B'game got some unwelcome national attention this past week after being called out in the Sunday magazine for banning pit bulls at our Paws for Tales program at the library.

Last summer, Patricia Harding, a librarian in Burlingame, Calif., banned pit bulls from the Paws for Tales program in her facility.

A guy named Cris Cohen who helped rehabilitate one of Michael Vick's dogs objected

In January, Cohen and Jonny resigned from Paws for Tales in protest. He teamed with lawyers associated with BAD RAP and checked the state’s laws. According to California’s Food and Agricultural Code (Section 31681-31683), it is illegal to act against any animal based on breed except in the case of instituting mandatory spay and neuter programs. Cohen wrote a letter pointing this out to the librarian and Burlingame city leaders, including the mayor Terry Nagel, vice mayor Jerry Deal, and Jim Nantell, the city manager.

Two weeks ago, he finally heard back. City attorney Gus Guinan acknowledged that in accordance with the code, the ban would be lifted. Good news, right? Well, not quite. The letter also noted that the library decided to withdraw from the Paws for Tales program completely.

E-mails have been flowing into the City from all over the continent objecting to the pit bull ban–it's always something!