Pet ban will go further

Published: Sunday October 15, 2006

Pet ban will go further

The Pueblo Chieftain Online

Pit bulls are a common target of breed-specific laws.

Editor's note - La Junta City Council recently voted 4 to 3 to adopt "breed-specific legislation" banning pit bulls from the city.

By NICK VAN DUREN

Tragically, La Junta has joined the growing list of local communities to be targeted by militant animal rights organizations. The proof is that the City Council is flirting with breed-specific legislation.

What everyone needs to understand is that breed-specific legislation is not an end in itself. In fact, it is a "trojan horse" designed to get the extremist agenda of animal rights activism into the language of the law and into the administration of government.

If you're involved with agriculture and ranching, you have a right to be concerned. What everyone needs to understand is that this does not stop with dogs.

Ultimately, the animal rights leadership wants to destroy any and all animal and pet ownership. Their strategy is to squirm into the law by whatever means necessary. And once they get in, the amount of trouble they'll cause is immeasurable.

If you're curious as to why a lot of city attorneys and managers are all for this type of legislation, the reason is that it is designed to appeal to political vanity. Lawyers love the law. The more laws, the better. That is why breed-specific legislation is being paraded around by one of their own: Kory Nelson, a Denver assistant district attorney. He's seduced, misinformed and exploited local governments all over the country.

Where breed-specific legislation is considered, Nelson is almost always behind it. Just as he did in Parker, he'll have no problem embarrassing anyone, so long as it feeds his unending obsession with banning dog breeds. Thankfully, the town of Parker figured it out before it was too late.

Communities should demand answers. Why is your government flirting with an animal rights agenda? Why would lawmakers enact a public relations nightmare, one which has economic consequences which far surpass that of simply restricting dog ownership?

Once a community passes breed-specific legislation, it will gain a bad reputation as unfriendly to families and pets. The best and most responsible of owners will leave, as they've done in Denver and Aurora. They'll take their knowledge, experience and money with them.

The ethics of animal services will be compromised, not because these fine people want to be ruthless, but because they'll have no other choice. Finally, groups such as People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, the Animal Liberation Front and the image-conscious, but still militant, Humane Society of the U.S., will co-op your city government. Once inside, these socialists will unleash an unending assault on private property and usage rights for their own destructive ends.

No good can come of breed-specific legislation, strict animal ordinances or forcing pet and animal ownership to be less active and open. That is exactly what these groups are banking on. Will your community choose to be fall into their trap?

Nick Van Duren of Parker is Colorado director of Responsible Dog Owners of the Western States.

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