DENVER — Freshly sprung from dog pound death row, Buddy the bull terrier sauntered along a rainy sidewalk pausing here and there to sniff a tree or water a lawn.
"Yep, it was curtains for Bud," said Ben Wilson, as he watched his pet savor his newfound freedom. "I'd go to the pound every day and rub his belly and then have to leave. He was so depressed."
Buddy, who resembles a fire plug with legs, was slated for death when he was granted a last minute reprieve by Colorado Gov. Bill Owens who signed a bill April 21 outlawing bans on pit bulls and related breeds, calling such measures "doggy profiling."
But the new law, and Denver's reaction to it, has caused much snapping and snarling between local officials, dog lovers and civil rights advocates.
Denver City Council, which banned pit bulls in 1989 after a series of deadly attacks and maulings, authorized its city attorney on Monday to sue the state for violating the community's home rule responsibilities.
Dog advocacy groups said they would take the issue to the U.S. Supreme Court if Denver prevailed. And a local lawyer said that profiling dogs has led to profiling owners.
"I can't complain about the dog law but I can complain about the guy on the other end of the leash," said lawyer David Suro, who represents a Latino whose dog was picked up. "Of the 1,000 people charged with pit bull violations in the last five years, 62% are Hispanic."
He plans to file a motion in municipal court claiming the city is targeting Latino dog owners.
Denver is not alone in banning the dogs -- Miami, Cincinnati and a number of smaller cities have too. If a pit bull is seen in Denver, the owner is given a warning to move it outside city limits. If it's spotted again, it is taken to the pound where it could be euthanized. Since the ban took effect, hundreds of the dogs have met that fate.
"It's impossible for any species of dog to be genetically dangerous. They can be aggressive due to their environmental conditions," said Glen Bui, vice president of the American Canine Assn. in Seattle which has fought breed bans around the country and wants to do the same in Denver. "This gives Denver a false sense of security. It's the attempted genocide of a breed of dog."
But city officials say everyone else should butt out.
