The Coalition for Living Safely with Dogs is a group of Colorado animal health, care, and control professionals who have come together to offer assistance to municipalities striving to create and enforce good dangerous dog laws. The Coalition also aims to educate owners and the general public on how to live safely with dogs. There are many issues that cause the problem of dangerous dogs and potentially dangerous dogs. A well-planned proactive community approach will result in the best possible solutions to these issues.

Dangerous Dogs: A National Issue with Local Effects

As dogs and other household pets have become interwoven into the fabric of the American family, the number of households owning dogs has increased. Most recent estimates indicate that there are more than 60 million pet dogs in the U.S, more per capita dogs than any other country in the world. With this increase, the potential for dog bites also increases.

In the 1980s the national media profiled a number of dog maulings, some of which involved children who were severely or fatally injured. In response to these attacks, communities in Oregon, New Mexico, Ohio, and Colorado began to ban breeds of dogs that were perceived as dangerous, including Rottweilers, German Shepherds, Chows, and Pit Bull-type dogs. Owners of these types of dogs expressed outrage and challenged the breed bans in court, although most of the bans were upheld as constitutional exercises of police power.

Not all states have followed the same breed-specific legislation trend. Some legislatures and municipalities have prohibited breed-specific laws and have favored more aggressive breed-neutral dangerous dog law. The question about how best to legislate the behavior of dogs and the owners still weighs heavy on the minds of legislatures and city councils across the country. The materials contained in this website are designed to help dog owners, members of the community, public policy makers, teachers, and students who are seeking comprehensive solutions to dangerous dogs. 

Articles of Interest

• Denver Post, May 1, 2006: “Deeds, Not Breeds, Now Focus of Ban”
• CBS Broadcasting, Inc., November 16, 2005: “Most Dangerous Dog: Pit Bull Bans Raise Questions”
• The New Yorker, February 6, 2006: “Troublemakers: What Pit Bulls Can Teach Us About Profiling,” by Malcolm Gladwell
• The Scoop e-newsletter of Animal Sheltering, March 27, 2006: “Pit Bulls: Dilemma and Debate,” by Katina Antoniades

The CLSD website is made possible by grants from

Animal Assistance Foundation and Summerlee Foundation.

The information contained in this site is intended for educational purposes only, and should not be construed as veterinary medical, medical, animal behavior, or legal advice. Please consult your local veterinarian, animal behaviorist, physician, or attorney for answers to questions that pertain to your dog or to the community in which you live.