Lone Tree, Parker weigh pit bull laws

By Penny Parker, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)

Thursday, January 5, 2006

PARKER - The new year is looking no friendlier for pit bull owners, with two more metro-area cities considering laws that ban or place severe restrictions on the dogs.

Parker announced Wednesday that it would take public comment and vote on a pit bull ordinance Jan. 17, the same evening Lone Tree leaders discuss placing restrictions on the animals.

"This is not a normal canine animal," said Jack Hilbert, a Parker councilman who is shepherding the proposed law.

"A pit bull bite is unique - it's a grip and hold and doesn't release," Hilbert said at a news conference Wednesday. "This aggressiveness makes it an exotic animal, and it needs to be treated that way."

Hilbert compared a pit bull bite to that of a lion or tiger, calling the dog's tendency to latch on and "shred" the skin of its victims "a danger to the public."

The two Douglas County communities would follow in the footsteps of Aurora and Commerce City, which banned any new pit bulls from coming to their city and imposed strict conditions on residents who want to keep existing animals.

Denver has the state's only all-out ban on the dogs.

Parker is considering requiring owners to purchase a $100,000 liability policy, outfit the animal with an identifying microchip, and vaccinate and neuter the dog. Owners would also be required to keep their pit bulls confined in a pen in their yard, and muzzled and on a short leash in public.

Hilbert and Mayor David Casiano said that while they weren't aware of any pit bull attacks in Parker, residents have contacted them with concerns that the town of 35,000 could become a safe haven for pit bulls coming from communities with restrictions in place.

"We're not waiting for something to happen, we're going to step up to the plate and make sure this doesn't happen," said Casiano, holding up a picture of Gregg Jones, the 10-year-old Aurora boy who was severely injured by three pit bulls in his backyard in November.

But Dr. Adam Rosenberg, director of Parker's Animal Emergency & Specialty Center, said pit bull bans vilify the animals while taking the focus off of irresponsible owners.

"They are like any other dog - they require training and supervision," Rosenberg said. "By banning a breed, you're saying these dogs are inherently aggressive and unsafe. I find that a gross generalization."

Rosenberg acknowledged that pit bulls are extremely muscular and have a powerful bite, but he disputed Hilbert's contention that the pit bull bite should be characterized as exotic.

"I don't feel comfortable saying it's the equivalent of a lion and tiger running around on the street," he said.