A comment that was just posted to reminded me of a document I turned up earlier while I was searching for the registration fees for intact dogs and cats.

Requirements for Keeping Pit Bulls and Other Restricted Breeds of Dogs
On October 24, 2005, The Aurora City Council passed an ordinance (View Ordinance) prohibiting the following breeds of dogs and/or any dog exhibiting distinguishing characteristics that substantially conform to the standards for any of these breeds:
American Pit Bull Terrier
American Staffordshire Terrier
Staffordshire Bull Terrier
American Bulldog
Canary Dog (Presa Canario)
Cane Corso
Dogo Argentino
Fila Brasileiro (Brazilian Mastiff)
Presa Mallorquin
Tosa (Tosa Inu)

Restricted Breed Evaluation: Beginning December 1 st , 2005, dogs of questionable breeding may be brought to the Animal Shelter to be evaluated by staff between 10 am and 2 pm Monday through Friday. The evaluation fee is $25. If staff determines the dog’s physical characteristics closely match those of a Restricted Breed, owners must meet the following requirements and obtain a Restricted Breed License for the animal or permanently remove their dog from the City. The $25 evaluation fee may be applied toward the Restricted Breed License. A certificate approving residency without special licensing requirements for the animal will be provided to owners of those dogs evaluated and determined not to be included in the prohibition. Ordinance Sec. 1475 banning the above listed breeds/breedmixes becomes effective November 26, 2005. To allow owners an opportunity to keep pets already in Aurora, City Council included a grandfather clause with a list of requirements for obtaining a Restricted Breed License. Owners have until January 31, 2006 to obtain this special license.

The Animal Care Division will begin issuing Restricted Breed Licenses on Dec. 1, 2005. Enforcement of the ban begins on February 1, 2006.

Owners of Restricted Breeds are encouraged and advised to take this opportunity to complete requirements for the Restricted Breed License and register their dogs:

Between now and December 1st, 2005, compile proof of the following:

• Owners must be 21 yearsofage or older (Acceptable documents for proof of age include a valid)
• Current address (Acceptable documents for proof of residency include a current utility bill, lease agreement, driver’s license, passport, military or government ID)
• Rabies vaccination (Copy of a current rabies certificate from a licensed veterinarian)
• Spay or Neuter (a receipt from a licensed veterinarian or as documented on the dog’s rabies certificate)
• Implanted microchip identification number and registration with the national database for the chip (Registration paperwork with the national database)
• Obtain a muzzle that, when fitted and fastened over the snout/mouth/head, prevents the dog from biting a person or another animal, but does not interfere with its vision or respiration. The muzzle should allow room for the dog to easily breath and pant. Bring the muzzle with you when applying for the Restricted Breed License.
• Leash (no longer than 4 feet in length; no extension leashes allowed). Leashes may not be attached to inanimate objects (trees, poles, buildings, vehicles, etc). No one younger than 21 years of age may walk a Restricted Breed of dog. Bring the leash with you to registration.
• Homeowner’s or Renter’s Insurance (Copy of a current policy including $100,000 liability coverage for any damage or injury caused by a Restricted Breed of dog).
• Construct a Secure Pen to contain the dog when it is unsupervised in the backyard. Minimum requirements: 5 feet x 10 feet per animal, sixsides including a securely attached top and bottom, with a keyed or combination lock on the gate. The pen must include protection from the elements. Note: If the pen is larger than 120 sq. feet (10’ x 12’), the City requires a permit for construction. Enclosures smaller than 120 sq. feet do not require a building permit. (Where covenants or association regulations prohibit outdoor pens, or for owners with 6foot privacy fences in good condition who NEVER allow their dogs in the backyard unsupervised, the Secure Pen requirement may be waived, but all other restrictions apply. Backyard supervision must by someone 21 years of age or older)
• Begin saving for the $200 annual Restricted Breed License fee.

Between December 1, 2005 and January 31, 2006:

• Bring proof of the above listed items to the Animal Care Division Licensing Clerk located at the Aurora Animal Shelter, 15750 E. 32 nd Ave, Aurora, CO 80011. (3033268291)
  Office hours: Monday thru Friday: 9:30 am to 6:30 pm, Saturday: 10 am to 4 pm.
• Pay the $200 annual Restricted Breed License fee (includes a Temporary Restricted Breed License tag and two warning signs. One sign must be posted at the front entry of the residence and the other must be attached to the front gate of the Secure Pen (if no pen is required, the second sign must be attached to the fence gate leading into the backyard) Additional or replacement warning signs are available for $10 each.
• Schedule an inspection of the sixsided, locked, Secure Pen (if applicable) and installation of the two warning signs. Note: Only two inspections will be conducted to approve a Secure Pen and installation of the two warning signs. Failure to pass inspection may result in a summons and required appearance before the Aurora Municipal Court.
• When the Secure Pen and sign installation passes inspection, the Temporary license tag will be replaced with a permanent Restricted Breed License tag. This license must be renewed annually. Replacement of worn, damaged or lost tags furnished upon request.
• Failure to obtain a Restricted Breed license before January 31 st , 2006 or violation of any of the above requirements may result in forfeiture of the license and place your animal in jeopardy.

$200. a year if your dog is either one of those breeds, or is similar enough that someone might mistake it for one of those breeds. Plus, you have to keep it in a cage with a fucking bottom, and you have to muzzle it any time it’s not in that cage or your house.

That sorta brings me to this site, which has an interesting point. Can you find the Pit Bull? I couldn’t.

This is just so stupid and unfair. It’s not the dogs, and having all these rules isn’t going to solve the problems — it’s just going to punish the good owners that weren’t causing the problems in the first place.

Does anyone really think that this is going to work, that the sort of people who would abuse a dog or leave it in the back yard on a chain without any positive human interaction is going to register their dog? Do they usually?

I guess that’s the other thing this law will do. Give the sort of people that caused this law another law to break.