Argument Against Breed Legislation

6 October 2011

Mary Palazzo

94 E 18th Avenue #F

Columbus, OH 43201

Michael B. Hancock

1437 Bannock Street

Suite 350

Denver, Colorado 80202

Dear Mayor Hancock:

I am writing to you regarding your breed ban that allows the confiscation and killing of any dog fitting the description of a "pit bull" within the city limits of Denver, Colorado ("Denver").

Do you think that the founding fathers of our country would've agreed with the idea that your city is punishing and restricting masses based on the actions of a few? In today's society, there is no bigger influence than the media. The news tends to draw attention to the few negative events that occur and avoid the positive ones that happen the majority of the time. This in turn, causes the public to form stereotypes based off of biased information. A similar example of this is that individuals are typically scared of people that are dressed in all black. As a result, we discriminate against them and associate them with crime. The person behind these black clothes may be very nice but because of social media we tend to be biased toward this person. The same situation applies to Pit Bulls. Once an association like this is made through social media, it is almost impossible for the association to go away. Banning a breed in Denver is like banning a certain race from your city.

Would you ever ban cars in Denver because a lot of people get in car accidents? I'm know for a fact that your answer is no. Take a second to think about this: Where does the responsibility of a car accident fall? Is it on the driver and manufacture or the car itself? "Pit Bulls are no more responsible for the way they are bred, raised and trained, than cars are responsible for the way they are designed, built and driven" ("Pet"). Owners of these dogs need to be accountable for the actions of their dogs. Every single dog is going to require training no matter what breed. Punish the deed, not the breed.

Most individuals don't realize that there are more than 25 types of dogs that are commonly mistaken as a pit bull. The majority of Americans would classify any dog with short hair, a broad face and a wide chest as a Pit Bull. As a result, the bite statistics for specific breeds is actually inaccurate. You may be thinking to yourself, "I know a pit bull when I see one". Think again. Try

Not only is the breed specific legislation in your city unreasonable and unethical, it is also costly and ineffective. Miami-Dade Country Florida passed a ban on pit bulls and 14 years later it was estimated that 50,000 pit bulls still resided in that area (Setter). Criminals are going to break the law regardless and it may even be more appealing to them to have an "illegal breed" (Stephens). On the contrary, owners who abide by the law are most likely to be the responsible owners who love their dogs and