Operation Denver

Hey there, folks. I'm working on a few new drawings for this Memorial Day weekend, but I wanted to draw your attention to Operation Denver, an effort to urge Denver lawmakers to repeal the city's pit bull ban by sending one mile's worth of postcards (that's about 10,560 postcards) to the mayor.

If you weren't aware, it is illegal to bring an American pit bull terrier, American Staffordshire terrier, Staffordshire bull terrier, or any mixed or purebred dog that looks like one within the city limits of Denver. That includes just passing through. If they are discovered, dogs thought to be "pit bull type" dogs will be confiscated, and if a court finds them to be pit bulls, they may either be destroyed or, if the owner pays costs of impoundment, they may instead be permanently removed from the Denver city limits. The owner can also be charged a $1000 fine or imprisoned for up to a year.

In practice, the law costs the city a lot of money, and a lot of unaggressive pets are killed. Plus:

The ban was enacted under the assumption that ridding the area of this (so deemed) "dangerous" breed would decrease the number of injuries due to dog bites. Though the number of dog bite hospitalizations has decreased nationwide over the past 40 years, Denver has held the highest rate of dog bite hospitalizations of any county in the state since the ordinance was enacted, according to the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment statistics.

From 1995 to 2006, Denver had nearly six times the total amount of dog bite hospitalizations (and more than three times the amount per capita) as breed-neutral Boulder County. (Best Friends Animal Network)

A couple years ago the Netherlands repealed their national pit bull ban on the grounds that it made no difference in their dog bite statistics. Animal welfare organizations oppose breed-specific bans, arguing that the public safety could be better served by stricter enforcement of existing laws targeting aggressive dogs and irresponsible pet owners. These bans don't work, and they just penalize law-abiding pit bull owners (like me) who can't enter the city with their dog.

What you can do: Create a postcard (either digitally or on paper) urging Denver lawmakers to repeal the ban. E-mail the 4" x 6" digital image to operationdenver@gmail.com, or contact them for the postal address to send the postcard physically (in an envelope--they will mail them all on the same day sometime in September).

You do NOT have to live in Colorado to participate. If you care about dogs, please create and send a postcard, regardless of where you live.