Pit bull protest photo gallery: Could service-dog rule put a bite in Denver's ban?

• How sad! Not so long ago, German sheppards were considered a dangerous breed, so were the dobermans... Why do humans always need to hate... non white people, pits, black cats, another religion, ... i know it sounds cliche... but get to know the person, the dog, the religion before condemning... It is not because one aboriginal is bad that all aboriginals are bad... you get my point.

• Kudos to the photographer(s). Great shots! Wake up Denver. You have the highest rate of dog-related hospitalizations in the entire State. http://nationalcanineresearchcouncil.com/in-your-state/colorado/ Where is Charlie Brown doing his "research"....googling Media Stories? Your concern for dog bite victims seems to be Breed/type/shape specific.

• I can not find it but here are some interesting articles none the less on the subject...the problem isn't just here it is everywhere. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pedigree_Dogs_Exposed Below a partial print of an article with the link here if you wish to read it further: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1950109/ More than 500 genetic defects exist in today’s purebred dogs (1). Inherited diseases such as hip dysplasia, brachycephalic airway syndrome, cardiomyopathies, endocrine dysfunctions, blood disorders, and hundreds more, affect the quality of life and longevity of these dogs. Over 400 breeds currently exist, but they are artificial constructs of human fancy, instead of the evolutionary outcome of natural selection (2,3). The wide array of genetic diseases found in purebred dogs reflects their unnatural development, by kennel club associations and breeders who are largely responsible for this welfare predicament (2,4–6). By definition, a canine breed consists of individuals that meet 3 criteria: 1) they are descended from a particular founding stock, or ancestry, 2) they have a utility for which they serve humans, and 3) they have a typology that ensures a similar physical appearance to other members of the breed (2,3). In order for the dogs to be functional, healthy, and even-tempered, equal emphasis must be placed on all 3 components (3). Throughout the 19th century, however, dog show and kennel club administrators pushed for the morphological perfection of dog breeds by insisting on rigid adherence to the rules of typology and ancestry. No importance was placed on the utility and health of purebred dogs (3,6,8,9). Historically, dogs were used for various tasks, such as hunting, guarding, and herding. Some dogs, because of particular morphological traits, were more adept than others at certain tasks. Having made the association between utility and physical characteristics, dogs were selectively bred for desired purposes. Thus, early ‘breeds’ evolved that are the ancestors of today’s dog breeds. Through the centuries, intermittent inbreeding further refined dog breeds, so that desired physical and behavioral traits became increasingly heritable. The purebred principle and strict breeding rules, however, were not introduced until the late 19th century. The western concept of breeds is recorded in Caius’s Treatise of English Dogges from 1570 (6,10). The first official dog show took place in 1859, and the English Kennel Club was founded in London in 1873. Dog breeding and showing evolved into a popular sport, and as new typologies were discovered, they were aggressively developed into novel breeds. During the Victorian era, a pedigree system was established, and the canine gene pool rapidly became depleted as inbreeding, line breeding, and over-use of sires became common practice (6,10). Rigid regulations, fixed breed standards, and the disproportionate significance attributed to typology dictated the development of these breeding methods; unfortunately, the remarkable plasticity of the canine genome facilitated the development of such morphologically diverse breeds (2–4,6,8,9,11,12). Today, many of the resultant dog breeds are no longer capable of performing the tasks for which they were originally bred, due to the anatomical and/or physiological deformations that kennel clubs have imposed upon them (3,13). Many kennel clubs worldwide still prescribe to conservative, centuries’ old ideologies and traditions that are harmful to the canine species. For example, current CKC Breed Standards do not represent the complete, holistic definition of the canine breed that was previously mentioned, and the CKC continues to sanction the evolution of purebreds that are caricatures of the original breeds. The CKC states that breeders should “select breeding stock that conforms to the approved CKC Breed Standard to the highest possible degree,” but these standards consist of exhaustive guidelines that detail the esthetic requirements of each breed (7). The American Kennel Club (AKC) advocates the “advance[ment] of canine health and well-being,” but AKC Breed Standards also overemphasize typology, which is not conducive to advancing canine health (14). These ongoing attempts to create the ultimate canine conformation, with continually elevated ideals, are precisely what result in detrimentally exaggerated physiques and diseased animals.

• This should not be allowed ...there isn't a breed of dog out there that hasn't had a bad day, and might I add that if it has had a bad day it is usually the owner that set the dog up for it to begin with. I stand by by comment: " There is NO such thing as a bad dog. Just "BAD OWNERS" who do not know how to treat, or train their pet correctly. It's just stupidity No dog want to be the aggressor they are put in a position or treated so badly, ( or worse beaten/or forced to fight one another) they have no recourse but to fight back because they are afraid and need to defend themselves. There is no reason on earth why we cannot have a happy healthy pet in today's world. But no...people abuse the right to own a dog. Not all ...I am just saying for every dog that has had a rough life there is usually an abusive owner behind it...or extensive line breeding to as a breeder might put it " To have the perfect looking dog" I read somewhere they want to start bringing in vets to make sure the dogs at shows have no health issues or breeding defects. This is because some( and I state "SOME" breeders that do this line breeding to perfect the looks of which every breed of dog they are showing. If I can find the article again, I will post it here for all to see. That's my say on the issue.

• And thank you for posting and commenting. Much appreciated.

• Thank you for taking some beautiful photos! We appreciate it so much!

TotalComments: 6