Arrrooo, fellow pets and hoomans! Grrrrr, I’ve got my hackles up again! What is it with hoomans thinking that just bepaws we’re a certain breed we gotta be banned??? I’m gonna say it, even if you getted mad at me…WE aren’t the problem, it’s the hoomans who like our breeds that are the problem. Can we ban hoomans? I don’t think so! I herded frum my Mom that banning breeds in Italy hasn’t worked at all -they’re eben banning golden retrievers! HUH? Some of my girlfriends are goldens and they’re just doggone cute -no malice there. So what is up with this? Breed banning doesn’t work…wait until you read this…rrrrrrowf!

U. S. Citizens Protesting the Seizure and Execution of Innocent Family Pets within the City of Denver, Colorado.

On Monday, May 9, 2005, the Denver Division of Animal Control began enforcing a city-wide ban on owning pit bull terriers, and initiated an aggressive campaign of seizing beloved family pets, and killing them against their owner’s will. This ordinance is an indiscriminant ban that demands the eradication and disposal of ALL dogs that are classified as pit bulls or pit bull mixes, even if the dog has never done anything wrong, and consistently remains confined to the owner’s property. Dog owners who refuse to surrender their pets face up to a year in jail and a $999 fine.

This ordinance also bans shelters and humane societies from “harboring” pit bulls, and even goes so far as to forbid any US resident from transporting a pit bull through Denver without a permit. The ordinance does allow for pits to be kept if residents meet certain requirements; such as increased annual registration fees, maintaining a $100,000 liability insurance policy, and keeping the dog muzzled and leashed at all times when it is off the owner’s property—but only if the resident registered the dog prior to January 1, 1990. Dogs born or transferred to Denver after that date do not qualify for the exemption.

In the first few years there were several legal battles regarding the ban. However, inNovember of 1991, the Colorado Supreme Court upheld the ban when it declared that the Denver ordinance did not violate the state constitution.

If this makes you sick and angry, then speak out against it by signing the:

U. S. Citizens Protesting the Seizure and Execution of Innocent Family Pets within the City of Denver, Colorado petition at Petition Online -Save the Pits!

Any legal US citizen, 18 years of age or older, can sign this petition. Please, read the petition before you sign it so that you know what you are signing—but act soon! Time is of the essence. Dogs are dying right now. Sign it and pass the word along. PLEASE NOTE, YOUR NAME AND ADDRESS WILL BE VISIBLE ONLINE. IF YOU DO NOT FEEL COMFORTABLE POSTING YOUR FULL ADDRESS, PLEASE POST YOUR ZIP CODE ONLY. However, please understand that it is important to have full, legitimate address for real individuals to decrease the chance of fraudulent signatures– this is standard for most petitons.

You will also have a space to post comments if you wish. Please be brief and clear, and remember that courtesy and constructive ideas make more potent arguements than name calling and negative criticism. The best way to get people to NOT listen to you is to be negative.

This petition will be ongoing and will not expire until the ban is reversed. However, my goal is to deliver 1,000 signatures to the Governor of Colorado, the Mayor of Denver, and the Denver City Council by June 30, 2005—just over a month from now. Each new thousand signatures will be redelivered to these three offices as accumulated.

If you would like a PDF version of the petition to print and
distribute, or a copy of the ordinance, please send your request to savedenverpits@yahoo.com.

OTHER PETITIONS AGAINST THIS BAN (by different authors):

http://www.petitiononline.com/savecyan/petition.html

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/156971221?ltl=1116367932#body

PETITIONS AGAINST BANS IN OTHER AREAS (by different authors):

http://www.petitiononline.com/bully123/petition.html

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/680580831?ltl=1116367882

OTHER WAYS TO HELP

1. Boycott Denver and Colorado. Do not vacation there or buy
goods and services that originate within the state.

2. Write a letter to government officials expressing your
opinion. Addresses are below.

3. Be creative. Create your own petition, artwork, poems,
stories, movies, or whatever you are good at, expressing your ideas or feelings about this tragedy, and share it with others.

Please send a copy of your letters and whatever else you create to savedenverpits@yahoo.com. If you live in Denver and have had your dog seized and killed, please send your stories and photos to savedenverpits@yahoo.com. I’m also seeking someone who can donate their time and skill by helping to design a website to commemorate these lost
pets.

Here are the addresses you will need to write a letter(s).

GOVERNOR OF COLORADO

Bill Owens, Governor
136 State Capitol
Denver, CO 80203-1792
(303) 866-2471
(303) 866-2003
governorowens@state.co.us

MAYOR OF DENVER
John W. Hickenlooper
1437 Bannock Street
Suite 350
Denver, Colorado 80202
Phone: (720) 865-9000
Fax: (720) 865-8791
MileHighMayor@ci.denver.co.us

CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS
District 1
Rick Garcia
2785 Speer Blvd., Suite 246
Denver, Colorado 80211
Phone: (303) 458-4792
Fax: (303) 458-4791
rick.garcia@ci.denver.co.us

District 2
Jeanne Faatz
3100 S. Sheridan Blvd., Unit D
Denver, Colorado 80227
Phone: (303) 763-8562
Fax: (303) 763-8564
jeanne.faatz@ci.denver.co.us

District 3
Rosemary E. Rodriguez
69 Knox Ct.
Denver, Colorado 80219
Phone: (303) 922-7755
Fax: (303) 937-4651
rosemary.rodriguez@ci.denver.co.us

District 4
Peggy Lehmann
6740 E. Hampden Avenue
Suite 302
Denver, Colorado 80224
Phone: (303) 504-5781
Fax: (303) 504-5786
peggy.lehmann@ci.denver.co.us

District 5
Marcia Johnson
6740 East Colfax Avenue
Denver, Colorado 80220
Phone: (303) 355-4615
Fax: (303) 355-4127
marcia.johnson@ci.denver.co.us

District 6
Charlie Brown
2324 E. Exposition Avenue
Denver, Colorado 80209
Phone: (303) 871-0601
Fax: (303) 698-4908
charlie.brown@ci.denver.co.us

District 7
Kathleen MacKenzie
1437 Bannock St., Suite 451
Denver, Colorado 80202
Phone: (720) 865-8900
Fax: (720) 865-8903
kathleen.mackenzie@ci.denver.co.us

District 8 – Council President
Elbra Wedgeworth
3280 Downing St., Unit C
Denver, Colorado 80205
Phone: (303) 298-7641
Fax: (303) 298-9716
elbra.wedgeworth@ci.denver.co.us

District 9
Judy H. Montero
2828 Speer Blvd., Suite 111
Denver, Colorado 80211
Phone: (303) 458-8960
Fax: (720) 865-9540

District 10
Jeanne Robb
1232 E. Colfax Avenue
Denver, Colorado 80218
Phone: (303) 377-1807
Fax: (303) 377-1902
jeanne.robb@ci.denver.co.us

District 11
Michael B. Hancock
4730 Oakland St., Suite 200
Denver, Colorado 80239
Phone: (303) 331-3872
Fax: (303) 331-3874
michael.hancock@ci.denver.co.us

At-Large
Carol Boigon
1437 Bannock St., Suite 451
Denver, Colorado 80202
Phone: (720) 865-8100
Fax: (720) 865-8103
carol.boigon@ci.denver.co.us

At-Large
Doug Linkhart
1437 Bannock St., Suite 451
Denver, Colorado 80202
Phone: (720) 865-8000
Fax: (720) 865-8003
linkhartatlarge@ci.denver.co.us

Arrrooo, fangu and pawlease help the Pits, otay! If you don’t it might be your dog breed next bepaws there is a HUGE list of breeds on the list.

Haf a pawsitively tail waggin’ day, WOOF!

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