Be the Change for Animals

Denver, Colorado has the most oppressive Breed Specific Legislation (BSL) in the country. Denver has engaged in an aggressive seizure program, which involves taking family pet pit bulls from their homes and killing them.

Between 2005 and 2006, the city euthanized 1,454 dogs. Since the ban began in 1989, the city has killed thousands. Last year, an animal control worker leaked photos of the situation. (PLEASE NOTE: these images are extremely graphic.) This situation is dire.

ACT NOW!

• Visit Maggie’s Oh My Dog! A Dog Blog and create an electronic postcard (or ten, the more the better!) telling the Mayor you oppose his law. It’s ridiculously easy, even if you’re not a techie.

Maggie’s goal is to print 10,560 postcards, a mile-long message for the Mile High City, and flood Mayor Hickenlooper’s office with your words. She has more than a hundred already and would love a hundred more from us this week. We can surely beat that!

In 2004, Hickenlooper actively fought to keep the pit bull ban active when it was struck down by a state law. However, the state prohibits municipalities from passing BSL (Denver was grandfathered in when that law passed). Mayor Hickenlooper is currently campaigning for governorship of Colorado. If the would-be governor is able to redeem himself by taking a stance against the breed ban, he may gain votes from the animal welfare community. Now is the time to save thousands of pit-bull-type dogs’ lives!

For more information, contact Maggie at operationdenver@gmail.com .

A Note from Maggie:

Until I adopted Emmett, my bully mix, I had never heard of breed-specific legislation. My Emmett is the sweetest dog you will ever meet – he loves absolutely everyone, he snuggles with anyone who makes eye contact with him, and he’s a therapy dog who thrives in an environment filled with loud, noisy children who just need a little love. He waggles, cuddles, performs tricks, and gives high-fives until he can barely lift his arm. But I’m constantly questioned, “Is that a pit bull?” “Does he bite?” The worst one we ever got, “He’s a pit bull, right? So, are you going to put him down when you have children?”

But BSL goes far beyond people’s bias against certain breeds. It’s about dogs who have done nothing wrong loosing their lives. It’s about responsible pet owners having to sell their house and move just to protect their dogs. People are loosing the right to love any dog they choose, whether it’s a pit bull type dog, a German Shepherd, a Chow-Chow, a Rottweiler, or any of the other breeds that commonly face prejudice.

Fighting BSL is about all the dogs like Emmett who are wonderful, one-of-a-kind dogs who want nothing more than to make people happy. Responsible dog owners shouldn’t be punished for the dogs they love, and dogs definitely shouldn’t have to die just for being a particular breed. Instead of prejudicial breed-discriminatory legislation, we need laws that protect the dogs and penalize irresponsible owners.

Now that you know about Maggie’s cause, off with you – and don’t forget to tell your friends!

Come back next Monday when we’ll introduce our next cause. We’ll never ask you to open your pocketbook – just spend a few minutes to help make a difference in animals’ lives. Sign up for RSS or email updates and spread the word!

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