Controversial breed the focus of pet store fundraiser

BOULDER - Farfel's Farm in Boulder holds a lot of fundraisers for animals in need, but this weekend's event is supporting a dog breed that usually does not get much love.

Pit bulls have a reputation for being aggresive, something that has been created over many years due to the breed's use in dog fighting and a series of tragic attacks.

While the dogs have been banned by a number of metro Denver communities, including Denver, Aurora and Castle Rock, Farfel's Farm is supporting a rescue group that is helping the animals that have been confiscated.

"We do this for many breeds because we feel passionately. It doesn't matter which breed they are, but this breed is the most persecuted against," Sandy Calvin, the co-owner of Farfel's Farm, said.

Colorado Pit Bull Rescue works to save pit bulls that would be put down and place them in homes in non-ban areas.

"We are their last resort. If it wasn't for us these dogs would be a breed statistic," Amy Hedger, a volunteer with the group said.

They believe the problem is not the dog in many cases, it is the former owners.

"These dogs have been set up in the wrong hands and have been set up for failure," Hedger said.

The group says it puts the dogs and potential owners through a lot of scrutiny to ensure the arrangements will be safe and the dogs will not be used in fighting.

"If they're human-aggressive, then there's something going on with who's holding the leash," she continued.

Doug Kelley, the director of Denver Animal Care and Control says a series of attacks in Denver in the 1980s led to the law.

"There was the 3-year-old boy who was killed and Reverend [Wilbur] Billingsley was attacked," Kelley said.

Three-year-old Fernando Salazar was killed by a pit bull on October 26, 1986 after wandering into a neighbor's yard. Rev. Billingsley suffered more than 70 bites and two broken legs after encountering a pit bull in an alley behind his home on May 8, 1989.

A steady stream of attacks over the years has kept it on the books.

"In Denver we are required to look at a pit bull as being dangerous by ordinance, but if we can get that dog to another jurisdiction where it is permitted, then that is a success," Kelley said.

He agreed any dog can be aggressive, but he says the pit bull isn't necessarily more dangerous that other breeds. Still, he did encourage some caution for those considering a pit bull adoption.

"Pit bulls are strong. People talk about locking jaw and things like that. Physiologically that's been proven not to be the case, but they are very strong," Kelley said. "A pit bull owner really needs to understand what they are getting into, not so much with the behavior of the animal, but just the perceptions; the public perceptions."

The owners of Farfel's Farm hope the event is an opportunity to start a dialog about the ban, but more importantly to help the dogs affected by it.

"These are living beings. This is not a throw away. This is a living, breathing being," Calvin said.

Five percent of sales at Farfel's Farm on Saturday will go towards the Colorado Pit Bull Rescue.

Benefit for Colorado Pit Bull Rescue
Where: Farfel's Farm, 906 Pearl Street in Boulder
When: Saturday, Nov. 7, Noon to 3 p.m.

For more information contact Farfel's Farm at  303-443-7711 or Colorado Pit Bull Rescue at coloradopitbullrescue.com