After waiting 100 days to be adopted, a dog may lose his forever home.
An American bulldog mix was picked up on the Detroit streets and taken to animal control. Soon, Detroit Dog Rescue, a no-kill shelter, rescued the dog and ensured he would not be put down.
Naming him Sir Wiggleton, the team knew he was something special.
“He had a sparkle in his eye that he needed to get out,” Kristina Rinaldi, Detroit Dog Rescue executive director, told the Detroit News. “I definitely did not want to see him euthanized.”
Related: Owner Told His Dog Is Sentenced to Death Despite No Bite History
The dog’s happy-go-lucky demeanor and goofy smile was captured in a photo Detroit Dog Rescue took and posted on Facebook. Soon, the image spurred interest from a lot of people, including local musician Dan Tillery, who also had a similar smile.
After finding out more information, Tillery adopted Sir Wiggleton and renamed him Diggy.
“It was like, ‘We need this guy. He looks like he has a lot of personality,’ Tillery said to the Detroit News.
Once home, the pair snapped a selfie showing off their happiness – and smiles – that they found each other. Tillery passed along the photo to Detroit Dog Rescue, which posted it on their page. It spread like a wild fire, with animal lovers, pit bull advocates and even the media – the pair were on Good Morning America and featured in People Magazine – taking notice. The city’s police department also saw it.
The Waterford Township Police Department said the dog was not allowed in its limits, as he was considered a pit bull – a banned breed. Pit bull type of dogs were banned in 1988 after two pit bull dogs killed an airedale terrier and injured its owner. The Waterford area deemed dogs that have “breed standards established by the American Kennel Club for American Staffordshire Terriers or Staffordshire Bull Terriers” as dangerous, stating “The breeds are almost impossible to confine without resorting to fortress-like measures; pit bull terriers can climb over high chain link fences and trees, tear metal sheeting with its teeth, attack through chain link fencing, tear loose its collars, and dig under fences and walls, requiring the adoption of breed-specific restrictions on the care and custody of licensed pit bull terriers for the protection of the citizens of this community.”
But the rescue group argues this is not the case. They state that paperwork from their organization, Detroit Animal Control and the city’s veterinarian all say Diggy is an American bulldog.
Related: 10 Owners Reveal Why They Absolutely Adore Their Pit Bull
“I’m looking at a picture of this dog and it looks like a pit to me. I’d write a ticket,” Waterford Township Police Lt. Todd Hasselbach said in a statement, adding, “If he can show that it’s not (a pit bull), then it’ll be fine.”
While this may seem like an open-and-shut case, one issue the rescue group faces is previous Facebook posts in which it describes Diggy as a pit bull mix.
https://www.facebook.com/detroitdogrescue/photos/a.192832737408143.46606.190296407661776/1231638543527552/?type=3&theater
Tillery had up until today to surrender the dog or find him a new home outside of city limits. Per his Facebook page, he has not yet. He was given a citation and is cooperating with police.
There is a petition asking Waterford to lift the ban. It is aiming for 60,000 signatures and to date has more than 56,000.
Related: City Does Away With Pit Bull Ban After Dog Saves Domestic Violence Victim
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10209703629932275&set=a.1680102887186.93932.1375964672&type=3&theater
