[nagdu] Denver City Council rejects service exemption for pit-bullban

[The Pawpower Pack]

Joran, I know several pits working as service dogs. Pitt bull is actually a group of breeds; the Staffordshier terrior, American Staffordshire bull terrior and the PIT bull terrior just to name a few.  I know a pittbull terrier doing mobility work and a Staffordshire bull Terrior doing PSAID work just to name a few!  

Rox 
Sent from my iPhone

On 7 Dec 2010, at 01:24 PM, "Jordan Gallacher" <jgallacher1987 at gmail.com> wrote:

> Frankly, I couldn't see using a Pitbull as a service animal.  On that note
> though, if there happens to be a violation of Federal law, well then Denver
> is out of line.  Pitbulls aren't all bad, but as with all animals they have
> their problems.  
> Jordan
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf
> Of Ginger Kutsch
> Sent: Tuesday, December 07, 2010 7:47 AM
> To: NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users
> Subject: [nagdu] Denver City Council rejects service exemption for
> pit-bullban
> 
>    Denver City Council rejects service exemption for pit-bull
> ban
> By Kyle Glazier 
> The Denver Post
> Posted: 12/07/2010 01:00:00 AM MSTUpdated: 12/07/2010 01:01:03 AM
> MST
> 
> 
> The Denver City Council on Monday rejected a measure to exempt
> pit bulls classified as service animals from Denver's ban on the
> breed, a move that exemption supporters say challenges the
> Americans with Disabilities Act.
> 
> A revised version of the ADA takes effect March 15.
> 
> The council delayed a vote on the measure in September, sending
> the issue back to committee for further discussion. 
> 
> On Monday, council members voiced concerns that the breed is
> unsafe and that approving the exemption would make Denver's 1989
> pit-bull ban difficult to enforce. The council voted 9-4 to
> reject the exemption.
> 
> Of particular concern to some members was language in the ADA
> that prevents public-safety officials from demanding proof that a
> dog is a service animal.
> 
> The law defines a service animal as "any dog that is individually
> trained to do work or perform tasks for the benefit of an
> individual with a disability." Under the act, officials can ask
> only if the animal is a service animal and what task it performs
> - not what breed the animal is.
> 
> "I need to be able to see that the animal is trained," said
> Councilwoman Peggy Lehmann, who opposed the measure.
> 
> Councilwoman Paula Sandoval, who supported the exemption, said
> she was counting on honesty to overcome the loophole in
> enforcement. "I'm hoping people won't try to game the system."
> 
> Councilman Charlie Brown urged his colleagues not to "roll over
> and play dead" for the federal government and to stand by the
> pit-bull ban.
> 
> Asked about the civil liability of Denver in possibly defying
> federal law, Assistant City Attorney David Broadwell declined to
> comment.
> 
> "Projecting who might sue us, or how they might sue us, is
> something with some sensitivity around it," Broadwell said.
> 
> Supporters of the exemption said that public-safety concerns
> about the breed had nothing to do with their feelings.
> 
> "I don't care about pit bulls," said David Kennedy, chairman of
> Denver's Commission for People With Disabilities. "This is about
> them chipping away at civil rights."
> 
> Kennedy said that he feared that Denver taxpayers would have to
> bear the burden of the council's decision, anticipating numerous
> lawsuits challenging Denver's refusal to allow service pit bulls.
> 
> Candice Adler of the Rocky Mountain ADA Center, which provides
> guidance on the act in the Rocky Mountain region, said that the
> Americans with Disabilities Act requires governments to make
> "reasonable modifications" to local law to accommodate those with
> disabilities. Adler admitted the language was vague. 
> 
> "It will depend on what's 'reasonable,' " she said. "We do see
> both sides."
> 
> Kyle Glazier: 303-954-1638 or kglazier at denverpost.com 
> 
> Source:
> http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_16794485
> 
> 
> 
> 
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