Denver Overturns Pitbull Ban After 30 Years

​www.nbcnews.com/news/animal-news/denver-overturns-pit-bull-ban-after-more-30-years-n1246709

After more than 30 years, Denver is overturning a pitbull ban after 65% of the public voted in favour of the motion. The ban came into effect in 1989 after there had been 20 documented attacks by pitbulls including a 3 year old who lost their life after an attack. The Mayor originally repealed the motion to lift the ban citing concerns that people could get attacked but also stated he would leave it up to the voters to decide. The voters decided and pitbulls will now be permitted under very specific rules that must be adhered to.

I've spoken out about discriminatory pitbull bans many times in the past as there are countless states, provinces, and countries around the globe that have mistakenly banned pitbulls without actually investigating the root cause of these incidents. While we may always be presented with news and facts about pitbull attacks, dog attacks happen from every species, it's not only pitbulls. Pitbull attacks have been sensationalized to fit the narrative that this breed is violent, aggressive, and incredibly dangerous. These things couldn't be further from the truth and it's incredibly shortsighted and discriminatory to blame an entire species of animal without recognizing that these animals are owned and trained by human beings.

You see, you can train any breed of dog to be violent. You can verbally and physically abuse a dog which pushes it further towards violence. You can poke and prod a dog until  it snaps. You can force a dog into dog fighting and train them to be violent. The reason we always hear about it from pitbulls is because they are strong animals that when trained, can become aggressive killers, which makes them the ideal dog for humans who have those intentions. Pitbulls have been exploited for dog fighting and then the media has sensationalized this violence to paint a very negative picture about these dogs. All of this negativity has pushed our governments to ban the ownership of these animals without actually recognizing the underlying cause of this violence, the human beings who own these animals.

Pitbulls have been subjected to some of the most violent and malicious situations of all of the dog breeds on our planet. They are one of the most euthanized breeds in shelters and the most exploited for their purported violence. Because of what humans have done to them, they are reviled and feared when in fact, they are some of the goofiest and most loyal breeds on the planet. I've had the privilege of living with a pitbull breed for the past year and a half and he's completely changed my life. I was a bit frightened by larger dogs for most of my life and having spent so much time with him has really shattered all of those unsubstantiated fears. He's really shown me that regardless of the size or breed, if you give your pets love, they will return it tenfold.

Look, pitbull bans are outdated and discriminatory without ever addressing the root cause of their violence. It's as simple as having special permits and requirements to have your pit in public. Make sure they're registered, keep them microchipped, and keep them muzzled in public. That's it, that's all we have to do to allow these wonderful animals a chance at a happy life. Stop blaming the breed and start blaming those who have manipulated and exploited these wonderfully loving animals.

End the pitbull ban across the globe!

HAPPY VEG