QUID HAS HEARD more than enough from pit bull enthusiasts over the last few days. The breed’s cheerleaders have made the rounds after a pit bull was spared in the city en route to New Jersey, where it was apparently heading to live with Bon Jovi or something. We get it, you don’t like Aurora’s breed ban and you don’t like the idea that some pups just can’t live anywhere and everywhere. For the record: Quid doesn’t care much either way. Pit bulls are just another dog after all, but on the other hand, it’s a particularly mean dog just like Labradors are water dogs. But from where Quid sits, there’s not a whole lot of outrage when a mutt gets gassed. And you’d think breed buffs would care about all animals, not just the ones that bite the hardest.
QUID HAS HEARD that the hottest ticket in town is the Cherry Creek School Board’s swearing-in ceremonies next week. Just think, you can rub elbows with TMZ when you watch Randy Perlis and Karen Fisher raise their right hands over the Fundamentals of Biology and swear to uphold the constitution of lunch line etiquette. There’ll be a line, Quid’s sure, out the door waiting to catch a glimpse of the Superintendent Harry Bull when he dons the ceremonial robe and does the ritual dance of new school board members. Just kidding, Quid has no idea what those things look like. We’ve been to many and despite the free coffee they give away at those things, we’re still dead asleep before the middle school choir wraps up at the beginning.
QUID HAS HEARD that your RTD light rail fare station punching days are over. RTD has finally decided to wake up and embrace 2002 by soon offering magnetic passes that don’t require you to iron your dollar bills at night anymore. Prepaid or monthly passes will soon allow riders to wave their frequent rider cards past readers and finally make that train on time, instead of flubbing with cash at the machines until you cry. That’s the good news. The bad news: How is it going to work with that lame-o fare zone system? Will you swipe on enter and exit? Because that’s one too many times for Quid to remember. Also, like other systems, if Quid stuffs it into his pocket with his cell phone, will that mean he’s just lost $30 in fares again. Ugh.
AND THAT’S ALL THE NEWS FIT TO PRINT
Quid: Believe it or not, I used to share your opinion that pit bulls are mean dogs. However life decided to bring me down an unexpected path and over the past several years I have had the pleasure of meeting many pit bull type dogs. Alas, I have found what the vast amount of professionals have been saying to be true. Breed does not define behavior and the fact is aggression is not akin to an affinity for water. The assumption that breed determines a dogs disposition with other beings is a gross miscalculation of the factors that effect interactions and thus one of the reasons breed bans are ineffective at improving public safety. Many pit bull type dogs live peacefully with dogs of all sizes, cats, pigs, horses… On the flip side I have seen numerous other types of dogs in the “red zone” that have been mismanaged by their handlers, and ignored by the media. Your assumption that “pit bull enthusiasts” don’t care about other dogs is false. First of all most of the dogs caught up in BSL are “mutts” and we care very much for the mutts, the cattle dogs, the Labradors… In fact most of us own other types of dogs and are involved in volunteer work and rescue of all types of animals. In fact most of us are not “breed buffs” at all. The American Veterinary Medical Society is surely concerned with the well-being of all kinds of dogs, as well as the American Humane Association (which works to protect children, pets and farm animals alike), HSUS…. I could go on forever but the point being we have all been compelled by our experiences and a common goal to create a safer environment for all to oppose ineffective breed specific legislation.