The first weekend of 2021 saw the long-time pit bull ban lift in Denver.
On January 2, Denver animal shelters began adopting out pit bulls and pit bull mixes to Denver residents.
"It's been a long time in the making," Maia Brusseau of the Dumb Friends League told FOX31. "We hope this does make a difference in [pit bulls] length of stay at our shelters.
Brusseau said there had been a small pool of adopters with the city's restrictions.
Voters decided to lift the pit bull ban in November. Now, a breed-restricted registration system will allow residents to own pit bulls and pit bull mixes with a permit. Issued by the city, the permit costs $30.
"That permit allows owners of American pit bull terriers, American Staffordshire terriers, or Staffordshire bull terriers, or predominant mixes of those breeds, to maintain and own their dog within the city limits," said the Denver Animal Protection Lt. Josh Rolfe.
Before a permit is issued, owners must pay for a $25 assessment process to determine if a dog has a majority of characteristics of the banned breeds.
If a resident's pet does not have enough characteristics of a pit bull, they receive a letter noting their animal has been assessed by Denver Animal Protection.
Owners are also required to report any bite incidents or loose pit bulls to Animal Control within eight hours.
After the vote in Denver, Aurora Mayor Mike Coffman wants the city to vote on its own existing pit bull ban.
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