Letter to Denver City Council

Dear Councilmembers,

            My name is Katie Abbott and I am a sophomore pre-veterinary student at Colorado State University. I am writing to you in regards to the current pit bull ordinance in Denver. I am aware that the current regulations are not up for renewal in the near future, but I still wish to present my case to you, our elected officials, because I believe that breed specific legislation is fundamentally wrong and I know that you have the power to do something about it. I am not a pit bull owner, I would have no personal gain if this ban were to be lifted, but as a lifelong animal lover I feel I can look at this issue somewhat objectively and the conclusion I have drawn is that the ban is unfair and there are much better ways to address the issue of dog violence. In my research on this subject, I have come across plenty of cases of safe, family dogs being taken from their homes simply because of their supposed breed. I have volunteered at dog shelters and know how many good dogs are euthanized simply because they do not have a home, and to me this seems incredibly backwards and wrong. It is not right to draw a blanket conclusion about a certain breed of dog, it is nothing short of stereotyping, they are animals that all have their own personalities and their individual behaviors are shaped by their experiences. Now I ask you, how would you feel if your dog was banned?

      I believe that the Denver city council truly holds the safety of its citizens in the highest regard. Also, I believe that you believe that banning pit bulls is a necessary step towards decreasing dangerous bites and the crime of dog fighting. It is important to consider the reasons behind both of these undesirable things and to try to find ways to prevent them because it will improve the city. It is true that pit bulls are often owned by criminals who want to own a strong, powerful dog to increase their reputation as a “tough guy”. These same people also teach their dogs to be violent for dog fights or the dogs simply become violent due to neglect and poor socialization. But should this one breed be completely banned because of these irresponsible owners?

             Perhaps pit bulls could be considered a potential public health hazard if handled irresponsibly, but banning these dogs because of their potential to do harm is a slippery slope. We have not banned guns, which are much more clearly proven to be hazardous when handled improperly than pit bulls are. And why is this? Because people believe it would be restricting their own personal freedom. If someone wishes to have a guard dog for personal protection, weather on the right or wrong side of the law, they will find a way to have one. There are plenty of other strong guard dog type breeds who can also be aggressive and cause bad bites. Pit bulls do not deserve to be singled out.

            Pit bulls are not physically or behaviorally more dangerous than other breeds. The high profile nature of pit bull attacks has many potential explanations. Most can be attributed to irresponsible owners who do not socialize, properly train, or spay and neuter their pets. Also pit bulls are common, they are more numerous and therefore simply represented more often when it comes to dog attacks.

            Many statistical studies show that pit bulls are responsible for the majority of serious dog bites, but it is not fair to conclude that pit bulls are abnormally dangerous just because of this data. They are popular dogs and their bites are reported more often because they carry the “dangerous dog” stigma. Also the way that dogs are recorded by breed is flawed, there is a very high percentage of error in the recording of breed, and many dogs that are mixes but not even related to pit bulls are counted as such.

            Dr. Barr of National Geographic recently conducted a study to compare domestic dog bite forces to wild dogs and wolves, and as examples he used a pit bull, Rottweiler, and a German Shepherd. The results, measured in pounds per square inch, showed that both German Shepherds and Rottweilers have notably stronger bites than pit bulls. It should also be taken into account that these dogs are often trained to be guard dogs, and that when they attack it is because we taught them to, it is not that they are spontaneously “turning” on people or are naturally violent.

            It is true that many of the mix of dogs that fit the pit bull type were bred to fight other dogs in a “pit” and that some may be naturally dog aggressive, but this has nothing to do with the dogs being aggressive towards people. To a dog, being aggressive towards people and towards other dogs are completely different things and are driven by completely different behaviors. One point that is often overlooked is that most dogs that bite are males that have not been neutered. This element leads back to the irresponsible owner portion of the dog bite problem.

            According to the American Temperament Testing Society, pit bulls score higher than even Golden Retrievers. They test a great number of dogs to get a good sample size, and use a pass/ fail system that includes tests to evaluate each dog’s temperament. They test reactions to neutral and intimidating strangers, sharp noises, and visual and tactile stimuli that could scare a dog into exhibiting aggression.

What Makes A Dangerous Dog?

Breed	Bite Force (PSI)	Average Size (lbs)	Temperament (% of dogs passing)
Pit Bull Terrier German Shepherd Rottweiler Golden Retriever Great Dane	235 238 328 – –	30-50 75-90 95-130 65-75 120-160	86% 84% 83% 84% 79%

 

            It has been shown that the occurrence of dog bites requiring medical attention does not decrease in cities that ban pit bulls. The National Canine Research Council has conducted studies in cities with and without breed specific legislation, and there is no statistically significant difference in bites.

 Also large quantities of money are used each year enforcing the ordinance, not to mention the money the city needs in legal fees fighting the lawsuits that the disabled residents have recently brought in order to keep their service dogs. These expenses are unnecessary, according to the Platte Institute for Economic Research, breed bans are often just a waste of taxpayer dollars. Therefore, I urge you to re-think your ideas about this ban because I know that the city of Denver would benefit from its repeal.