A photo of a happy adopted dog was all the evidence the police needed
The adoption had unexpected consequences
Dan Tillery and his girlfriend were thrilled when they adopted their dream dog. The two had wanted a dog for a long time and now that they had their own home, the time had finally come. The couple could never have foreseen what was to come…
The rescue
A two-year-old stray dog was found on the streets of Detroit, Michigan. The dog was plucked off the street by Detroit Animal Control. The four-legged friend was then taken care of by Detroit Dog Rescue. Because the bus from the shelter was full, the dog could no longer come along. That was something Kristina Rinaldi, executive director of Detroit Dog Rescue, couldn’t bear to let happen. After seeing the sad look in the dog’s eyes, she decided to put the dog in her own car.
Sir Wiggleton
The shelter never expected that such a sad dog would go on to have such an impact. The dog was soon given the name Sir Wiggleton. This is because they discovered peculiar characteristics. The dog had grown from sad to extremely happy in no time. Sir Wiggleton mainly showed his joy by shaking his body very wildly. According to the shelter, it looked a bit like dancing.
Adoption Process
As per usual, Sir Wiggleton was given medical treatment and socialized with other dogs. In addition, photos of the four-legged friend were posted on social media. This was the start of the adoption process for Sir Wiggleton. However, this process took longer than they had hoped. After months, still no one had planned a visit to adopt the poor pup.
Dan Tillery
Musician Dan Tillery and his girlfriend, on the other hand, were doing well. They had finally managed to buy a new house. This finally allowed Dan to make his dream come true; buying a dog. After a long search, they came across Sir Wiggleton on social media. This was the perfect match for the two. Dan immediately made an appointment at the shelter for a visit.
Curious to find out what happened next? Then continue reading on the next page.
The same personalities
When Dan and Sir Wiggleton first met, it soon became apparent that the two both had bubbly personalities. The dog was very excited when the couple came to visit and he greeted them with his well-known happy dance moves. Dan and his girlfriend were certain. Sir Wiggleton would become their dog.
Diggy
After a successful practice visit, the shelter saw that it was a good choice to go ahead with the adoption. Dan and his girlfriend became Sir Wiggleton’s new owners, and the four-legged friend had a new home. After nearly 100 days in the shelter, the dog was given a new name. Dan and his girlfriend decided to name the dog Diggy.
Viral
Diggy quickly learned new manners and tricks from his owners. He woke Dan up every day with a lick in his face. Diggy was a perfect fit for the household. In addition, Diggy grew into a real social media star. They never imagined that Diggy would go viral and get a whopping 24,000 likes within a few days.
Good Morning America
A popular photo of Dan and Diggy was even picked up by Good Morning America. The two were part of an item on the TV show. But all of their success led to something unexpected. There were people who saw alarming things in the picture. One day the police showed up at Dan’s door.
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Law enforcement
When the local Waterford Township Michigan Police Department showed up, Dan was shocked. They had received a tip that Dan had broken the law. People who had seen the photo on social media and television had issued a report. Waterford Township had a law banning pit bulls in that area since 1990. In fact, the police said Diggy was a pit bull.
The choice
Dan had to make a difficult choice. According to the law, pit bulls are too dangerous and aggressive. To be fair, when the police saw Diggy, they were surprised. The dog greeted them with extreme enthusiasm and joy. This was something they didn’t expect from a pitbull. All the same, Dan had to make a choice. He had to hand in Diggy or accept all possible consequences.
Dan refused to hand Diggy over to the police. The officers decided to give Dan a deadline. This gave Dan some time to think. On the day of the deadline, Dan still refused to hand Diggy over. This was answered with a subpoena. The shocked owner decided to get in touch with Kristina Rinaldi from Detroit Dog Rescue.
Help from the shelter
Kristina Rinaldi decided to assist Dan. The two went to the police station together to prove that the allegations were false. Dan was soon informed upon entry that he would be fined $500. Fortunately, Kristina managed to put a stop to this. Diggy wasn’t a pitbull at all. He was an American Bulldog. This was written in black and white in the adoption papers. Unfortunately, this was only the beginning of the battle.
Curious how this ends? Then continue reading on the next page.
Support
Fortunately, Dan got a lot of support from his online supporters. They had caught wind of the situation surrounding Diggy. The Michigan Humane Society got involved in the story and decided to get involved in the cause. An online petition was set up. This petition was aimed at a regulatory change.
The dog breed
According to them, pitbulls are not violent by nature. The breed can possibly behave aggressively when abused or incorrectly raised. Banning a breed punishes dogs for the actions of their owners. In a short time, the petition received no fewer than 54,000 signatures. Dan entered into battle with this strong position. He decided to hire a lawyer.
Evidence
Dan and Kristina had done everything according to the law when they were setting up the adoption. Kristina was legally allowed to take in bulldogs and Dan had registered the four-legged friend as an American bulldog. Still, the police seemed unconcerned about this. Which was odd because all the evidence was pointing to Diggy not being a pitbull at all.
The hearing
It was extremely busy on the day of the hearing. There were many people who had gathered to show their support. This of course with the underlying idea that bad owners should be punished and not an entire dog breed. During the hearing, people were shocked to hear professionals say that a Chihuahua would sooner bite a human than a pitbull would. Yet there was a strong argument against. For example, 22 of the 41 deadly dog attacks were caused by a pit bull.
The outcome
After a long and grueling process, the results were announced. The case to remove Diggy from his home was dismissed. In addition, the law has also been changed. From that moment on, determining what breed a dog is would be a veterinarian’s job and no longer that of the police. Dan decided to celebrate with Diggy. The two went to get a puppuchino at the nearest coffee shop . One thing was certain, Dan never had to worry about someone taking Diggy away from him again.
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Source: IcePop | Images: Youtube video stills