Photoset
February 27, 2013
61 notes

FAMILY ORDERED TO SURRENDER DOG BECAUSE HE LOOKS LIKE A PIT BULL - “[T]hey want to take him. They said we have 5 days to get rid of him…”

Authorities in Annapolis, Missouri, are enforcing a ban on Pit Bulls by ordering a family to give up their dog, Patches, because he looks like a Pit Bull. Patches was rescued by the family after he was found wandering the streets. The family will be fighting the order in court.  In the meantime, the family contacted reporter Chris Hayes who arranged a DNA test to be performed on Patches to determine his breed. Here’s more from KPLR 11:

Patches loves chasing rock and roll drumsticks.  He`ll go after them all day in his unique bunny hop style.  15-year-old Bayle Sutton found him as a stray.

She said, “It was pretty much love at first site.”

She said Patches really found her, when he followed her one day walking through town.

She said, “At first I kind of just petted him and kind of kept walking, but he kept following me right behind me.

***

While you might see a cute prancing puppy, the town sees him as a `public threat.`

Annapolis, MO police wrote a ticket ordering Bayle`s Aunt and Uncle to give him up. City Ordinance says ‘Pitbulls Prohibited.’  Apparently police think patches is a pit.

Aunt Tammy said, “We don`t think he`s a pitbull.  We think he`s part of the family, that`s all that he is.”

Patches sounds like a happy dog who is now threatened due to no fault of his own. Click here for the full story and a news video. You can follow the fight to save Patches on Twitter through the #SavePatches hashtag.

Tags: dog Pit Bull BSL Missouri SavePatches

Photo
July 15, 2012
31 notes
Thanks to sillermoon for this story: MAN WINS RIGHT TO KEEP SERVICE DOG DESPITE TOWN’S PIT BULL BAN - “Snickers has been individually trained to assist James with tasks which mitigate his disability, including walking, balance, and retrieving items around the house…” Snickers is a certified service dog who belongs to retired police officer and military veteran James Sak.  Sak suffered a stroke and needs Snickers to help deal with his physical challenges.  However, when Sak moved to Aurelia, Iowa, he was told that Snickers had to go due to a town ordinance which bans ownership of pit bulls. Last December, a judge granted a preliminary injunction so that Sak could keep Snickers until the pending lawsuit was resolved.  Now, Sak and the town have reached a settlement allowing him to keep Snickers permanently. Here’s more from Life With Dogs: Sak, 65, a disabled Vietnam Veteran and retired Chicago police officer, was forced to relinquish his service dog after the Aurelia, Iowa Town Council voted December 14 to prohibit the dog, identified as a “pit bull,” from residing within Aurelia city limits. *** “Without the service dog here to assist, I can’t leave Jim unattended,” said Leifer. “But the whole reason we moved to Aurelia was to care for my 87-year-old mother who is ill. I drive across town to care for her three times a day. Jim has already fallen once and we had to call 911. I live in fear that he will have another stroke, or worse. We need his service dog back.” Snickers will now be able to do what he does best — take care of his beloved owner.  Click here for the full story and a video.

Thanks to sillermoon for this story:

MAN WINS RIGHT TO KEEP SERVICE DOG DESPITE TOWN’S PIT BULL BAN - “Snickers has been individually trained to assist James with tasks which mitigate his disability, including walking, balance, and retrieving items around the house…”

Snickers is a certified service dog who belongs to retired police officer and military veteran James Sak.  Sak suffered a stroke and needs Snickers to help deal with his physical challenges.  However, when Sak moved to Aurelia, Iowa, he was told that Snickers had to go due to a town ordinance which bans ownership of pit bulls. Last December, a judge granted a preliminary injunction so that Sak could keep Snickers until the pending lawsuit was resolved.  Now, Sak and the town have reached a settlement allowing him to keep Snickers permanently. Here’s more from Life With Dogs:

Sak, 65, a disabled Vietnam Veteran and retired Chicago police officer, was forced to relinquish his service dog after the Aurelia, Iowa Town Council voted December 14 to prohibit the dog, identified as a “pit bull,” from residing within Aurelia city limits.

***

“Without the service dog here to assist, I can’t leave Jim unattended,” said Leifer. “But the whole reason we moved to Aurelia was to care for my 87-year-old mother who is ill. I drive across town to care for her three times a day. Jim has already fallen once and we had to call 911. I live in fear that he will have another stroke, or worse. We need his service dog back.”

Snickers will now be able to do what he does best — take care of his beloved owner.  Click here for the full story and a video.

Tags: dog BSL pit bull animal service dog

Photoset
July 11, 2012
154 notes

UPDATE: LENNOX HAS BEEN PUT TO SLEEP - “Despite previous assurances otherwise, we have been denied the opportunity to say goodbye. We have also been told that we cannot collect his body and bring Len home. We have been informed however that we will receive “some” ashes in the mail.”

Despite worldwide opposition and multiple offers by reputable dog trainers to transfer Lennox to the U.S., the Belfast City Council has euthanized Lennox. I put off writing this post as long as possible in the hopes that Lennox would be spared at the last minute — unfortunately, Lennox is gone.  

I have nothing but love and respect for the people of Northern Ireland.  

As for the Belfast City Council, I have nothing but disdain — You took Lennox away from his home, separated him from his family for two years, ignored reasonable solutions that were presented to you, denied the family the opportunity to say goodbye, and killed him. You disgust me.

(For the full backstory please click here)

Tags: dog lennox pit bull Breed Specific Legislation BSL

Photo
June 12, 2012
140 notes
COURT ORDERS DOG TO BE PUT DOWN - “Lennox was five-years-old when he was taken from the Barne’s family. He had lived with the family and being a companion to their disabled child Brooke.” As you may have heard, Lennox the dog, who was seized by Belfast authorities for looking like a pit bull, has lost his appeal and was ordered to be euthanized. The dog’s owner, Caroline Barnes, lost her legal battle to have the decision overturned on Tuesday afternoon in Belfast. In May 2010 the dog was seized by Belfast City Council dog wardens. It was ruled that Lennox was a danger to the public and should be put down. Although Barnes now accepts that Lennox is a pit bull-type dog she claims that there has been a failure to consider the dog’s exemption from the scheme, according to BBC reports. Barnes argued with the court that Lennox had never bitten anyone or misbehaved since being impounded. She says her dog was never given a chance Not only was Lenox separated from his family for the past two years, now he has been sentenced to die.  This is insane.  Click here for the full story from irishcentral.com.

COURT ORDERS DOG TO BE PUT DOWN - “Lennox was five-years-old when he was taken from the Barne’s family. He had lived with the family and being a companion to their disabled child Brooke.”

As you may have heard, Lennox the dog, who was seized by Belfast authorities for looking like a pit bull, has lost his appeal and was ordered to be euthanized.

The dog’s owner, Caroline Barnes, lost her legal battle to have the decision overturned on Tuesday afternoon in Belfast. In May 2010 the dog was seized by Belfast City Council dog wardens. It was ruled that Lennox was a danger to the public and should be put down.

Although Barnes now accepts that Lennox is a pit bull-type dog she claims that there has been a failure to consider the dog’s exemption from the scheme, according to BBC reports. Barnes argued with the court that Lennox had never bitten anyone or misbehaved since being impounded. She says her dog was never given a chance

Not only was Lenox separated from his family for the past two years, now he has been sentenced to die.  This is insane.  Click here for the full story from irishcentral.com.

Tags: BSL dog Lennox

Photoset
June 11, 2012
59 notes

JUDGMENT COMING IN HOURS FOR DOG SEIZED BASED ON BREED-SPECIFIC LEGISLATION - “The court will decide if there can be another appeal in the case to free Lennox or if will be put to death because several dog wardens with their own agenda decided he looks like a pit bull.”

On May 19, 2010 in the U.K., Lennox the dog was taken from his home by Belfast City Council officials for “looking like a pit bull.”  There were no complaints or incidents of any kind which prompted the seizure. For the past two years, Lennox has been isolated from his family in the pound.  Any hour now, the Court of Appeal Civil at the Royal Courts of Justice will issue a judgment, as explained by the examiner.com:

Judgment day for Lennox, the seven-year-old mixed breed dog held in captivity and secrecy on death row for the past two years because of the way he looks, will be held Tuesday, June 12 and the eyes of the world will be focused on Belfast…

Let’s hope the judgment comes out in Lennox’s favor so he can continue his legal fight. He deserves to be freed after 2 years apart from his home.  Click here for the “Save Lennox” website and here for the Facebook page. Please share this story.

Tags: dog pit bull bull dog BSL