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Justice for Rocky
2009-11-02 18:03:33 | 30 Comments
Hi everyone, Santa here. Just a small post about something that I felt was important and need to be shared. This post is a small story about a wonderful dog named Rocky, and the irreversible injustice that has happened to him.
Just a bit of background; Paws for Life Rescue and Adoption (the organization I volunteer with), rescued Rocky back in May of 2009. His owner that had him ever since he was a pup first lost his job, and then his home to foreclosure. At that point he surrendered Rocky and another dog, along with two cats to Paws for Life. Following standard procedures Rocky like all dogs that come into the rescue had a temperament test, which he passed with flying colours. We had no problems with him whatsoever, all he wanted to do was play, cuddle, and get his belly rubbed. He was a healthy and happy dog who was really just a big loving goofball, never had any problems with anyone; all he wanted was a real home.
At the end of this past summer Rocky had been moved into new foster care in the city of Royal Oak, Michigan. He was a wonderful friend and jogging partner for his new foster mom. He had many play-dates with other dogs, family members and friends. He was an affectionate, kind-hearted teddy bear.
Sadly to say, it seems the worst things happen to the best of dogs. On Sunday, October 25, 2009, while Rocky was out for his daily jog things began to go wrong. A man across the street was walking his dog off the leash, and Rocky had managed to slip from his collar. The two dogs ran towards each other, after briefly sniffing each one anther the other dog growled and a fight between the two broke out. The fight lasted barely a minute, but in that small amount of time, a friend of the owner of the other dog had stuck his hand in between the two dogs trying to break them up. He, of course was bitten- I mean use some common sense, you stick your hand in a dog fight, and someone will bite you. Though no one knows which dog it was that bit him, the Animal Control (police officers who deal with animal related issues in their cities) was called to the scene and Rocky was taken away.
The following, day Paws for Life called the police trying to find out when Rocky would be released. The police told us that by law they could only release him to the rescue once they had received a proof of his rabies vaccine. Almost Paws for Life faxed over his rabies certificate. At that time the animal control officer, Gail Briggs drove over to the foster’s house and harassed the poor woman into signing over Rocky to animal control- needless to say that is against the law. Only the owners, in this case the rescue itself can sign over an animal, and yet even while knowing this; Briggs had gone after the Rocky’s foster mom, threatening her with fines and arrest if she did not sign over the dog. The instant Briggs got the foster mom to sign over Rocky she left and had him euthanized, even though she had no legal authority to do so. We believe she did this in such a haste because Rocky was a pit bull terrier mix. We had found out that Briggs has before stated that she wants to eradicate all pit bull mixes in the entire surrounding county.
By law, there is at least a minimum of a 10 day waiting period before the animal control can just euthanize an animal. They can only euthanize it if it was signed over to them by the proper owners, and fosters do not qualify as owners. As heart breaking as all of this is for us, we decided, we had to speak out against Briggs. We created a website, justiceforrocky.com. Please do visit it and show your support. What surprised us was the fact that once we began to speak out, others had come to us and told us that this isn’t the first time something like this was done.
Only a day after euthanizing Rocky, Briggs had confiscated a 1-and-a-half-year-old pit bull mix named Hitch. Hitch was a young and playful family dog who truly loved his owners. When an out-of-town family friend showed up and entered the house at 2am, Hitch had attacked him because he had never met this friend, and was just trying to protect his owners. He didn’t know any better. The family rushed their friend to the hospital, and the incident ended up being reported to Officer Briggs. She threatened the owners into signing over the dog, and took him away. After talking to us, the owners were set on getting their dog back. Yet somehow, after talking to Briggs, their opinion had changed. Because Hitch was young and poorly trained, he did have a past incident with playfully chasing kids. Though do to all of this, Briggs had convinced the owners that Hitch was in-fact a “dangerous monster” and that he needed to be put down. Brainwashed by Briggs the owners did just as she said and euthanized him. Personally, I feel awful for Hitch, and think that like Rocky, he deserved a fair chance, yet thanks to Briggs neither dog had received such a chance.
Now, almost a week later, we have come to hear of yet another incident. A pit bull had escaped his owner’s yard and ended up in a fight with another dog. Currently he too is in the hands of the Royal Oak Animal Control, and perhaps Briggs. The owner is already discouraged to fight for her dog. I fear that he will end up meeting the same fate as Rocky and Hitch.
Briggs is abusing her power and doing whatever she wants to get rid of pit bulls and pity mixes. If things were done properly in the case of Rocky, then both the foster and the other owner would have been ticketed for the dogs being of the leash, and even if Rocky was to be taken away, then he should have been given a fair chance. Not euthanized in under twenty-four hours of the incident.
I ask you all to visit our site and show support for Rocky. Help us spread the word about the injustice that happened to Rocky, and other dogs like him. The bottom line is, Briggs had engaged in a gross abuse of power and that act cost not only Rocky, but many other dogs their lives. If Rocky had been any other breed this would have been happened properly. Both handlers of the dogs would be ticketed and probably nothing more. If anyone wanted they could have sued in a civil court, but instead, our kind-hearted teddy bear, our friend and goofball Rocky had lost his life. This was the first time he had ever been in such a situation, and apparently the last. He will truly be missed.
Heferkimbo
too bad some stupid people use dogs to fight, and by doing that, giving a bad name to pit bulls, it is those animals who should be euthanized (the owners that make them fight)... RIP rocky and Hitch.
Santa Flux
@Heferkimbo, people really do give some animals such a bad name, shame we can't just dispose of most people. :p
chun
@Santa Flux, ugh my husband was saying we should sign Briggs over :P
Santa Flux
@chun, Oh I very much agree with him.
Seantaku
This was truly heartbreaking and I would be lying if I said I didn't cry reading this post. My dog is my best friend. I always have a picture of my dog on my blog because he is my world.
Reading this post and seeing those pictures of Rocky hit me hard. Pitbulls get such a bad rep and it's not fair. I have several friends who have pitbulls and they are such amazing dogs and they would never harm a fly. It's just depends on the owner.
I don't care for this Briggs person AT ALL! I want to help support this cause as much as I can. I'll put a link on my blog to the Justice for Rocky page.
Thank you for this post...
-Sean
Santa Flux
@Seantaku, we went to court today to the council meeting for one of the cities Briggs works for. Truly depressing being the one who carried his ashes.
I'm very glad to hear that you truly love your dog. It really is wonderful to see caring people in this world. I have personally worked with many pit bulls and they are such great family dogs, just a matter of training. Rocky was well trained, even for a dog who spent the first years of his life living in a broken home, owned by a druggie, and badly cared for, still he was a wonderful and friendly dog.
Thank you so much for the support and for posting a link on your page. It is greatly appreciated.
Anonymous
plz take good care of that dog
Clément
Hello, truly a story of injustice.
Did you took legal action?
Santa Flux
@Clément , We will be. Just have to get done with all the city council meetings first.
Jamaipanese
really beautiful dog, I can see his playful personality shining through in these photographs. I really hope Justice is gotten for Rocky, it's a shame though he cannot be brought back to life.
Santa Flux
@Jamaipanese, he was one of the best, and we will all miss him dearly.
Supakitsune
(pardon the strong language, but)
What.
The.
FUCK.
Who the hell does this woman think she is? Going around having innocent dogs put down because of dubious "attacks" (in at least one case it was just the stupidity of a person!)? People like this with such a harsh prejudice against bigger dogs just because they're supposedly "violent" are absolutely disgusting. Just about anyone who has owned a large dog like a rottweiler will know that they are very loving, friendly, playful, and intelligent pets. Just ask me.
As a lover of animals and especially cats and dogs, your cause has my absolute total support.
Santa Flux
@Supakitsune, some people just don't really trust pit bulls because they have such a bad rep, but they really are wonderful dogs.
Thank you for your support.
Heferkimbo
Well.... im not trying to prove this "person´s" innocence", but maybe she hates pit bulls because she or someone close to her suffered a pit bull attack....still, that doesn't give her the right to kill dogs...
smc
please get the facts straight before writing inflammatory stories about situations you weren't a part of. Your story about Hitch is rife with inaccuracies, and it is just such irresponsiblity that takes the focus off of the cause of all of this animal suffering and places it on the symptoms. The cause of the problem is not Officer Briggs. The cause of these problems, and may more to come, I'm afraid, is the law. If you want to enact change for the better treatment of all of our four-legged friends, I suggest you make efforts to amend the legislation. Going after Officer Briggs is like shooting the messenger. You may not like the way she does her job, but I believe her hands are often tied by the statutes she must enforce. I know for a fact that it was VERY difficult for her to have to take Hitch out of his home. What you may not know about Gail Briggs, as you rush to find someone to blame, is that she is a true animal lover. I cannot imagine how difficult her job must be; the situations she encounters when animals are truly mistreated; the lack of responsibility many owners exhibit. There are two sides to every story, and although my heart breaks for Rocky and his family, and Hitch and his family, how would any of us feel if ours was the dog who was injured and fighting for his life? Or if it was our friend who was bitten and required surgery?
Calmer heads need to prevail. It's unfortunate that anyone, human or animal, was hurt, or worse, in these situations. Let's try to make those victims' legacies positive ones. Let's stop the 'he said, she said' and join together to change the way the law regards our animals and treats these incidents.
Santa Flux
@smc, There isn't any issue with how the law itself is, the problem is, Briggs didn't follow it. There is a clear law that states a minimum of 10 day hold period. The dog was euthanized in 24 hours. The police officers told us it was because they needed to check him for rabies before doing surgery on the gentleman who was bitten. The rescue had sent over the proof of vaccines before the dog was euthanized. The bottom line is THE LAW WAS NOT FOLLOWED I'm not going to argue whether or not she loves animals, I understand she has a very difficult job and in a very difficult situation when it comes to cases as this. But the point stands as is, what she did was illegal.
smc
@Santa Flux, So you don't have a problem with the law the way it is written? Wouldn't individual evaluation of each dog make more sense than a blanket euthanization order when an injury is involved? I realize there is some debate on whether or not proof of vaccination was provided in a timely manner: I wasn't there and don't know the truth on that matter, but if each dog was granted an evaluation, I believe that both Rocky and Hitch might have fared much better than they did. In fact, the 10 day waiting period with your dog quarantined in a shelter , waiting to be put down, is a living hell. Just ask Hitch's owners. Rocky still would have probably been destroyed because of the injury(s)? he inflicted. That's the law. Hitch has been granted his 10 days, but that hasn't changed the fact that he won't be with us much longer. It isn't fair that Rocky didn't get his 10 days. But I don't think he would have gotten any more than that. That, in itself, is the problem, don't you think?
Santa Flux
@smc, for this kind of incident the law isn't all that bad, there is a minimum hold period, and then if an owner shows proof of the rabies vaccine the dog goes to the owner, and if anyone has a problem they can sue the owner for damages. If the dog is a stray, it gets an assessment test to see if it can be worked with.
It seems you are just trying do take the focus of the actual situation. The point is in this specific case Briggs didn't follow the law. So why don't you stop trying to change the subject, and if you don't like what I have to say, feel free not to be reading this blog.
ilene Hoffman
Hi,
I bear scars on both my hands from stopping a dog fight. It was MY fault, NOT either of the dog's. I'm sorry to hear about Rocky and these other dogs who were euthanized without proper authorization, nor the following of the laws. The problem seems to rest heavily in the that pit bulls and associated mutts have gotten a very bad rap. Some justified, some not. They do often become dangerous dogs in situations where they're threatened and / or attacked. The danger, unfortunately, is that their jaws exert much more pressure than many other breeds, and so even a protective nip can result in injury. Thanks to the press, people have become very afraid of the breed. Around here (Boston/NH area) the shelters are FULL of pit bull mixes, waiting for adoption. They are also banned in many communities now. I realize it's not the dog's fault, and irresponsible owners ARE at fault - the dogs are euthanized first and questions asked later.You did say Rocky escaped his collar -- sorry, that's irresponsibility on the part of the owner.
Sounds to me that it's time for your local community to rally to have that dog officer replaced and brought up on charges that s/he is not following the laws.
Michael Flux
@ilene Hoffman, True, Rocky did manage to slip out of his collar, but chances are the fight wouldn't even occur, or rather he wouldn't start running towards the other dog, if the other dog was on a leash in the first place. The other dog was being walked around without any sort of leash at all, so chances are if the other of the said other dog would control his own dog and would stop it from running towards Rocky, all of this could have quite easily been avoided.
Not trying to defend or blame anyone, but just saying that both parties are at fault really.
Heferkimbo
When i was a kid, a dog bit me and i got 40 shots around the button belly.. LOL.. not kidding, i love dogs!!!! I had 2 dogs, they died, and i hope i can buy 2 more dogs....
Shannon Chavez
I have lived on a farm all my life and have always had a dog. Four of them I saved from being put down. I will continue to save dogs from being killed til the day I die.
Santa Flux
@Shannon Chavez, we need more people like you in this world. ^_^ Good job!
Heferkimbo
@Santa Flux, And farms.... : P
codePhantom
This is just awful, he looks like such a playful bugger. I can't say I know how you feel but I hope you'll be able to get justice. Briggs is being really unfair and laws should be made to prevent this.
Heferkimbo
How ironic... i was watching on animal Planet that show about animal patrol or something like that... where they rescue animals from their owners... and this briggs person is killing them.
ZR
I have done quite a bit of investigation and research on this matter.
Most disturbing was Brigg's Facebook page wherein she states "THEY ARE GREAT ON THE GRILL!!!" about her trained pet koi.
The Berkley and Royal Police are some very bad people who will stop at nothing to come out on top.
I'm not kidding and we should all watch our backs. In 1998 Royal Oak executed a guy who leased a car with a fake ID and Eshman's activities in Detroit are equally legendary. He ran a precinct that operated crack houses and a burglary ring.
They are formidable enemies but the battle will be worth it if it avenges Rocky's murder and saves other dog's lives.
kemo
Hearbreaking story, truly said, I was about to cry when I was reading this post, RIP :(
ken Lee
damn, that's truly heartbreaking. I don't think I'll ever turn over my dog to any public official!
soulfringe
I am not much for Dogs (blame my mom and her 5 purse dogs) and I think this is horrible !
People can be so freaking cruel, is sad.
One of those purse dogs my mom has is actually a rescue dog as well. A white shih tzu-maltese. This poor (yet vile) animal was thoroughly abused. When animal rescue got her, she had a couple broken ribs, and her teeth knocked out. Her teeth are still super messed up and its so very visible.
To add to that, the irreversible psychological damage done. She is very very defensive. She bit me! Which is odd, because animals generally are very fond of me. What I usually do if a dog is on alert, is I stop and move slowly to them with my arms∧
She is a frequent barker btw. VERY frequent. She also is not properly toilet trained. She just does her business wherever she wants - and it's not always in a corner either. What's worse, is nobody wants to do the usual rub her nose in it and smack her with a big no sort of thing. Or anything else remotely aggressive. We just don't have the heart to do that to her after what she's been through.
oh within 15 minutes of her biting me on our first minute, she warmed up to me and freaking loves me now for some reason. It all went down because I thinks he got jealous when she saw me playing with the Chihuahua pup my mom had just picked up with Emi.