When musician Dan Tillery decided to adopt a dog, he immediately fell in love with an American Bulldog named Diggy. On this occasion, he posted a photo on his social networks, on which he and his new pet smile widely. If Diggy delighted the hearts of Internet users, local services were a little less delighted with the dog. A few days after posting the photo on the Internet, the police knocked on the musician’s door.
Dan and his then-girlfriend, Megan Rose, moved into a new house. The building seemed empty to them, and they decided that the presence of the animal would change it. They decided to adopt a dog from a shelter. A three-month-old American Bulldog was waiting for them at Detroit Dog Rescue. When he returned their love, they decided to take him home.
He posted a photo with his new dog. The neighbor called the police
The couple immediately became attached to the animal and decided to adopt it. Soon after, they bragged about the new pet on Facebook, not yet knowing they were making a huge mistake. Although the photo drew positive comments, not everyone Dan knew was happy with his new pet. Someone decided to inform the services of the illegal adoption.
It turns out that in Waterford, Michigan, it’s illegal to own a pit bull. Although the dog was an American Bulldog breed in the adoption papers, police believed the anonymous tip and ordered the musician to return the dog. Waterford residents protested and created a petition to lift the ban on pit bulls.
“Based on the dog’s physical appearance, police decided Diggy could not stay,” Waterford Police Chief Scott Underwood said.
Pit bull Free Town. The case ended in court
The city of Waterford is not the only one where certain dogs are prohibited by law. Hundreds of cities in the United States have what is called BSL, breed-specific legislation. Unfortunately, the laws were not created to protect dogs, but to prohibit the ownership of breeds considered dangerous.
Although the American Bulldog breed is acceptable in adoption papers, the court decided to declare the adoption illegal. After three months of fighting, despite hundreds of thousands of signatures on a petition, Dan had to get rid of his pet. He was going to find a new home outside of a jurisdiction where pit bulls are allowed. However, the musician did not give up without a fight.
He still maintained that Diggy was an American Bulldog. To prove it, he took the dog to the vet. An experienced doctor said that the race in the documents corresponds to reality. Although a vet might even consider the dog a Labrador in such cases, it was an argument for Diggy to stay with the adoptive family.
The law changed because of him. How did Diggy’s case unfold?
The city acknowledged the veterinarian’s decision on this. Thanks to Diggy, the law has also changed. Unfortunately, the ban on having pit bull dogs was not lifted, but a provision was added that allowed expert vets to be appointed in cases.
“Case closed,” wrote Dan Tillery on Facebook. We can keep our dog.
Previously, dogs considered pit bulls were ruthlessly expelled from the city. This decision was often made by uneducated police officers. Not every owner of a so-called pit bull had the time and money to fight the town. Dan has set a precedent and it is through his involvement that the Guardians are finally able to defend themselves against the charges. Any dog recognized as a breed other than a pit bull by an expert veterinarian was able to stay in town thanks to him.
The case unfolded in 2016. Since then, Diggy has been in Dan’s care and judging by many Instagram photos, he’s a happy and loving dog. He was on the verge of being deprived of his loving family by the inefficiency of the justice system.
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