Public Handout - Pit Bull Ban New DU Research
Measures Impact of
Denver's Pit Bull Ban
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Feature • Research & ScholarshipJ/news/category/research-&-scholarship) •
October 7, 2020
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It's been 30 years since Denver's controversial pit bull ban began, and this
November, for the first time since it was enacted, voters will have the
opportunity to decide the prohibition's fate.
This isn't the first challenge to the policy, described as breed-specific
legislation (BSL). As recently as February 2020, Denver's City Council
voted to repeal the ban, but that decision was swiftly vetoed by Mayor
Michael Hancock, who cited public safety and irresponsible pet owners in
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a letter to council representatives.
Since the ban's adoption in 1989, the question of public safety has, in large
part, shaped the conversation over Denver's BSL, but a new University of
Denver study, published in Animal Law Review by the Institute for Human-
Animal Connection (IHAC)
(https://socialwork.du.edu/humananimalconnection)at the Graduate
School of Social Work (GSSW) (https://socialwork.du.edu/), calls this
argument into question.
"There are a lot of passionate opinions around the BSL, or the pit bull ban,"
says GSSW's Kevin Morris, American Humane endowed chair and research
associate professor. "There's also a lot of misinformation and
assumptions, so we are trying to bring data and objective analyses of
those data to the discussion, so that people can make more informed
decisions about keeping the legislation or coming up with something that
might be more effective."
Conducted in conjunction with DU's Sturm College of Law, as well as with
researchers in economics and business, the research provides
comprehensive data regarding the effectiveness and costs of Denver's pit
bull ban. Morris and his team began digging into this topic three years ago,
asking such questions as: What have been the economic costs of BSL?
How has it impacted animal welfare outcomes? And what is the social
impact?
Using data from Denver Animal Protection, the agency that enforces the
BSL, the study found that the city has spent more than $100 million
enforcing the ban, with little measurable impact on public safety. Morris
notes that while bites from "pit-bull type dogs" (pit bull isn't a formal
breed) have gone down in the prohibition's 30 years, so have dog bites
overall.
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Morris says the most "stunning" finding depicts unequal enforcement of
the pit bull ban in the city's most vulnerable areas, particularly in places
where, the study explains, "racially diverse communities intersect with
predominantly white neighborhoods."
"The enforcement of BSL has taken place primarily in our communities of
color in Denver," Morris says. "And this criminalization of certain pet
owners has exacerbated the barriers they already experience to accessing
pet support services."
According to DU research associate and project manager for the study,
Sloane Hawes, the BSL not only effects Denver, but also its neighbors.
"The animal welfare system in Colorado thrives through collaboration,"
she says. "Having the BSL in Denver means that any pit bull that comes
into the care of Denver Animal Protection must either be euthanized or
transferred to another community."
The study refers to this phenomenon as the "bad neighbor effect," largely
because it adds pressure to the state's sheltering system. To save canine
lives and ease Denver's burden, nearby shelters partner with Denver
Animal Protection to take in pit bulls, offering them a chance at adoption.
The study comes just as Denver voters are headed to the polls in
November to decide whether to replace the ban with a registration
system for pit bulls. If passed, the ballot measure would allow pit-bull
type dogs in Denver, if the owner allows the city to track health and safety
metrics, including vaccinations, microchipping and incidents. If the pet
owner violates any of these guidelines, the dog would not longer be
permitted in the city.
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While the study doesn't endorse or condemn this option, it does identify
efforts elsewhere that have reported promising outcomes.
"There are communities throughout the U.S. and internationally that have
adopted comprehensive, breed-neutral dangerous dog policies and seen
improvements in public health and safety outcomes such as decreases in
bite cases or adherence to leash laws," Hawes says. "Better yet, the field
of animal welfare is beginning to recognize the need for more proactive
support services that can keep pets with their families, like affordable
veterinary and behavior care, so that punitive enforcement like BSL isn't
necessary."
Alternative options, Hawes adds, would help Denver inch closer to
alignment with IHAC's humane communities framework, which
encourages policymakers to consider a holistic approach to legislation
and programs.
"The conclusion we draw in the paper is the BSL is detracting from
Denver's perception as a humane community. On a national level, Denver
is really a leader in animal sheltering in all ways except for the presence of
BSL," she says. "At the heart of what the humane communities framework
proposes is the recognition that the health of humans, animals and the
environment are interconnected. The health and resilience of an entire
community is compromised when certain populations of people or
animals are disproportionately targeted.
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