Help Me Stop My Town From Murdering My Pittbull

[Shannon]

I need help! The city of Des Moines, Iowa has declared my pitbull a dangerous animal. I have appealed this judgement and must now appear before the city council...but I can't plead my case, I can't introduce any new evidence which includes all the letters I've collected from my community about what a great dog Mojo is. So my plan is e-mails and mailing pictures and letters to the city council members before the meeting. Thank goodness it's my civic right to contact them directly. I would appritiate any advice or letters I could send off to them.

Please e-mail me at [e-mail]

I have owned my pit since he was 4 weeks old, he is now 5 years now. My neighbors small dog attacked him and my dog bite him, a warning bite to say the least. No significant injuries, no stitches, and neither dog was on a leash (it happened in the hallway of my apartment) So now they want to destroy my dog because my neighbors LIED and said the bite was unprovoked.

I am working on getting an attorney but right now I'm writing, making phone calls, e-mailing, and begging for help.
Please...my dog's life depends on these people to make the RIGHT desicion. PLEASE HELP ME SHED THE LIGHT
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[Liz]

Can you give your dog to a relative or friends out of State and say the dog ran away and then retieve him later on? Maybe those neigbors will move away and you can get him back. I REALLY HOPE YOUR DOG IS SAVED. Where should we post letters? What were you hoping the letters would say? Maybe you could get an pro-bono lawyer and keep birnging attention in on the fact that your neighbor is lying and that the confrontation was provoked. Or maybe you could plead with your nieghbor to drop the charges. Go into court or the place dressed professionally (i.e. a suite) and act in a very honest professional manner.

[Linda]

I am agreeing with Liz. Is there some where you can hide him to protect him? The first thing that came to my mind is to deal with the neighbors and talk to them first, see if you could get them to change their mind. A good court attorney hopefully will be able to help you. It sounds like it's your word against hers. Was she in the hall and did she see it all and were you in the hall? If no one else was in the hall but you and her and the dogs, lie too, or tell them the truth, her dog attacked your dog first. What can she prove it was unprovoked if no one else was in the hall. Where is her proof?

[Few Steps From Home Rescue and Adoption]

Since your dog is a Pit Bull and the other dog is a "small" dog, they will blame yours sadly. That is the way of the world because of what the media has made these poor dogs into. WE know they are sweet loving animals that IF they are in the right hands they become some of the BEST FAMILY dogs ever. Of course if a Pit or ANY dog for that matter is provoked by another dog, they will bite. Have you ever noticed when a smaller dog growls at a larger dog people laugh because it is "cute"? This just happened at a meet and greet I had the other week. One of my adoptable poodles growled at my adoptable Saint Bernard. People there actually laughed!! And let's face it...If the saint got a hold of the poodle it would be dead. And guess who's fault it would have been...the BIGGER dog. Go onto www.PBRC.net. They have a LOT of good information about pit bulls and bully breeds. The best thing you can do is educate yourself with FACTS about bully breeds. Get an attorney that knows this breed well... there are attorneys out there that own Bully breeds. I think it IS a GREAT idea to get a petition going also, as well as letters written by people that KNOW your dog. Like the others said also, try to approach your neighbors and see if they will drop it. They may. Try to make a compromise with them and tell them your dog will be muzzled when he is out where their dog may be. I understand it was not your dog that started it....but if muzzling your dog is the only way they will let it go, that is a small price to have to pay as opposed to losing your dog. You can also try to get a REPUTABLE bully breed trainer to eval your dog for you. I have been dealing with these dogs in rescue for years now, and I have had some pretty hard cases...but even the hard cases, with a lot of work and consistency, have the potential to become a wonderful family dog.

It is going to take a LOT of work on your part to fight this IF your neighbors will not drop it. If you decide to start a Bully breed petition let me know and I will be happy to sign it. I wish you all the best and I hope you can help change the mind of these people. Even if they drop it, or you go to court and win the case, remember...there are MANY others out there going through the same thing, stay involved and one step at a time we can try stop the banning of these wonderful misunderstood dogs

[J jones]

Here in NYC, this would never happen. Here, the bite law applies only to dog vs. people bite, and you get one "free bite" -- But if there is a second bite, the NYPD Humane Officers step in, and then if there is a third bite, the dog is often euthanized. If it is dog vs dog bite, if the dog is off-leash (which is illegal) then you might have a civil case to pay for the vet bills. Did you pay for the vet bill for the bite on the little dog? You should have, because even though your dog didn't initiate the fight, he was off-leash in violation of the law, and he caused the damage.

[J jones]

Your dog is GORGEOUS, and looks so sweet! Why was he off the leash (even in the public hallway of your building)? It sounds like what happened with the other dog was NOT the fault of your dog -- It was YOUR fault for not keeping your dog on a leash in public. YES -- You should get a good lawyer who SPECIALIZES in animal cases. And it would probably be better if you did not speak for yourself (most attorney's advise that you never speak), but if you must make a statement, I would suggest you tell the court that it was YOUR FAULT that the dog was unrestrained (because it was!). If all else fails, perhaps your attorney can make a deal with the court, that if your dog is sent to another, new and responsible owner or no-kill rescue out of your county, then perhaps your dog can be spared. He wouldn't be with you anymore, but at least he would be alive, in a new and responsible home. NEVER let a Pit off leash, no matter how nice he is, just because of the fear of that breed the media has instilled in the public!!!