imagine any dog would chase you. Animals sense feelings an emotions. If you show fear they want to know why. Standing your ground and showing alpha position is what is required. The dogs that turn are because they have not been shown their proper placement in the pack and in the human world. The history of the pit bull an terrier breeds ranges back to frontier times. They were often used to keep rodents away. Their breed is one in a million. My take on this issue is a socialably acceptable type of racism. Giving a blanketed stand point to put everything in a nice neat pile of BS!!! The bottom line is this breed has been exploited and the worse brought out in it. The same can be held true for almost any breed that has not been properly screened before allowing it to spawn. .... Perhaps the ban should now be carried to stupid people with a lack of wisdom so they could not breed more stupid ignorant people. Perhaps then those in the animal kingdom trusted to us would be far better served. Proper safety in approaching any unknown animal are as follows! 1. Never approach an animal you don't know without the permission of the owner. 2. Allow the owner to make the introduction. 3. close your hand in a fist position and let the dog smell you before you reach to touch it. 4. If the dog shows no signs of distress than you may pet the dog, cat, horse whatever. A close fist will in fact protect you if the dog does go to bite or any animal for that matter. In the end both sides need to wake up. Those that have any dog who are not really in tune with their animal should not have animals. And those walking around spreading half truths should educate themselves on what they speak about before they speak out of turn. Education and knowledge has always set things in the right direction. Animals are very much nature. but their behaviors can be modified to appeal to humans. It is all about properly educating yourself to deal with the breed you wish to own. And being consistant with its training and behavior.
I have two amazing pit bulls with the warmest sweetest temperament of any animal I have ever interacted with. This breed is amazing and misunderstood, as for the ban it's racist!!!
THANK YOU FOR THIS! I cannot find a place to live ANYWHERE in the metro area because of this ban. My pitbull is the most lovable pet i've ever had, and it's not fair for her or for me, as her owner. We get looks of disgust from people on the street for no reason at all and it's *NOT RIGHT*. The ban should be for AGGRESSIVE pets in general, on a case by case basis, not breed restrictions. I was almost mauled by a Rottweiler as a child, it's not right. PERIOD.
Anyone that owns and exposes the public to a pit bull or any other "aggressive" dog is a selfish, small-egoed, hateful, self-serving bastard. Plus, the type of person that owns these dogs are aggressive by nature. Why else would they seek out these breeds...huh?
Edster... before you start throwing out opinions, gets your facts right!! Most pit bull owners are quite the opposite from aggressive! That's why they are able to own a strong willed dog, and not have issues with them. Dogs look to their owner for guidance for behavior, if it's the right guidance any dog can be a great dog. Do you own a dog? if so what kind? Do you know the statistics are higher for Golden's biting? It's mostly because ignorant owners think "perfect family dog" means they don't have to train, or work with them. Did you also know you are more likely to be struck by lightning that seriously injured from a dog bite? Learn your statistics before saying certain dogs should be banned, or killed! All dogs can bite, especially if they're in the wrong owner hands. I'd like to know what kind of research you've done to have such a strong opinion. Pit bulls are great dogs! Did you know that most of Vick's dogs were rehabilitated, and are now living in homes with people? I bet not! I'll bet you can't even recognize a Pit when face with one. I'll even provide you with a link to see if you can pick out a Pit. Here's another interesting fact, as a child I was bitten by a Spaniel, not the pits I worked with in the shelter. Here's an analogy... the gun didn't pull its own trigger, the person holding it did! Here's the link, let me know what you find out. http://www.pitbullsontheweb.com/petbull/findpit.html P.S. There was a recent article about a Pit fighting to stay alive because when four other dogs (not pitts) attacked, she didn't fight back. My what a mean dog! Doesn't make sense does it? If you want a ban, don't live with one. I'd love to see the ban on Pits lifted, and a ban on ignorant people voting passed!
My beloved friend Cuervo Gold (who happened to be a "pit bull") passed away after 16 years. Cuervo was not only my best friend but was also a valued, trusted and loved member of our family. Never attacked another animal or person and was one of the most stable animals I have ever been around. I have always been a responsible pet owner and understand that any dog in the hands of an incapable, irresponsible or ill-intentioned person can be dangerous. I believe the Denver breed specific ban is not only ignorant but dangerous. The humans/sociopaths that could not be responsible to provide and care for a bull terrier will move onto some other breed that they won't be able to be a responsible for and then what- poodles will be banned. I love the city of Denver (mostly) I am however very ashamed that we have let the people who we put in office put such a knee jerk, half thought out law into effect. You know what's even more shameful- the punishment and fines that get imposed on the sociopaths who abuse, neglect and torture innocent animals. Not that Michael Vick didn't take a few lumps (not near enough in my book) for his atrocious behavior but I think there are many more Michael Vicks out there that get off much easier and with a lot less notoriety. Let's face it-any person that mistreats an animal is the worst of our society has to offer but we don't treat them that way. Instead we euthanize canines. To take this one step further, in the next election I will be looking at the people that I choose to cast a vote for to be smart and logical enough that they can decipher between hysteria and logic. Let's ban together against the breed specific ban and the nuts who put it into law.
I agreed to petsit what people tell me and I have come to conclude is an APBT. This was in like early May 2010. The guy I worked with, he was moving and couldn't hold onto Blue (who was 11 months old) during this time. He lived in east Aurora with Blue, unregistered of course because of BSL. I live in south Denver city and county and when I agreed to watch Blue I knew pit bulls were banned in Denver but I knew nothing specific about the history or the actual technicalities of the ban. Come to find out when I read the bill, it seems like you can't even VISIT Denver and bring your pit. The law is transparently ignorant but there's been enough said about that already. I have a wife and a 4 year old boy and before I agreed to watch Blue I read literature from various sources on pits and concluded Blue, with proper supervision and care, would be a great dog to have around for a few weeks. We knew Blue was very hyper, his owners let him tear stuff up around the house, they let him wrestle, and he only had one very small hard plastic toy that looked much older than he was. They lived in a small apartment and Blue only got walked for 15 minutes a few times a day. Not to mention before these owners Blue was born into an abusive household - I have no idea about his history in terms of his family tree so to speak. To this day he still flinches if you move to pet him too fast... So I knew what I was getting myself into from the beginning. I would need to vigilantly watch this dog while he was with us. I grew up rescuing and training dogs with my mom. Our family dogs I grew up with were all the variety that would drop what they were doing when offeash and come every time. So although I had zero previous experience with pits, I was (and still very much am) supremely confident I would be an excllent match for this kind of dog. So now its July 6th 2010 and I haven't heard from Blue's previous owner since May. We've basically adopted him for now, although we are of course concerned about Denver's BSL and its implications on our life. I have no problem ignoring Denver's BSL until someone comes trying to enforce it. No matter how much I love this dog if the government tries to enforce their bullshit there is probably not much I can do reasonably to stop them. We can't move right now or we would in a second. And come on, you must understand how I feel about the thought of giving this dog to yet another person or rescue facility or whatever. We have family a short drive away with lots of land and if we absolutely have to we love this dog so much we are going to keep him close to home. First of all, to be clear, Blue is a completely different dog now almost. During the first week at our house he DID NOT like my son and would stalk him around the basement, even nipping at him twice. Amazingly Blue took our proper discipline and care EXTREMELY well. Blue turned around with our son quicker than I have ever seen a dog become friendly with kids. Our child is respectful and kind to Blue as well, unlike some parents allow their children to act with animals. Either way : in 2 months with a pit bull with a questionable past in terms of training, discipline, and socialization and so on... in 2 months this dog loves (nice) kids, learned and is very obedient for a dozen or so commands, and has really earned a little love and respect from my family and a few of our neighbors. I don't know at all how common this is, but Blue almost always obeys a direct command from my son as well. He does this of his own volition as we never would have tried to train a dog to listen to a preschooler. We still don't let him off leash at all except alone in the back yard. To clarify we will almost certainly never let him off the leash in any type of public area. We have friends in Lone Tree with baby girl boxers and pits so we'll be up there to socialize our dogs. Otherwise when Blue meets strange dogs on leash in the park he's just very hyper and doesn't really seem to know what to do. He doesn't "play nice" although he is never the aggressor. If either dog is aggressive it is without exception the other dog. Blue is curious when the other dog barks or growls but he never shows fear or distress. He's a great dog. As I write this I am sitting on my back porch and Blue is splayed out in the shade on the lawn under the tree. Later today we'll probably all 4 of us go to a park in Littleton where there is no BSL. I still risk walking Blue at the park near my house, hoping that a simple walk won't ever turn into me getting harangued and Blue possibly getting taken away. I'm scared a little for Blue and don't know what to do. I can't find any recent info about how serious the pit bull ban is in Denver. This damn dog doesn't need yet another home somewhere he needs a happy stable nice life which MY FAMILY can give him. My head is going to explode. WHAT DO I DO?
I like many other bullie breed owners have found that people are not educated about this breed. Just think if we where 150 years ago we wanted strong, protective, and multi-tasking breeds. We created the breed so we must understand that they are a working dog. All they want is to please their pack leader. If you do not know how to train a dog to interact with your pack, you will have animals acting on instinct. Each dog has a personality. If you see you have an alpha dog make sure you know how to cater to that trait. When training a bullie NEVER HIT THE DOG!!!! I can not say that loud enough. Do not ever, ever, ever take any object and smack, pop, thrust at the dog in any way. What you are doing is teaching the dog that when something the pack leader doesn't allow you must use force to enforce the rules. When you see a dog all of a sudden lash out it is only doing what you taught it. When you do something they do not like use force to enforce. That is why you see children mauled, the dog see's it self status in the pack higher than a child. So when the child is doing something the dog thinks is not right it will lash out thinking it is teaching the child either the pack order or pack behaviors. Since you taught them to use force they will. There are good online sites to help you with being a good pack leader (Go Caesar Milan!! HAHA). Sorry for my rambling! I just want to educate those who have the breed, so they understand it is their responsibility to make sure this never happens again. I would rather take a 20 hour class to own a bullie than see government nonsense laws.