Pit-bull Ban Upheld
The Colorado Court of Appeals has upheld the dismissal of a lawsuit against the city of Aurora over its pit-bull ban. An Aurora home-owner brought the suit against the city in Arapahoe County District Court, saying that her constitutional rights were violated by the ban. The Aurora City Council imposed the ban on new pit bulls in February 2006. But it did allow all current owners at that time to keep their dogs if they obtained $200 annual licenses and adhered to a number of requirements.
Those requirements included implanting the dogs with a chip allowing them to be identified, providing the dogs with secured backyard enclosures and posting warning signs on front doors.
The dog-lover had asked for the appeal after a judge dismissed the case because the court did not receive a response she was later found to have sent. The dismissal was promptly vacated. But last week, the Court of Appeals found that she did not prove her case.
Denver also has a pit-bull ban, and has prevailed when residents have tried to challenge it in civil court. Across Colorado in the past twelve months, at least four people have been attacked by pit bulls, including two police officers, and several dogs killed.