Whispers of Reworking Denver, Colorado Pit Bull Ban

Your Action Needed to Bring Family Pets Back to Denver


To Colorado Residents
The City of Denver Colorado is considering reworking its twenty year-old ban on certain breeds of dogs and writing a new ordinance focusing on responsible pet ownership.  This has come after a long legal battle over family pets euthanized by the city pursuant to the current ordinance.

Contact members of the Denver City Council today to request non-breed specific dangerous dog/reckless owner laws and a repeal of the current breed discriminatory ordinance.


Request More Effective Legislation
Best Friends opposes canine profiling as it does not reduce dog bite incidents nor effectively manage dangerous dogs. Rather than breed-discriminatory restrictions, legislators should mirror good generic dangerous dog/reckless owner laws that have been enacted in Illinois and Minnesota.  Encourage the Denver City Council to draft a breed neutral ordinance. 

Some of these laws include regulations that:
•    Protect innocent dogs and responsible owners.
•    Encourage residents to spay/neuter their pets.
•    Effectively identify and manage truly dangerous dogs.
•    Restrict tethering.
•    Enforce stricter consequences for dog fighting.
•    Prevent reckless owners from having dogs.

1.  Provide your name and address
Legislators want to know that you are one of the people they represent.

2.  Ask for specific action
Ask members to oppose any ordinance that bans or regulates a specific breed of dog.

3.  Give reasons and examples
•    Chose from the list below or share your own. Remember to be always be respectful and avoid being emotional. This is your chance to educate someone about truly effective ways to manage dangerous dogs.

•    It is often difficult for even experts to determine the breed of a dog-particularly with mixed breed dogs.  Click here to find the pit bulls on the web.  Many dogs are misidentified and confiscated simply for their appearance.

•    Breed discriminatory laws cause unintended hardship to responsible owners of friendly dogs that happen to fall within the regulated breed category.

•    Breed-discriminatory laws compromise public safety by requiring officers to enforce regulation on dogs that may or may not be dangerous instead of investing resources into proven, effective tactics that make the community safer.

•    A dog is an individual with its own personality. It should be judged on its temperament and not its appearance. 

Studies of pre and post breed ban dog-bite-rates in the United Kingdom and Spain concluded that their pit bull breed ban had no effect whatsoever on reducing dog bites. 

 Italy recently revoked its breed ban stating the ban had no scientific justification.

Calgary, Canada has lowest dog bite rates in 25 years, without enacting BDL.

Contact City Council Members Today!

City Council
http://www.denvergov.org/ElectedOfficials/tabid/37896/Default.aspx?skintab=Elected%20Officials

Council members:
Send an email to City Council members here
Send an email to Denver Mayor John W. Hickenlooper

Thank you for taking action for animals!

Additional Information and Resources

Read about the legal battle here 

Read about the new Denver Kills Dogs campaign here


Join the  Pit Bulls: Saving America’s Dog campaign to help put an end to breed discrimination.

Learn more about breed bans and dog bite facts at the National Canine Research Council


Photograph by Shannon Wells
Posted by Katie Bray, Best Friends Volunteer