Tiara
07-26-2005, 11:38 AM
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Rodolfo Gonzalez © News
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Devon Rosas, 8, of Aurora, keeps an eye on Chomper, an 8-week-old male pit bull that his mother, Jennifer Rosas, 28, is holding during a protest in front of the Aurora Municipal Building on Monday. The City Council is considering a ban on pit bulls similar to Denver's prohibition. The family was looking for a good home for Chomper, one of the puppies from a litter belonging to their male and female pit bulls.
Backers of breed oppose possible ban
By Jolie Breeden, Rocky Mountain News
July 26, 2005
AURORA - About 150 pit bull supporters braved a steady rain at the Aurora Municipal Center Monday night to show support for the dogs and oppose a possible ban in this city.
The rally was held by The Pit Bull Band in response to an upcoming Aurora City Council discussion about a proposal to ban pit bulls.
"We're not protesting anything," said Sonya Dias, the group's coordinator. "We're rallying to show that there are Aurora (dog) owners that don't want this."
As the cardboard signs objecting to the proposed ban slowly wilted in the steady rain, a series of speakers took the stage to talk about why breed-specific bans don't work and to ask Aurora leaders to come up with an alternative to the proposed ban.
"We need to educate people so they don't live in fear," said state Rep. Debbie Stafford, R-Aurora.
Residents who have been affected by a similar ban in Denver told the crowd stories of the lengths they've had to go in order to protect their pit bulls.
Stephanie Scott, and her pit bull, Reiley, have been on a wild ride through the ups and downs of the Denver ban.
They recently moved to Aurora to avoid Denver's pit bull prohibition.
"We've been in our house three weeks," she said. "Three weeks, and they're already talking about another ban."
They moved to Denver in 2003, only to be notified that pit bulls weren't welcome.
Reiley stayed with family in Georgia for about a year, but after Denver was forced to lift its ban on the breed in 2004, the two were reunited.
When the ban went back into effect in May, Scott decided to move, even though she still has to pay rent on her Denver apartment along with her new mortgage.
Scott said she checked with officials in Aurora, Arapahoe County and her homeowner's association to be sure Reiley was welcome before she moved.
"We were very diligent," she said. "We were as careful as we thought we could possibly be."
The Aurora City Council will review a draft of the proposed ban Aug. 9.
breedenj@RockyMountainNews.com (breedenj@RockyMountainNews.com) or 303-892-2933 Copyright 2005, Rocky Mountain News. All Rights Reserved.
Rodolfo Gonzalez © News
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/images/spacers/spacer.gif
Devon Rosas, 8, of Aurora, keeps an eye on Chomper, an 8-week-old male pit bull that his mother, Jennifer Rosas, 28, is holding during a protest in front of the Aurora Municipal Building on Monday. The City Council is considering a ban on pit bulls similar to Denver's prohibition. The family was looking for a good home for Chomper, one of the puppies from a litter belonging to their male and female pit bulls.
Backers of breed oppose possible ban
By Jolie Breeden, Rocky Mountain News
July 26, 2005
AURORA - About 150 pit bull supporters braved a steady rain at the Aurora Municipal Center Monday night to show support for the dogs and oppose a possible ban in this city.
The rally was held by The Pit Bull Band in response to an upcoming Aurora City Council discussion about a proposal to ban pit bulls.
"We're not protesting anything," said Sonya Dias, the group's coordinator. "We're rallying to show that there are Aurora (dog) owners that don't want this."
As the cardboard signs objecting to the proposed ban slowly wilted in the steady rain, a series of speakers took the stage to talk about why breed-specific bans don't work and to ask Aurora leaders to come up with an alternative to the proposed ban.
"We need to educate people so they don't live in fear," said state Rep. Debbie Stafford, R-Aurora.
Residents who have been affected by a similar ban in Denver told the crowd stories of the lengths they've had to go in order to protect their pit bulls.
Stephanie Scott, and her pit bull, Reiley, have been on a wild ride through the ups and downs of the Denver ban.
They recently moved to Aurora to avoid Denver's pit bull prohibition.
"We've been in our house three weeks," she said. "Three weeks, and they're already talking about another ban."
They moved to Denver in 2003, only to be notified that pit bulls weren't welcome.
Reiley stayed with family in Georgia for about a year, but after Denver was forced to lift its ban on the breed in 2004, the two were reunited.
When the ban went back into effect in May, Scott decided to move, even though she still has to pay rent on her Denver apartment along with her new mortgage.
Scott said she checked with officials in Aurora, Arapahoe County and her homeowner's association to be sure Reiley was welcome before she moved.
"We were very diligent," she said. "We were as careful as we thought we could possibly be."
The Aurora City Council will review a draft of the proposed ban Aug. 9.
breedenj@RockyMountainNews.com (breedenj@RockyMountainNews.com) or 303-892-2933 Copyright 2005, Rocky Mountain News. All Rights Reserved.