OK To Shoot Dogs? Kory "Cowboy" Nelson, Denver City Attorney - Says Shooters Are "Justified"

"Anybody who shoots a pit bull running loose is justified,'' said Nelson, the Denver city attorney.          San Francisco Chronicle, Monday, June 27, 2005

Wow - does it get any better than this?  Betcha Mr. Nelson's handlers have their panties in a twist over the aforementioned quote in the SF Chronicle last month.

Gee, Kory, you sound a little trigger-happy to us.  And here we thought the days of the Wild Wild West were looooong over.

Does Kory Nelson, one of Denver's rootin', tootin' city attorneys, mean for citizens to take to the streets of Denver to shoot dogs?  "I spy........a pit bull! Wait - there's one over there - get it!"

Unlike Kory Nelson, we don't endorse breed bans, nor does any reputable animal wefare organization. Nor can we endorse the shooting of dogs, like the esteemed Mr. Nelson.

Besides, what if they shoot the wrong dogs, as in a case of mistaken identity?  Oooopps - sorry - that was a lab- thought it was a pit.  And what if they shoot some people too - all in the name of "public safety" - ooops, sorry, am I bad?

Hey, Kory, while you're inciting people to shoot, why not suggest take out some other "bad breeds" too? 

You know, German Shepherds, Rotties, Boxers, Great Danes, St. Bernards ...... But why limit your efforts to just canines? 

Since you've already extended the long arm of the law to those poor, minority neighborhoods - you know - where you get to confiscate innocent dogs from innocent dog owners - why not take out some "loose running" people out there?  Are those folk the "wrong breed" too?

Maybe you got your talking points from those New Jersey State Troopers on the Jersey Turnpike, back a few years ago. You know, where the state had a policy of pulling over all those African American & Hispanic males - you know - for driving while black?

The flawed logic used to justify the pit bull ban in Denver is the same flawed and twisted logic that led to the downfall of some of the highest-ranking law enforcement officers in New Jersey. And oh yea, and wasn't there a big investigation, that touched off the firestorm of resignations and lawsuits but the Justice Department? 

Who knew that Denver's pols were on a par with the majestic political scene here in Jersey? I can hardly contain my excitement - Yo!  What exit?

Kory Nelson has made it his personal crusade to rid Denver, if not the planet, of pit bulls in the name of public safety.

But what's really interesting is that he's taken his hate show on the road, offering up his expertise in ant-dog, anti pit bull ordinaces and message to smaller towns "in the interest of public safety". 

Perhaps, me thinks, Mr. Nelson doth protest too much.

If I were a resident of Denver, or Davenport, Iowa, where Mr. Nelson has so kindly taken the city fathers there under his protective wing, I'd have some big questions for him.

Mr. Nelson, if you are so concerned about criminals who train dogs to attack, why hasn't your office sufficiently addressed the drug dealers, gangs and others engaged in criminal activity?

If protecting people in the interest of public safety is so important, why are you engaged in breed profiling of dogs, instead of addressing the core criminal and social issues of Denver? And why on earth would you punish hard-working, tax-paying, responsible dog owners with your rabid (pun intended) campaign?

If Mr. Nelson was so intent on protecting the public, he and his office would be out enforcing existing dangerous dog laws and the criminal code. 

If Mr. Nelson and the City Of Denver were so intent on protecting the public, they would consult with highly qualified organizations that are nationally recognized as experts in the field of dangerous dog legislation, namely The American Dog Owners Association,  The American Kennel Club, and the National Animal Interest Alliance to create and implement enforceable dangerous dog legislation that protects the safety and the rights of the public.

Could it be that it's more expedient, in terms of tax dollars, manpower, and not to mention politics, to solve Denver's criminal problem by limiting (or should we say exterminating) the rights of good citizens?

Could it be that Kory Nelson wants to keep his shiney, Elliot Ness-like image looking good by deflecting attention away from what others see as Denver's failure to address criminals with dogs by instead placing attention on the breed rather than criminal owners?  This approach certainly keeps Nelson's political amibitions, not to mention ego, afloat ?

Could it be that Kory Nelson has his sights set on bigger political prizes in the not-too-distant future? 

Could it be that Kory Nelson has the backing of the insurance lobby?

Concerned citizens of Denver have a right to know.

After comments like the one published above in the SF Chronicle, we think Kory Nelson needs to go back to school for some "safety training" of his own. Maybe Kory Nelson's handlers should muzzle him put him on a short leash.

Comments

[JJ]

Kory Nelson reviewed "Pit Bulls for Dummies" and a book on dog evolution (see his PBFD review and click on "All my reviews" to link to that). I thought his review of PBFD was so disgusting that I turned it in to Amazon as "inappropriate." I regret that and hope they don't pull it because I think the best thing that can happen is for people, especially friends of bull breeds, to read the crazy things he says.

I've read things other things he's said, quoted by people who attempted to reason with him. The quotes on shooting dogs (in the streets of Denver? Misses? Ricochets?) are great. His incredibly poor grasp of the scientific concepts he throws around when arguing that these dogs must be driven into extinction is very interesting, too. Someone needs to interview this man and write a book. Muzzle and leash him? No, let him talk!

[Paul Kelly]

People of Denver!Instead of talking,and posting endless complaints on this site not one of you run for office organize a voting block with most reasonable dog owners and just get rid of this guy? A concerned uk citizen

[Dianne Singer]

Superb article, my congratulations to the author. Yes, Mr. Nelson is busy condemning dogs instead of the true criminals, the humans. Of course, dogs are the easier target; why do something difficult, when you can take the easy road? We in Ontario have a similar individual in power provincially. The parallels between Denver and Ontario are all too apparent, and frightening.

[Maureen]

OMG..is this guy for real!! He needs to go, go, go! It is pretty pathetic when someone wants to make a name for themselves by creating a dog holocaust!

I think I will send this article to the NRA and see how they like it! Guns travel faster than dogs, that is why so many people are killed with guns that have traveled from state to state, city to city.

Are we sure this guy Kory really has a law degree? Hmmmmmmm, I am stumped!

A petition to have him removed from office should be started immediately by the people in Colorado..his comments make the people of Denver look like idiots for not trying to remove him from office.

[Lori Biever-Launder]

I have been involved with bull breeds since 1982. I have never had one so much as lift a lip at me. I currently volunteer at our local shelter and find the bull breeds to consistanly be the nicest dogs there.

I own an American Staffordshire terrier who is a retired show dog. Her temperment is rock solid. She passed the AKC's Canine Good Citizen test at the tender age of eleven months. She currently works as a breed ambassador while going to local schools to help me teach dog safety classes. If she were such a threat to people, would she be allowed in the schools around hundreds of innocent kids? I think not!

BSL is ludicrous. To think that ANY breed is inherently bad is akin to racism.

[Anne Springer]

As a professional dog trainer, I am appalled at the ignorance of politicians in Denver, who are perpetrating a holocaust on innocent dogs and their responsible owners, in an effort to rid the city of a criminal element. The criminal element will just go underground, and ordinary citizens who are simply attached to dogs of the "wrong" breed, will be psychologically damaged forever. The dogs, well, we know what end waits for them...
If the idiots running Denver were here in my state, the therapy dog that has visited our local nursing home for the last two years, every single Tuesday, would possibly be confiscated and/or euthanized, maybe even shot, if, God forbid, she wandered ten feet out of her yard by accident. This is insanity.
The punishment needs to fit the crime. And, no one in America should have their dog confiscated or otherwise restricted if they have committed no crime.