On Sunday, October 25th, our rescue dog Rocky was out jogging with his foster care mom in Royal Oak, Michigan. A dog across the street was walking with his owner and a friend of the owner. The owner let his dog off leash and Rocky pulled and broke his collar. The two dogs ran toward each other, met in the middle and began to sniff one another. The other dog growled and a fight ensued. The friend of the owner stuck his hands into the dog fight and was bit on the finger, but no one knows by which dog. The police were called and Rocky was taken away.
Monday morning, Paws for Life called the Royal Oak police and asked when Rocky would be released. We were told he would be released once they received proof of his rabies vaccine. So we faxed them the rabies certificate. Animal Control officer Gail Briggs then drove to our foster volunteer's home without reason to do so. She threatened and intimidated the volunteer into signing over Rocky, knowing full well from the 8 conversations we had that morning that he was the property of the rescue and the volunteer had no authority to sign anything. And she never would have had she not been threatened with fines, tickets and arrest. Upon leaving the home, Officer Briggs immediately had Rocky euthanized, even though she did not have the legal right or authority to do so.
We are asking for your support of Rocky and dogs like him. He was given no chance for justice. He was the victim of breed discrimination and hatred. Any other dog breed involved and both owners would have been ticketed and that's it. Other animal control agencies, rescues and shelters are outraged at how this case and Rocky himself were handled. Speak loudly for our pets and demand an investigation into the misconduct of Gail Briggs
Rocky had NO prior incidents. He never attacked or bit anyone or anything. He came from a home with other dogs and cats. He frequently played with other dogs. He attended adoption events without problems. He was a big goofy teddy bear with a silly heartwarming smile and always-wagging tail. He loved children and he loved every person he met. He didn't deserve this. Please spread the word, share Rocky's story with everyone you can anyway you can. Call and write letters to Royal Oak and Berkley officials too. They have jurisdiction of Gail Briggs and the incident, which was not handled according to the law. This is a gross abuse of power by Gail Briggs who ignored a STOP order from our attorney, who acted according to her own personal, prejudiced beliefs and outside the law. Regardless of the incident and which dog was at fault, Rocky was given no time to have the situation examined. There was no opportunity for anything. He never had a chance. Other officers and officials have expressed their outrage and shock by the rushed and hurried nature of what they did. Officer Briggs lied to us and deceived us, repeatedly.
Spread the word and write your letters. Contact pit bull and animal advocates and rescues across the country. The more the word gets out, the more we might affect change. The war on the pit bull breed has to stop. Rocky was a wonderful dog. He didn't deserve this. Bottomline: this officer engaged in a gross abuse of power and that act cost Rocky his life. And had he been any other breed, the incident would not have been handled like this. Had Officer Briggs done her job, both handlers should have been ticketed for having dogs out of their control and if anyone wanted to sue in civil court, they could. That's the legal and right way to handle it.
Thank you standing behind Rocky! Don't let other innocent dogs fall victim to the kind of bigoted mistreatment that Rocky received.
