The cities of Denver and Aurora both considered measures on August 17 to decide how to handle their breed-specific laws.
Denver: The Denver City Council decided to let voters decide the fate of a new proposal to ease some of the breed-specific restrictions in the city.
A measure will appear on the November 2020 ballot that reads:
Shall the voters for the City and County of Denver adopt an ordinance authorizing the city to grant a provisional permit to owners or keepers of a pit bull, provided the owner microchips the animal and complies with additional requirements set by Denver Animal Protection?
As mentioned in AKC’s previous alert, the proposal would require owners of American Staffordshire Terriers, Staffordshire Bull Terriers and American pit bull terriers to obtain an annual “breed-restricted” permit and keep no more than two “pit bulls” in a residence at any time. Animal control may inspect the dog and premises “at reasonable times, with reasonable notice” to determine sanitary and health conditions.
If an owner does not violate any portion of the city’s animal control laws for 36 months, then the city may allow the owner to apply for a regular dog license and no longer require the annual breed-restricted permit.
Other requirements would include mandatory microchipping and providing animal control with the names of two persons who may be contacted about the dog in case of an emergency.
Aurora: The City of Aurora was also considering placing a measure regarding its breed ban on the ballot, but a decision was delayed to a future council meeting.
AKC Government Relations and the Colorado Federation of Dog Clubs continue to monitor these issues and will provide updates as they are available.